Minutes before the opening kickoff against Assumption, Solon football head coach Lucas Stanton ushered his team back to the team room behind the left end zone in hopes that the weather delay would quickly pass by. Fifty five minutes later, the two teams retook the field. But it took much longer than expected.
“Once we kind of had an idea of when we were going back out, that’s when we started to get [the team] refocused,” Stanton said. “They were excited to finally get out and play.” Stanton had his players drinking Gatorades and eating bananas to get refueled during the hiatus. That preparation paid dividends when it came to game time as the Spartans came out firing in the 36-13 home victory.
On Solon’s first drive of the game, quarterback Eli Kampman connected with wide receiver Kaden Hoeper for a 73-yard touchdown. And in its first drive of the second half, the two connected once again, only this time Hoeper secured a catch over the top of his defender for an 80-yard score.
This isn’t the first time the 6-foot-2 junior has “Moss’d” a defender.
“I’ve done stuff like that before,” Hoeper said. “Me and Eli have worked on high-pointing balls, so that’s something that I do.”
The two scores were a result of his five-catch, 174-yard outing. He believes he’s capable of a performance like that anytime he steps out on the gridiron.
“I was expecting myself to have a big game, and I’m expecting a big season for myself,” Hoeper said.
Fellow Spartan wide receiver Maddox Kelley had a slower start to the game compared to Hoeper, with the weather delay playing a factor in that. Once he regained focus, he went out and accumulated nine catches for 84 yards and three scores — two of which came in the second quarter
“The delay kind of got me out of the zone,” Kelley said. “We came back in, I put my headphones on, and I started listening to music. And I got relocked in.”
The two receivers were the beneficiary of Kampman’s monster performance. In his first start for the program, the senior completed 15-of-25 passes for 272 yards and five touchdowns, along with nine rushes for 36 yards. Having two playmakers to throw the ball to, Kampman believes the sky is the limit for the Spartan offense.
“They’re just animals,” he said. “They do everything right, whether it be in the weight room or the field. They’re just working hard.”
The trio gave a glimpse of what to expect for the 2025 season — a limitless ceiling.
Solon will ride as far as Kampman can take them.
“That’s a kid you want as a leader,” Kelley said. “He does everything right. He’s your biggest supporter at all times. He’ll tell you when you need to get in check and stuff like that. He’s the guy you want at quarterback.”
