Time is already as limited as it is, with school and sleep taking up a large portion of most weeks spanning August to June. Typically, that coupled with the work it takes to excel in both the classroom and on the field doesn’t leave time for much else.

However, in the case of Central Mountain junior Logan Hanna, he’s found a way to balance that and more, adding both football and marching band to his plethora of other focuses for fall.

Alongside school, his week-to-week consists of three football practices, one band practice and ten Fridays where he puts it all into action. On the football field, he plays tight end on offense and defensive end on defense, switching after two years on the line. And as a member of the marching band, he plays the mellophone – the marching band version of the French horn.

It’s a chaotic schedule that requires sacrifice.

TIM WEIGHT/Special to the Sun-Gazette Central Mountain’s Logan Hanna (83) competes during a football game against Mifflin County on Friday, Aug. 22, 2025, at Marcel Paper Field.

The junior does have to miss band practice on Monday and football practice on Wednesday to make it work. But despite the disappointment that comes with missing out, he manages to make it work, and his passion for both has yet to waver.

“The biggest challenge is that you miss a lot of both,” said Hanna. “I miss out on any drill changes that would happen (on Monday). And for football, you go from a full-pads practice to just an uppers practice, and you miss that entire day, and it’s kind of hard to get back into the flow.”

“It’s not detrimental (though). There’s been times where maybe it’s a bit overwhelming. But it’s what I chose, and I enjoy it,” he added.

His most hectic day of the week, likely coming as no surprise, is Friday.

For home games, Hanna plays in the pre-game show, running back-and-forth between warmups, the middle of the field and back to the sideline with his team before game time. And for away games, he goes from two quarters of play to immediately playing for the crowd at halftime, playing in full pads while having little time to catch his breath.

Considering the instrument he plays, the challenge there is implied.

“It’s either I have to leave pre-game early or don’t do the halftime talks and stuff like that,” said Hanna. “You don’t really get a break because it’s football, then you’re out on the field blowing into a horn and running around, and then it’s more football.”

In the decision to take on both, there wasn’t hesitation or doubt. That was partially due to Hanna not knowing what he was in for at the time, as a middle schooler, but it was mostly because of his love for both.

Growing up, Hanna first discovered his love for music as a fourth grader at Orchestra. Not being allowed to take up band instruments until middle school, he’d start with playing the violin before moving over to saxophone in six grade, then French horn soon after.

“After a while, I decided I didn’t like it that much, and I switched,” laughed Hanna on the move from saxophone to French horn.

That period of fluctuation was also when he took up football, joining the middle school team in seventh grade. One year later, current Central Mountain marching band director Ashley Crust convinced Hanna to become a member of the high school marching band (something you can do as a middle school), and the rest was history.

“Pretty much everybody else in the band was in the marching band, and our school band director was also the marching band director (Ashley Crust),” said Hanna on the moment he decided to join. “She was like, ‘Logan, you’ve got to do this,’ and I was like, ‘Okay.'”

“Two years ago, she wrote the entire score, so all the music for our marching band show. She just does some of the best work, and she’s really a pretty cool person,” he added on Crust.

From there, balancing both briefly got harder as Hanna transitioned from middle school to high school. But through the next three years, it steadily got easier, and his passion for both remained.

That continued, equal passion for both is what he credits to maintaining balance between the two the most. When asked what advice he’d give to any student-athlete looking to delve into music, he mentioned how enjoying and prioritizing both equally is key, and it would fall apart if priority tipped one way or the other.

It’s a balance that has garnered respect from many, from Crust, Central Mountain’s coaching staff and fans in the crowd. Most can only imagine the difficulty that comes with doing both, but Hanna handles the challenge with grace and poise.

“It’s really neat to watch. When he’s out there at halftime, it’s cool that you have a guy out there in football gear doing is thing,” said Central Mountain football head coach Travis Thompson on Hanna. “Everybody’s supportive of what he does. He balances it throughout the weak, he does a great job and he’s a smart kid and hard worker.”

“I just love football. I love watching the games; I love playing; I love everything about it. And then marching band, pretty much the same thing. I’ve just always loved music; I’ve loved playing it; I’ve loved listening,” said Hanna. “And with the marching band, you add an extra physical aspect, which is a challenge, which I enjoy.”