With the XFL season underway, a face familiar to the HWS community can be seen on the sideline in Seattle. After two seasons with the Statesmen, assistant football coach Matt Fleischacker recently joined the Seattle Sea Dragons, where he is serving as the team's linebackers coach, the youngest member of the Seattle staff.
 
In his time in Geneva, Fleischacker shared the defensive coordinator position with Michael Green in 2021 and coached the outside linebackers in 2022. He played an integral role in developing a Hobart defense that ranked among the top 20 in total defense (16th), pass defense (14th), and scoring defense (12th).
 
When reflecting on his time with the Statesmen, Fleischacker had this to say, "I loved my time in Geneva, I loved my time at Hobart, I loved the players I worked with, and I couldn't have asked for a better two years than I had up in Geneva."
 
A personal highlight of his career in Geneva was the team's 2021 ECAC Bushnell Bowl win at Westminster College. Coach Fly's defense dominated the high-powered Titan offense, holding them to their lowest scoring total of the season. "It was very clear to me that when we stepped on that field it didn't matter what they were going to throw at us, we were the better team that day and that we wanted to be there more that day."
 
During the 2022 season, Fleischacker announced he would be joining the Sea Dragons coaching staff, while still finishing out the season with the Statesmen.
 
Before HWS, Fleischacker coached outside linebackers for Mercer University, as well as serving as a graduate assistant coach for Penn State and Appalachian State University.
 
Coach Fly appreciates his time at Hobart for making him a better coach.
 
"What I learned from my time at Hobart is that football is football," Fleischacker said. "It doesn't matter what level you're at, football is football, the same drills I did at Penn State are the same drills I did at Hobart, and they're the same drills I do with my guys at Seattle."
 

As the XFL's first season kicks off, Fleischacker is excited to take advantage of being part of a coaching staff loaded with experience.
 
"I'm most excited to just enjoy this ride," he said. "I'm learning from incredible coaches that have a ton of NFL experience and college experience. I'm trying to be as much of a sponge as I can."
 
That veteran coaching staff is headlined by Head Coach Jim Haslett, who won the NFL's Coach of the Year award with the New Orleans Saints in 2000.
 
The Sea Dragons opened their season with losses against the D.C. Defenders and the St. Louis Battlehawks. Despite the disappointing start, the team has been very competitive in those games, losing to the Defenders by four and the Battlehawks by just two. Seattle takes aim at its first win Saturday, March 4 when the Dragons visit the Las Vegas Vipers.