Mike Vukovcan Looking to hire a head coach, regardless of the level of the sport, is never an easy thing.
Factors such as salary, NIL fund, expectations of the fan base, expectations of the organization, school boards, input of parent, you name it, they all can factor into who will apply for the job and ultimately who gets hired.
A couple of years ago, the Hopewell School District was at a real crossroads in terms of their football program and whether or not they were going to take the sport serious.
I’ll be brutally honest; the Hopewell football program was a complete mess and getting worse by the day.
The size of the roster was declining for various reasons but mostly because of how non-competitive the team was. Who wants to go out for a sport, train nearly year-round and get slaughtered out on the field each Friday night? I remember going to a game not too long ago and counting 25+ players on the Hopewell sideline.
That was embarrassing and so were their records.
From 2013 until 2023, Hopewell’s football record was 22-80.  Yes, 22-80. In 8 of those 11 seasons, the Vikings won 2 games or less. Do you blame kids for not wanting to come out for football?
Following the 2023 season, Hopewell found themselves in the market for a coach again and originally hired veteran head coach and Hopewell native John Rosa to take over the program. However, a tremendous opportunity presented itself, which Rosa was smart to accept which meant the district was back at square one.
The Rosa news happened late in the process, so the pressure was really on Hopewell superintendent Jeff Beltz and the school board. A few candidates applied, mostly with little to none head coaching experience including Matt Mottes.
Which direction would the board go?
Hopewell HC Matt Mottes
Mottes was in-line to be Hopewell’s defensive coordinator under Rosa but was approached by a couple people about applying for the job. The players currently on the team had been working out with Mottes and the rest of the coaches so he wouldn’t be a completely new face and would be able to implement some of Rosa’s ideas and system they had been working on.
However, Mottes was hesitant at first because of factors such as never being a head coach, his full-time job and the fact that he had just become a dad for the first time, which is obviously a job in itself and a life-changing experience.
But after consulting with a number of people, including his wife Jenny, Mottes decided to apply for the vacancy.
Coach Mottes and Family
The question now was what would the Hopewell School Board decide to do? Luckily for Hopewell football and its players, they hired Mottes as the interim coach for the 2024 season. Cudos to the board members for that program changing decision.
After showing progress by going 4-6 last year, Mottes was named the full-time coach this past offseason.
Heading into this Friday’s game against Central Valley, Hopewell has a record of 6-2 and battling for their first WPIAL playoff berth since 2012. Friday’s win over Freeport assured the Vikings of their first winning season since 2011.
But really, it goes beyond just wins and losses.
Mottes and his talented coaching staff have created a new culture for the football program. Excuses, selfishness, and quite frankly bullshit will not be tolerated by anyone. Personally, I’ve witnessed Mottes and other coaches address the best players on the roster in let’s call it a stern tone (LOL). Regardless of if you’re a starter or a 3rd team player, if you’re not performing or behaving to the standards and expectations of Hopewell football, you will hear about it, and it will be addressed. PERIOD.
If you truly want to change things, that’s the way things must be handled and if it ruffles some feathers and even causes some to leave, so be it.
Over the last two years, I’ve come to learn that Mottes is a coach that cares for his players, will do whatever it takes to help them and is a guy they enjoy being around. However, when a loud voice is needed, when certain things need to change and discipline needs enforced, he’s up to the task.
The Standard is the Standard.
Because of this, because of a lot of dedication from the players and coaches and because of player development, football is an event once again on Friday nights in Hopewell. More and more people are coming to Tony Dorsett Stadium on Friday nights, which is tremendous to see. Two Fridays against McGuffey, the home stands were as filled as I’ve seen them in many years and with the importance of this Friday’s game against Central Valley, the stadium will be filled to capacity.
Tons of people in the stands is not only exciting for the team but also good for business as the concession stands are jammed with people and making money.
This winning and excitement also gets kids to want to come out for football as the high school roster this year is at 52 players. That’s also trickled down to the junior high program, which started the season with 41 players.
The buzz for Hopewell football will climb to another level if this team is able to qualify for the playoffs this year. That would be a tremendous accomplishment and moment for this team; especially for the seniors on this roster, who endured plenty of struggles and losing in their freshman and sophomore years.
With the young talent on this roster and in the system, this success isn’t going to be a one-year thing.
Get used to it because Hopewell football is back and it all started with the hiring of Mottes as head coach.
