2017 FAC Football Preview: Hillsboro Indians
Lead Summary
By
Stephen Forsha-sforsha@gmail.com
The Hillsboro Indians went from a two-win season to four wins in 2016, and this year, under head coach Jack O’Rourke for a second consecutive season, the program looks to continue that path in hopes of improving once again for this upcoming year.
Being that it is his second season at Hillsboro and 32nd overall as head coach, O’Rourke has seen his team gain and keep momentum dating back to last season when the Indians won their final three games by defeating East Clinton, Miami Trace and they won the Rotary Bowl in a offensive shootout against the McClain Tigers at Richards Memorial Field.
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In the ’16 season, the Indians allowed a total of 376 points and scored 291 for the entire 10-game season. As for the final three weeks of the year when they went 3-0, HHS outscored their opponents, 125-81, including wins of 28-14 over EC, 54-27 over MT and 43-40 against MHS. Hillsboro’s 4-6 overall record was the most wins in a season since 2009 when they finished 8-2.
“We got better as the season went on, there was no doubt about that,” O’Rourke said. “We played better defense at the end of last season and continued to move the ball offensively. They had that ‘never say die’ attitude and kept after each other. That last ball game was pretty special with how the team came back.”
This season, the Indians will no longer play in the now-defunct South Central Ohio League, but are now members of the Frontier Athletic Conference (FAC) and enter this season needing to replace some multi-year starters, plus continue what they began last season under O’Rourke.
“The biggest difference this season is the familiarity with the system,” O’Rourke said. “They are all further ahead in knowing what they need to do, and you could see that during the first day of practice.
“Our offseason has gone well. We did well in our first two scrimmages. We are there to learn in scrimmages, and I felt our defense played well. Offensively, we are moving the ball pretty well. We have a decent number of kids back, but what we are going to struggle with the most this year is that we don’t have a lot of depth. We only have five sophomores, and freshmen aren’t really ready to step in. Our biggest thing is to keep the injury bug away from us.”
In ’17, the Indians have 10 seniors and a total of 40 players.
One of those players is junior Mason Swayne at quarterback, his first as a starter, but he played the position last year too. At running back, the Indians have five players who can run with the football in Deon Burns, Josh Keets, Devon Gallimore, Mark Gallimore and Mason Lewis.
At wide receiver, the Indians have Britton Haines and Luke Middleton, plus Reece Bloomfield at tight end.
The offensive line was described as the strength of the Indians for 2017, with three returning starters in Jared Conn (center), R.J. Swackhamer (left tackle) and Deegan Boris (right guard).
There will also be players in the mix on the offensive line in Lane Cluff (right tackle), Michael Rose, Kole Maynard and Max Conover.
HHS did lose two players from the offensive line who earned All-District and All-Ohio honors, Austin Miller and Gary Vincent.
“The offensive line was one of our strengths at the end of last season,” O’Rourke said. “The kids have a really good feel for what they are doing.”
For the Indians, it will be about one word — consistency.
“We have to be consistent this season,” O’Rourke said. “It is about how well we can keep the ball and not turning it over and being patient.”
Just like on offense, the defensive line is a big strength for the Indians with four defensive tackles, including Cluff, Swackhamer, Conn and Draven Stodgel, in a rotation. The defensive ends will be Rose, Maynard and Conover.
At outside linebacker for the Indians will be Lewis, Mason Stanley and Devon Gallimore, and at inside linebacker will be Boris, Bloomfield, Keets and Burns.
Members of the secondary include Swayne, Haines, Austin Kimball and Mark Gallimore.
“Again, the biggest thing for us is to be more consistent with the mental aspects of the game on defense,” O’Rourke said. “We made a lot of mental errors. We didn’t settle on a defense until toward the end of last season.”
The special teams for the Indians include four players who can kick the football at any time in Burns, Keets, Haines and Bloomfield.
As for the Indians and the upcoming season, the Indians have five conference games, but also that schedule will consist of five non-conference games which will be against Western Brown, Goshen, at East Clinton, Williamsburg and at Clermont Northeastern.
“The five non-league games give us a chance to get off to a good start and to get prepared for the league schedule,” O’Rourke said. “It gives us a chance to get a feel for that type of thing. If we play well, we have a chance to win most of them.
“The league is going to be solid. Jackson is going to be the wild card because nobody but Chillicothe has really seen them. They are a solid football team and are a perennial playoff team.”
As the Indians get ready to take the field for real in Week 1, O’Rourke said his team has been ready to work and improve this summer and offseason, and that the attitude is something he’s enjoyed seeing.
“Overall, the attitude has been really great, and the kids have worked really hard,” he said. “The small numbers we’ve had, but we’ve had great participation in the weight room.
“They are stronger than from this time last year.
“The facility here (the Sam Barnhouse Center) has really helped out, and now it is time to get the season going.”
The Indians host the Western Brown Broncos on Friday, Aug. 25 at 7 p.m. at Richards Memorial Field to open the 2017 season.
Being that it is his second season at Hillsboro and 32nd overall as head coach, O’Rourke has seen his team gain and keep momentum dating back to last season when the Indians won their final three games by defeating East Clinton, Miami Trace and they won the Rotary Bowl in a offensive shootout against the McClain Tigers at Richards Memorial Field.
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In the ’16 season, the Indians allowed a total of 376 points and scored 291 for the entire 10-game season. As for the final three weeks of the year when they went 3-0, HHS outscored their opponents, 125-81, including wins of 28-14 over EC, 54-27 over MT and 43-40 against MHS. Hillsboro’s 4-6 overall record was the most wins in a season since 2009 when they finished 8-2.
“We got better as the season went on, there was no doubt about that,” O’Rourke said. “We played better defense at the end of last season and continued to move the ball offensively. They had that ‘never say die’ attitude and kept after each other. That last ball game was pretty special with how the team came back.”
This season, the Indians will no longer play in the now-defunct South Central Ohio League, but are now members of the Frontier Athletic Conference (FAC) and enter this season needing to replace some multi-year starters, plus continue what they began last season under O’Rourke.
“The biggest difference this season is the familiarity with the system,” O’Rourke said. “They are all further ahead in knowing what they need to do, and you could see that during the first day of practice.
“Our offseason has gone well. We did well in our first two scrimmages. We are there to learn in scrimmages, and I felt our defense played well. Offensively, we are moving the ball pretty well. We have a decent number of kids back, but what we are going to struggle with the most this year is that we don’t have a lot of depth. We only have five sophomores, and freshmen aren’t really ready to step in. Our biggest thing is to keep the injury bug away from us.”
In ’17, the Indians have 10 seniors and a total of 40 players.
One of those players is junior Mason Swayne at quarterback, his first as a starter, but he played the position last year too. At running back, the Indians have five players who can run with the football in Deon Burns, Josh Keets, Devon Gallimore, Mark Gallimore and Mason Lewis.
At wide receiver, the Indians have Britton Haines and Luke Middleton, plus Reece Bloomfield at tight end.
The offensive line was described as the strength of the Indians for 2017, with three returning starters in Jared Conn (center), R.J. Swackhamer (left tackle) and Deegan Boris (right guard).
There will also be players in the mix on the offensive line in Lane Cluff (right tackle), Michael Rose, Kole Maynard and Max Conover.
HHS did lose two players from the offensive line who earned All-District and All-Ohio honors, Austin Miller and Gary Vincent.
“The offensive line was one of our strengths at the end of last season,” O’Rourke said. “The kids have a really good feel for what they are doing.”
For the Indians, it will be about one word — consistency.
“We have to be consistent this season,” O’Rourke said. “It is about how well we can keep the ball and not turning it over and being patient.”
Just like on offense, the defensive line is a big strength for the Indians with four defensive tackles, including Cluff, Swackhamer, Conn and Draven Stodgel, in a rotation. The defensive ends will be Rose, Maynard and Conover.
At outside linebacker for the Indians will be Lewis, Mason Stanley and Devon Gallimore, and at inside linebacker will be Boris, Bloomfield, Keets and Burns.
Members of the secondary include Swayne, Haines, Austin Kimball and Mark Gallimore.
“Again, the biggest thing for us is to be more consistent with the mental aspects of the game on defense,” O’Rourke said. “We made a lot of mental errors. We didn’t settle on a defense until toward the end of last season.”
The special teams for the Indians include four players who can kick the football at any time in Burns, Keets, Haines and Bloomfield.
As for the Indians and the upcoming season, the Indians have five conference games, but also that schedule will consist of five non-conference games which will be against Western Brown, Goshen, at East Clinton, Williamsburg and at Clermont Northeastern.
“The five non-league games give us a chance to get off to a good start and to get prepared for the league schedule,” O’Rourke said. “It gives us a chance to get a feel for that type of thing. If we play well, we have a chance to win most of them.
“The league is going to be solid. Jackson is going to be the wild card because nobody but Chillicothe has really seen them. They are a solid football team and are a perennial playoff team.”
As the Indians get ready to take the field for real in Week 1, O’Rourke said his team has been ready to work and improve this summer and offseason, and that the attitude is something he’s enjoyed seeing.
“Overall, the attitude has been really great, and the kids have worked really hard,” he said. “The small numbers we’ve had, but we’ve had great participation in the weight room.
“They are stronger than from this time last year.
“The facility here (the Sam Barnhouse Center) has really helped out, and now it is time to get the season going.”
The Indians host the Western Brown Broncos on Friday, Aug. 25 at 7 p.m. at Richards Memorial Field to open the 2017 season.