Defense key to West Hancock’s turnaround

Published 7:59 pm Wednesday, July 29, 2026

HAMILTON, Ill. — The high-flying offense gets much of the attention about West Hancock, but it was the defense that led to its turnaround last season.

The West Hancock defense buckled down last season, cutting its points per game allowed from 51.2 in 2024 to 29 in 2025.

“Our defense before last year was not too good,” said Titans senior defensive back Hunter Froman. “It was a lot better last year. I think after our young guys saw that, they have something they can look up to and move forward on. Just try to compete on that defensive end and see what we can do.”

The Titans put an emphasis on stopping the run, which help lead to its defensive turnaround.

West Hancock’s defense really started to hit its stride in the second half of the season, when the Titans went on a five-game winning streak and limited opponents to 13.2 points per game.

“Last year we really stressed that defense is going to win games at all levels,” said Titans head coach Coy Dorothy. “You can score as many points as you want, but you are going to have to stop teams. That’s going to be our big focal point like last year, stopping the run. A lot of teams that we face run the ball. Some of them spread us out to see if they can pass, but if we can stop the run we can be successful.”

West Hancock returns just three starters on its defense — Froman at safety, Logan Baker on the defensive line and Chandler Dadant at linebacker — all seniors.

Dadant has been the heart and soul of West Hancock’s defense and will be a key player helping new starters learn their roles.

“Chandler is a phenomenal leader for us,” said Dorothy. “He’s picking up the kids and getting them into the weight room and putting in the extra time. He’s being vocal and being able to back up his words with his effort, his attitude and his toughness.”

Last season, Dadant earned first team All-Conference honors at linebacker after making 96 tackles, 11 stops for a loss, four pass deflections, one sack, two quarterback hurries, one interception and one forced fumble.

“Having (Dadant) back on both sides of the ball is a huge thing,” said Froman, who had 13 tackles, one interception and one forced fumble last season. “As a running back, he just changes the game for us. As a linebacker, he might change it even more on the defensive side.”

Baker had 21 tackles, four stops for a loss, five quarterback hurries and one forced fumble last season, and will lead a inexperienced defensive line like Dadant will the linebackers and Froman the secondary.

West Hancock is looking to replace Ryan Horn and Jess Scott on the defensive line, and Layton Conkright at linebacker, all second team All-Conference selections. The Titans also graduated cornerback Jordan Crowley.

However, the Titans have high hopes for Brayden Hall on the defensive line, Adam Pena and Conner Primmer at linebacker and Blake Hopp and Hunter Whibley in the secondary.

“Our D-line looks great,” said Dadant. “Our secondary looks great. We got good linebackers. We’re solid all around.”

So far, the West Hancock seniors like what they see out of the newcomers.

“These younger guys like to compete in the weight room,” said Froman. “They like to compete out here in practice, so I’m excited to see what they can do.”
Froman plays a big role on special teams as West Hancock’s kicker, punter and returner.

The Titans are looking to fill spots on its special teams coverage roles.

“I tell the team there’s three parts of a game — special teams, offense and defense,” said Dorothy. “If you fall asleep on special teams, more than likely they’re going to take a possession away from you, or you could gain one. It’s going to be a total effort. Maybe it’s someone that’s not going to start on offense or defense, but they’re busting their butt and hustling, so they’ll find their way on special teams.”