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# Hauser prepared to step up this year for Souhegan football
- URL: https://www.nh-highschoolsports.com/hauser-prepared-to-step-up-this-year-for-souhegan-football/
- Published: 2019-09-05T11:30:49.000Z
- Updated: 2019-09-05T11:30:49.000Z
- Description: When Robin Bowkett took over as the head coach of the Souhegan High School football team three years ago, there was a sophomore who caught his eye. The kid was a bit on the smaller side, but had no fear when it came to being on the field, and Bowkett envisioned possibly getting him varsity time as t
- Author: Joe Marchilena
- Tags: Division II, football, NH High School Sports Insider, Ryan Hauser, Sabers, slider, Souhegan, #wp, #wp-post, #Import 2026-08-18 04:44

When Robin Bowkett took over as the head coach of the Souhegan High School football team three years ago, there was a sophomore who caught his eye.

The kid was a bit on the smaller side, but had no fear when it came to being on the field, and Bowkett envisioned possibly getting him varsity time as the season moved along.

But that never transpired.

Early in the 2017 season, Ryan Hauser broke his arm and was forced to sit out the rest of his sophomore year.

"My first year here, when he was a sophomore, I saw him at practice and playing JV," Bowkett said. He was a little bit smaller, but he was fearless and he’d come up and hit you. I want to say in the first or second JV game as a sophomore, he broke his arm."

After not playing football as a freshman, and then missing a good portion of the following year, Hauser couldn't wait for the start of last season.

"I didn’t play freshman year and I was really pushing to get some varsity time," he said. "After that, I was even hungrier. I wanted to work hard and get back to football and just playing sports in general. That was my first big injury, so it put me down for a month or so. Definitely doesn’t make me nervous to play again, though."

Hauser came back as a junior and grabbed a starting spot in the Sabers' defensive secondary and was a key player for them on special teams. But with a number of returning seniors filling the offensive skill positions, there weren't many opportunities for him to get in on that side of the ball.

"We gave him the ball a few times and were like ‘man this kid’s athletic,’" Bowkett said. "He was a great special teams player for us last year and really good on defense. This year, we’ve got to find a spot for this kid. There are a few guys who are kind of similar to Ryan, but he jumps out of the gym. He’s an explosive kid."

Finding ways to get Hauser the ball became even more significant during the offseason when fellow senior Trey Johnson went down with a knee injury that's going to keep him out for the year. While it was upsetting to see his friend and teammate go down, Johnson's injury was a piece of motivation Hauser.

"A lot of us seniors, we’ve been playing probably 10 years of football and our last season, he’s out," Hauser said. "I think it’s going to spread responsibility around the team. More people are going to have to put it on the line because he was a huge player. We ran a lot of plays to him, so a lot of guys are going to have to step up. He wants to see us do well. He’s the least selfish kid I know."

Hauser, who also plays on the boys volleyball team in the spring and plans to return to wrestling this winter after taking two years off, is a big team-first guy himself, according to his coach.

"We need to get production and Ryan has a great opportunity to do that," Bowkett said. "From a personal standpoint, that’s never been him. He’d probably tell you he’d want to win a championship with his teammates.

"I think whatever is the best way to get the ball in his hands. It’s a question we ask ourselves as coaches. Are we going to put him in the backfield? Are we going to put him at slot receiver? Maybe it’s both. It’s identifying the skills he shows most and the best way to get the ball in his hands."

When Souhegan does get the ball in Hauser's hands, he believes he'll be in a better position to know what to do with it after focusing on more of the mental and technical side of the game over the summer.

"This offseason, I’ve really been focusing on my technical ability," he said. "Last year, I put my body on the line a lot and I kind of paid for that. This season, I’m really focusing on keeping balance and playing smarter.

"I’ve never really been so excited for a single season of any sport. This could be my last season playing football and I’m just ready to tear it up."