Culture Change For Troy Athens Football

is done being a footnote.

The biggest challenge head coach Josh Heppner has faced entering his third season is changing the culture of the Red Hawks program.

“I’m tired, and I think everybody else associated with Athens football is tired of just showing up,” Heppner said. “These guys have just showed up for years. It’s time for us to get the mental mindset when we go into a game against Lake Orion or Clarkston and beat them. The thought of losing shouldn’t enter your mind.” 

Heppner, who inherited a program in 2009, has taken a team that hasn’t had back-to-back winning seasons in 20 years. He said the excitement around the team, even on the field at times, wasn’t there. And his first group of seniors, he said, didn’t buy into the changes his coaching staff wanted to make.

“I think I was battling a lot,” Heppner said. “The seniors were just like, 'I’m completely done right now.'”

Heppner put some blame on himself for focusing too much on integrating changes to the offense and defense and not enough time shaping his players attitudes.

“When you take over a program, you want the instant wins, but I think if I had to do it over again I would have made sure I had a great team that played together my first year and taken my lumps,” Heppner said. “What could’ve I done worse? We went 2-7 my first year.”

The negative attitudes he faced are now gone. He has a team this season that practices hard 100 percent of the time with a focus and tempo that he believes will help build a winner.

“I’m most comfortable with the program as a whole,” Heppner said. “It’s taken me a long time to get to this point.”

Players feel the same way. Andrew Aurand was called up to varsity in Heppner’s first season. The senior lineman said the bond between players this year is completely different than when he was a sophomore. 

“Coach came out and really challenged us this offseason,” Aurand said. “We’re like a brotherhood now.”

Teamwork won’t be the only thing that helps the Red Hawks have a resurgent year. They are going to need to be able to run the ball and Aurand will be a big part of that.

He is a 6-foot-4, 290 pound beast on the offensive line. He’s the starter at left tackle next to senior guard Corey Thai. The two have been playing together for three seasons and developed excellent chemistry.

“It’s second nature with him and I,” Aurand said. “We don’t even need to talk on the field anymore.”

They’ll be blocking for starting quarter Ben Bartnowak and a rotating group of six running backs including Lonnie Bolden, Lonnie Jaynes and Kris Gervin.

Bartnowak will be running Athens base offense out of a new formation this year. It will line up in the diamond. Heppner said it’s basically an inverted wishbone with the quarterback and three running backs in the backfield.

The formation is very popular at the collegiate level.

“It’s going to get more athletes involved in the offense and able to touch the ball,” senior wide receiver Jake Spinek said. ”I think it’s going to work out real well cause they will have more chances to make plays.”

It was part of the Red Hawks goal line package last season. Heppner liked how they executed it and decided to make the switch.

“We’ve had it in our package, we’ve just never made it our focus,” Heppner said. “It will help us keep defenses guessing.”

Athens is keeping things pretty simple on defense running a 4-3 like it did last year. The group is young with two second-year varsity players in the secondary. Heppner’s biggest concern is making sure they have enough linemen up front.

“We just need to find our three or four interior guys,” Heppner said. “The defensive line controls the game, they control the offensive line and move them to help let the linebackers make plays.”

Aurand could be one of those interior guys. He has played on the defensive line, but he certainly hasn’t made any kind of impact on that side of the ball. It’s something he’d like to change this season. 

“I have one career tackle,” he said, laughing. “I’ve been in there working with the guys, but we’ve never had the need before this year. I’m looking forward to making some big plays.”