Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

SOLON – The expectation entering this season was for junior Kaden Hoeper to step into a larger role in the Solon offense as the Spartans attempted to replace three of their top four pass catchers from a year ago.

It took less than a half for Hoeper to smash those expectations.

Hoeper scored on a 73-yard touchdown catch on the third play of the game on his way to a huge night receiving as Solon defeated Davenport Assumption 36-13 in a season-opener on Friday.

“It feels great to finally get out there and show what I can do,” Hoeper said. “It was amazing.”

Hoeper showed impressive potential while getting a taste of varsity football last fall.

As a sophomore last season Hoeper had five receptions for 55 yards and made seven tackles on a Solon squad that went 8-3 and advanced to the second round of the Class 3A playoffs.

In the season opener on Friday Hoeper shined in his expanded role.

Hoeper finished with five receptions for 174 yards and two touchdowns in the 36-13 win over the Knights.

“I credit Kade a lot with just his offseason attitude,” Solon coach Lucas Stanton said. “It certainly helps with what we did with him and we’ve tried to do that with a lot of players in the past and it has worked out pretty well is when they are sophomores trying to expose them to varsity football a little bit and develop them.”

Some experience a year ago combined with an offseason of work has put Hoeper in position to be a dangerous weapon on both sides of the ball for the Spartans this season.

“During the offseason Kade bought into being a multi-sport athlete, getting into the weight room and really has matured mentally a lot too,” Stanton said. “He’s a leader on our team, he has a great attitude and that’s all on him for doing that.”

After giving Solon a boost with his 73-yard touchdown on the game’s first possession Hoeper added an 80-yard touchdown catch and run in the third quarter.

The third-quarter touchdown gave Solon a 29-13 lead and helped the Spartans pull away.

“He’s a beast, he’s unstoppable,” Solon senior quarterback Eli Kampman said. “He’s going to be a force.”

The big game from Hoeper helped Solon roll up 381 yards of total offense while averaging 7.9 yards per play in the opener.

“I think we can be a really high scoring team once we figure out what works consistently,” Hoeper said. “I think we can be a tough team to defend.”

The 6-foot-2, 180-pound Hoeper provides a deep threat on the outside but Stanton says his ability to catch and run as well as make plays in traffic makes him a well-round receiver.

As a defensive back Hoeper added 1.5 tackles and an interception in the season-opening win.

“He’s a deep threat for one but also he can take the short stuff turn and go as well,” Stanton said. “He has the after burners. He’s a guy that teams have to account for whether it’s the deep ball or the short hitch.”

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