Last year, Winona Christian football coach Junior Graham went out on a limb and started sophomore Hayden Self at strong-side outside linebacker against French Camp.
Graham and his staff prepared for one French Camp offense and got something totally different, causing Self to struggle in his first start.
Graham decided to stick with Self in the starting lineup and the move paid off for the Stars. Graham said Self got better each week and ended the season with nearly 100 tackles.
“Hayden may have proved more to me than anybody on the team from the first to the last game,” Graham said. “We sort of threw him in there because he was a big, athletic kid. He played fair in that first game but he really improved as the year went on. We have high expectations for him this year. He will play both sides of the football for us this year.”
Self has been chosen as the fifth member of the Winona Times/Carroll Conservative Eleven To Watch for 2019 list. Already announced on the list are Blake Cooper and An’Darius Coffey of Winona, Thomas Costilow of Winona Christian and Cory Clay of J.Z. George.
In game two of the season, the Stars had a better scouting report against Ethel.
“We thought we might have thrown him out there too quick but the second game was night and day,” Graham said. “His scouting report really helped him a lot. He is a kid that watches a lot of video and understands the game. His dad is on the staff and they talk a lot of ball away from school and that makes a difference. He’s one of those kids that really watches a lot of film and it shows.”
Self agreed the first game was a real struggle for him.
“It was my first year to start and I didn’t play very well in my first game,” Self said. “I definitely improved as the year went on. I got to know the game more and got better as the year went on. I felt like I got faster and stronger. I just got to know what was coming. I watched a lot of film and knew when I saw a certain formation what was coming. I started to recognize what was happening and my instincts kicked in and I just ran to the ball.”
Last year, Self had the luxury of playing mostly on the defensive side of the football. But he will be looked on to start at fullback and put his 6-foot, 215-pound frame to use on the offensive side of the ball.
“He will have to play offense for us this year,” Graham said. “I think he is a really good offensive player, we just didn’t need him over there last year. With (Thomas) Costilow at tailback and him at fullback, that’s a load coming at you. He’s a really good fullback but hasn’t played much H-back but has embraced that role for us.”
Graham said that while Self is not a speed burner, he has surprising quickness for his size. While Self played outside linebacker last season, Graham said he plans on moving him to the middle this year.
“He is quicker than he looks,” Graham said. “He has deceptive quickness. He doesn’t have great top-end speed but is a quick player. He does a good job at running the fullback traps and dives. He has a good nose for the football and can be a physical football player. We think if he improves as much as he did last year, stays hungry and healthy, the sky is the limit for him. And by moving him to the middle, we will get more help out of him on defense. He can go make tackles on both sides and with his nose for the ball, he will be able to fly around the field a little more.”
Self knows he will have a bigger role this season.
“Last year, I only played one way and got a break when the offense was on the field,” Self said. “I will definitely have a bigger role this year. We are losing some depth so there won’t be many water breaks to say the least. We had some great talents on both sides of the ball and had some depth. We could move some guys in and out. Had 11 on offense and 11 on defense which helped us a lot. But we don’t have that kind of depth this year.”
One of the tougher things that Self has to deal with is playing for his father, Shannon Self, who is the defensive coordinator. Hayden also plays baseball for his father as well.
“We are around each other a lot, which can be a bad thing, and we can get into arguments, but it’s all good,” Hayden said. “He definitely pushes me to do the best that I can. He is the biggest role model in my life and pushes me really hard. He makes me to do extra stuff which helps me out tremendously. At home, he is a father. At school, he is a hard-headed coach that gets on my butt and chews me out when I don’t do something right, which is fine with me because he is doing his job.”
Shannon Self said coaching his son has its ups and downs.
“It’s not nearly as much fun as people think it would be because regardless of what he does, people always say that I had something to do with it,” Shannon Self said. “I do enjoy the time that we get to spend together. I don’t know that it is nearly as much fun as people think it is. I think they always have that coach’s son title put above them. They think they get special treatment and I think anyone who has ever coached with me would tell you the opposite, that’s not how it is. You have to put the best players on the field. But I wouldn’t trade it for anything. I get to spend my days with both of my sons and that’s a big deal for me.”
Just as he is going to have to take on a bigger role in football, Shannon Self said Hayden was also going to have to start at catcher for the baseball team as well this year.
“His role for us in football will be like it will be in baseball, it will have to increase,” Shannon Self said. “He will have to be better than he was last year and take on a bigger role. He was fortunate that he had a lot of good players around him that helped him with growing pains that a young player has. Just like baseball, he will have to step up and take a bigger role than he did last year.”
