Tigers’ Landen Hare is Body Zone Physical Therapy Defensive Player of the Week
Steve Pangburn calls Landen Hare the Swiss Army knife of the Fleetwood football team. Hare performs well in a variety of jobs.
“He does everything pretty darned well,” Pangburn said after watching Hare lead the Tigers’ defensive unit in Friday’s 22-10 win over Schuylkill Valley. “(He’s) a very versatile tool to have in the tool box.”
Hare, a 6-1, 210-pound senior, has moved from tackle to tight end to H-back over the years on offense.
He’s primary been an end on defense but moved inside against Schuylkill Valley in the second half and still continued to storm the pocket, collecting 3 ½ sacks to earn Body Zone Physical Therapy Defensive Player of the Week honors.
Hare slid inside so that the Tigers could get promising sophomore Bryce Ryan on the field at defensive end. That didn’t affect Hare’s performance.
“He was getting pressure no matter where he lined up,” Pangburn said. “He can beat you with his quickness, and he’s got enough strength to hold his point of attack. (He) and Trey Wamsher were really giving them fits.”
The Tigers felt their best shot at defending Schuylkill Valley quarterback Logan Nawrocki was to pressure him, so they geared their defensive game plan around that, blitzed often, and ended up with 6 ½ sacks.
‘We definitely put (an emphasis) on widening our rush lanes and we blitzed them, and our guys on the back end held their own,” Pangburn said. “We noticed that, like anybody, if you pressure them you can leverage yourself to have a pretty good night.”
They held the Panthers to 29 rushing yards, 167 total yards, and just one touchdown in what rates as one of Fleetwood’s best all-round defensive performances against a quality offense in several years.
Hare came up big several times in the second half, helping the Tigers keep the Panthers scoreless after intermission. On Schuylkill Valley’s first possession of the half he had a sack on third-and-6 to force a punt. On a late possession, with the Panthers needing two scores to win, Hare came up with his final sack.
“That was the final nail in the coffin,” Pangburn said. “It kind of squeezed all the hope out of them at that point.”
Hare was a second-team all-league pick last year on defense. He’s a three-year starter on both offense and defense, though his best sport – and one he’d like to play in college – is lacrosse.
Hare, who attends Oley Valley, plays defense and long stick midfielder for Muhlenberg and the Blak Widow club team. He was the Muhls’ second-leading scorer in the spring and the only player from the team to earn mention on the all-league team, as an honorable mention pick.
Oley Valley athletes play lacrosse at Muhlenberg and football at Fleetwood through a joint-sponsorship agreement with each school; Oley doesn’t offer either sport.
Hare is the first Fleetwood player in the four-year history of the award to be named Defensive Player of the Week.
Players considered for Body Zone Physical Therapy Defensive Player of the Week honors are nominated by their coaches or by members of the MikeDragoSports.com coverage team.
This is the fourth consecutive year that Body Zone Physical Therapy is sponsoring the Defensive Player of the Week. At the end of the season a Defensive Player of the Year will be named.
Also nominated this week:
- Logan Wegman, Exeter
- Stephan Mayo, Gov. Mifflin
- Dequan Small, Muhlenberg
- Greyson Miller, Twin Valley
- Madyx Gruber, Wilson
- Chase Eisenhower, Wyomissing
Selected in 2023 as Defensive Player of the Week:
- Week 1: Lucas Myers, Twin Valley
- Week 2: Michael Odeyemi, Reading High
- Week 3: Stewie Janowski, Gov. Mifflin
- Week 4: Ryker Jones, Wyomissing
- Week 5: Ethan Lafferty, Kutztown
- Week 6: Luke Spotts, Schuylkill Valley
- Week 7: Colby Crills, Schuylkill Valley
- Week 8: Luke Impellizzeri, Berks Catholic
- Week 9: Logan Cammauf, Schuylkill Valley
- Week 10: Justice Hardy, Wyomissing
- Week 11: Dominic Giuffre, Schuylkill Valley
- Week 12: Collin Niedrowski, Wyomissing
Selected in 2022 as Defensive Player of the Week:
- Week 1: Jonathan Martin, Exeter
- Week 2: Nate Capitano, Wilson
- Week 3: Ethan Kryman, Daniel Boone
- Week 4: Nate Pashley, Exeter
- Week 5: Nafis Blythe, Berks Catholic
- Week 6: Nick Weitzel, Wilson
- Week 7: Ryker Jones, Wyomissing
- Week 8: Drew Eisenhower, Wyomissing
- Week 9: Mason Marks, Twin Valley
- Week 10: Lucas Palange, Exeter
- Week 11: Mason Semmel, Hamburg
- Week 12: Ryker Jones, Wyomissing
Selected in 2021 as Defensive Player of the Week:
- Week 1: Brett Organtini, LB, Conrad Weiser
- Week 2: Eden Johnson, S, Gov. Mifflin
- Week 3: Josiah Jordan, CB, Berks Catholic
- Week 4: Matt Kramer, LB, Wyomissing
- Week 5: Ryan Souder, LB, Daniel Boone
- Week 6: Nevin Carter, CB, Wyomissing
- Week 7: Nate Goodman, DE, Gov. Mifflin
- Week 8: Sam Orzolek, T, Exeter
- Week 9: Cam Jones, CB, Wilson
- Week 10: Aaron Shuker, LB, Muhlenberg
- Week 11: Mitchell Watt, DE, Hamburg
- Week 12: Tyler Givens, DE, Berks Catholic
- Week 13: Jack Miller, LB, Wyomissing
- Week 14: Ty Yocum, Exeter
