IHSA football preview: New coach Logan Larson looks to return Hall to playoffs

For the first time since Gary Vicini’s 25-year tenure as Hall coach ended in 2008, the Red Devils will have a non-Red Devil alumnus leading the program as Logan Larson takes over.

Larson is a former assistant coach at Athens, which finished as runner-up in Class 2A last fall. He takes over for Randy Tieman, who went 53-50 with seven playoff appearances in 10 seasons over two stints as head coach.

“I thought overall we had a really good summer,” Larson said. “It’s been a little slow installing stuff. Everything is new for us right now. Overall, I think the guys have been great. The guys who are here are showing up and giving great effort. We’re trying to get a little more physical.

“We’re building on everything.”

Junior Braden Curran said Larson has been a positive influence on the Red Devils.

“He’s been great,” Curran said. “He keeps us on our feet and makes us physical. Practices have been hardcore. I love it.”

Larson said his goal is to help the Red Devils return to the playoffs after they fell short last year, going 3-6.

“We want to be the best we can be, and we want to get better every single week,” Larson said. “The first year, that’s the process of it. It’s just learning things.

“We’re young. We don’t have a lot of seniors. We’re going to rely on a lot of juniors. Even though we’re experienced, they’re still juniors. We want to keep improving and get to Week 9 and have a chance and see what happens.”

Offensively, the Red Devils will look to establish the run.

“We’re going to get the ball to our athletes, and then we’re going to execute,” Larson said. “That’s ultimately what it has to be. No matter what you do, you have to be able to run the ball. Any teams that are winning state championships, they can run the ball, and they’re really good at it. So we have to run the football, we have to to execute, and we have to hang onto the football.”

Hall will have a veteran offensive line to run behind with senior Cameron Spradling back at left tackle and juniors Jacob Mongan and Kaiden Kenny also returning. Senior Ben Heerdt and sophomores Alex Tucker and Caden Ellena also will be in the mix.

Juniors Braden Curran and Aiden Redcliff will be the team’s primary ballcarriers, while senior Jack Jablonski also will run the ball. Jablonski also will see time at receiver. Last fall, Curran ran for 374 yards and four touchdowns while catching 13 passes for 257 yards and two scores. Redcliff ran for 232 yards and four TDs.

Junior Dylan Glynn takes over at quarterback.

“I think we’re going to be tough,” Curran said. “We’ll be able to trust our linemen. Up front, we’re very improved this year. I think we have a lot of guys who are stepping up and being physical. I think we have the speed to do some damage.”

Defensively, Larson said he wants the Red Devils “to run to the football and play with relentless effort.”

“We want that five seconds of chaos and giving your best effort,” Larson said.

Spradling, Kenny and Mongan will anchor the defensive line with other offensive linemen rotating in as well.

Redcliff is back to lead the linebacking corps after recording 43 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, three sacks, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery last year. Juniors Aidan McMahon and Hunter Corsolini also will play linebacker.

Braden and Jack Curran will play cornerback, while Jablonski and junior Gabe Wamhoff also will be contributors in the secondary.

“I think our defense will be really good this year,” Jablonski said. “We have a lot of fast guys, so we can get to the ball.”