Schuckman: Hawks see accountability, confidence, consistency grow with each practice

QUINCY — The progression is designed to be natural.

First, set the foundation. Then, add the layers.

“We’re trying to build a structure here,” Brock Inman said.

That’s why no one fretted when the Quincy University football team’s first fall practice wasn’t as crisp as anyone would have liked. The Hawks needed to lay the groundwork for expectations and build each day to meet and exceed that standard.

By Friday, which was the fifth day of workouts, improvements were becoming visible.

“I’ve liked our effort stacking up,” said Inman, a senior linebacker and second-team All-Great Lakes Valley Conference selection a year ago. “Our first practice, it wasn’t there. Compared to today, it’s a night-and-day difference. I love that because guys are picking it up.”

That’s a carryover from the spring when first-year Hawks coach Jason Killday began putting his stamp on the program with a no-nonsense approach.

“I’ve liked our team’s intensity,” senior offensive lineman Nate Smith said. “Each day, we’ve improved. I think our effort and attitude on and off the field has definitely picked up. We’re definitely playing with a little bit more urgency. We still have a ways to go, but I like how we’re getting after it each day and improving each day.”

Even with that said, Smith sees the need for a jump in production.

“We need to work on having a little more competition, playing the game more free and loose,” Smith said. “We’re kind of too focused on plays and situational football. Even though we know the situation, we still want to go out there loose and compete on every play.”

If someone isn’t competing, Smith said the rest of the Hawks step in.

“We’re holding each other accountable,” Smith said. “Accountability is the big thing.”

It’s forcing the Hawks to stay invested in each other, which should impart confidence in those whose spirit may wane from time to time.

“Confidence breeds aggression,” Smith said. “The more confident we get, the more aggressive we will be.”

And the more likely they are to build a structure that is sound.

Killday and the coaching staff have provided the blueprint, but the Hawks are the crew to put it together. As much as the lessons from the spring have carried over — “It’s like the palm of your hand. You don’t have to really think about it. You just do it,” Inman said — there remains plenty to learn.

They just can’t stray from the plan.

“Overall, we have to work on following what Killday is preaching,” Inman said. “Practice philosophies, staying up during practice, running to the ball every single play. The philosophy is the big thing. We’re trying to practice like national champs.”

Consistently doing that means the foundation is solid as a rock.