2019 FAC Preview: Hillsboro Indians
Lead Summary
By
Stephen Forsha-sforsha@gmail.com
Last season was one for the record books for the Hillsboro Indians football program, as the team qualified for the state playoffs, won a share of the Frontier Athletic Conference and head coach Jack O’Rourke was the Division III State Coach of the Year.
It is safe to say the 2018 Indians secured their place in the history of Hillsboro athletics. Now it is time to flip the page to the ’19 season, and though some things have stayed the same, a lot has also changed with the program, as the Indians are forced to replace some core players who were playmakers and difference makers for the program in recent memory.
The Indians have to replace their starting quarterback, two big-time running backs and a couple spots on the offensive line, and none of those will be an easy task to complete because of the talented players who graduated.
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Last season, the Indians totaled 4,118 yards on offense, with 3,864 of those yards coming via the rush. They scored 58 rushing touchdowns and threw for three more, with maybe the most important touchdown of the season coming on a last-second pass to the end zone to defeat the Jackson Ironmen, the team they eventually shared the FAC championship with.
The Indians also averaged 8.61 yards per carry in ’18, as they totaled 449 rushing plays, completed 45.83 percent of their third down conversions and even had 14 conversions on fourth down (46 percent).
Maybe the most telling stat of all last regular season for the HHS offense was they had just nine turnovers. With all of those stats, gone are quarterback Mason Swayne and running backs Josh Keets and Deon Burns. That trio combined for 2,748 rushing yards and 37 rushing touchdowns last season.
One player who is back with a considerable amount of rushing last season is senior Mark Gallimore, who in ’18 totaled 78 carries for 887 yards and one rushing touchdown. Gallimore is capable of making a big-time play, as he averaged 11.37 yards rushing per carry and 88.7 yards per game rushing in 10 regular-season games a year ago. Plus, in the playoff game, Gallimore totaled 10 carries for 56 yards, including a rush of 39 yards.
Logan Hester also returns to the Indians, as he had one touchdown last season, but he stood out on the defensive side of the field for HHS in ’18.
As a team, the ’19 Indians have around 35 players on the roster, with nine back from the successful team from a season ago. Overall, the offseason program has been one O’Rourke has been pleased with thus far.
“The kids who will be playing a majority on Friday nights have done a good job of attending summer workouts and have done a good job for us,” O’Rourke said. “For the most part, I’m pleased with their attendance with weights and camps and things like that.
“As for our numbers, this is about where we were last year, and we have been as high as 40 on our roster, but we’ve had some kids get hurt.”
One of the players who returns and doesn’t show up on the offensive stat sheet, but was a big part of the 4,000-plus rushing totals for the Indians a season ago, is senior Draven Stodgel. He is not only an offensive and defensive lineman, but a state placer in the discus throw in track and field.
Stodgel played in nine games last season, where on defense he made 23 tackles (11 solo) with two tackles for loss and one sack. On offense at tackle, Stodgel was a part of one of the strongest offensive lines in recent memory from Hillsboro.
“We are real tickled with Draven Stodgel at defensive and offensive tackle, and he has come into this season in great shape,” O’Rourke said. “He’s looked really good all summer and should be one of our leaders.”
One of the players who will have to be replaced on the offensive line is Silas Simmons, not because of graduation, but for the fact the former offensive center is now a fullback for the Indians in ’19.
“Silas Simmons has moved at this point in time from center to fullback,” O’Rourke said. “He is 6-3, 220 right now, so we still have a big fullback, and he gets off the ball fast. We are bigger at that position than we were in the past. He has worked extremely hard, and he wants to go on to college and play. With his work ethic and desire, I think he’ll have a shot.”
O’Rourke — who is in his fourth season at Hillsboro — spoke about the importance of the fullback in the offense of the Indians, as last season that spot was the residence of Burns.
“Fullback is very important to our offense. It is a guy who we base everything off, and if you take our fullback away, you’ll probably going to give us our halfbacks and wide receivers,” O’Rourke said. “Fullback, if you can establish him, we can do what we need to do.”
Camp this preseason wasn’t easy for the Indians, as they had their longest camp to date with nine two-a-day practices.
“The kids’ attitude has been great during two-a-days. We went nine two-a-days, which is the longest we’ve ever gone before, and they survived it and so did I,” O’Rourke said. “I’m pleased with the progress, but we’ll see more as the preseason continues when we face more ones (starters) from other teams.”
At quarterback this season is senior Justin Spears, who has experience at quarterback as a JV starter the past two seasons (only played one quarter per game in JV last season). Also at quarterback at times will be Gallimore.
“Justin Spears and Mark Gallimore will be our quarterbacks as far as varsity goes, but Justin will probably be our starting quarterback, and we like having Mark at running back,” O’Rourke said. “The good thing is if one goes down, the other can play it, and you always don’t have that luxury. That is going to make a big difference.
“Justin has played JV quarterback the past two years and only the first quarter in games last season so we wouldn’t go over the quarter limit last year. He played a full year before at quarterback and did a nice job. He understands the offense very well.”
O’Rourke also stated his team will have to “grow up quick” because of the inexperience for some players, while also rebuilding spots in the starting lineup that were left vacant due to graduation. The offensive line will be one of the few places where most are familiar faces from last season.
On the offensive line, the left guard and left tackle are exactly the same as who played last year in Stodgel and Zach Burns. New to the right side will be Sanchez Seals, Colin Clouser and Justin Conn. At running back will also be Kai Rickman and Keith Doughman.
The defensive coordinator this season is Nathan Horne, who called plays for the team last season. The HHS defense a season ago allowed fewer than four yards per carry, had 15 total sacks and held opponents to a 31-percent rate on third down conversions. The Indians defense also allowed just 13 rushing touchdowns in the regular season and 16 passing touchdowns. Opponents were held to under 300 yards of offense per game in ’18 against Hillsboro, with the defense allowing 271.5 yards per game.
“This will be the second year for Coach Horne calling defense out there, and even though he wasn’t the defensive coordinator last year, he is this year and he feels more comfortable with it,” O’Rourke said. “He understands what he wants a little bit more.
“We have Simmons and Hester at linebacker, plus three strong defensive tackles (Stodgel, Burns, Seals). I feel very confident we are going to force people to run outside, and we’ll see if we can stop them from running outside.”
Last season Spears led the Indians in tackles with 55 total at defensive back, with 36 of them being solo. Spears also had two tackles for loss, three interceptions and a fumble recovery. Hester finished with 54 tackles (29 solo) with four sacks and nine tackles for loss.
Gallimore returns from a season on defense where he collected 31 tackles (20 solo), while having three tackles for loss and one interception. Seals played in eight games on defense in ’18, finishing the regular season with 24 tackles, four tackles for loss and a forced fumble. Stodgel had 23 tackles, one sack and two tackles for loss in nine games played.
The non-conference schedule for the Indians mirrors last season, as the Indians will face five teams from the Southern Buckeye Athletic and Academic Conference (SBAAC). Those teams are the Western Brown Broncos, Goshen Warriors, East Clinton Astros, Williamsburg Wildcats and the Clermont Northeastern Rockets.
All in all, the season doesn’t look too bad for O’Rourke, as he battled and took on some medical issues this offseason and is able to return to the team and be the Indians’ head coach for another season.
“I’m happy as I can be to be standing on two feet and hopefully be on the field for the first game of the season, because there was a time I was wondering if I would be,” O’Rourke said. “It brings some joy to my soul, and I’m a lot happier when I’m involved with it.”
The Indians begin their 2019 regular season at home in a game played at Richards Memorial Field on Friday, Aug. 30 against the Western Brown Broncos at 7 p.m.
It is safe to say the 2018 Indians secured their place in the history of Hillsboro athletics. Now it is time to flip the page to the ’19 season, and though some things have stayed the same, a lot has also changed with the program, as the Indians are forced to replace some core players who were playmakers and difference makers for the program in recent memory.
The Indians have to replace their starting quarterback, two big-time running backs and a couple spots on the offensive line, and none of those will be an easy task to complete because of the talented players who graduated.
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Last season, the Indians totaled 4,118 yards on offense, with 3,864 of those yards coming via the rush. They scored 58 rushing touchdowns and threw for three more, with maybe the most important touchdown of the season coming on a last-second pass to the end zone to defeat the Jackson Ironmen, the team they eventually shared the FAC championship with.
The Indians also averaged 8.61 yards per carry in ’18, as they totaled 449 rushing plays, completed 45.83 percent of their third down conversions and even had 14 conversions on fourth down (46 percent).
Maybe the most telling stat of all last regular season for the HHS offense was they had just nine turnovers. With all of those stats, gone are quarterback Mason Swayne and running backs Josh Keets and Deon Burns. That trio combined for 2,748 rushing yards and 37 rushing touchdowns last season.
One player who is back with a considerable amount of rushing last season is senior Mark Gallimore, who in ’18 totaled 78 carries for 887 yards and one rushing touchdown. Gallimore is capable of making a big-time play, as he averaged 11.37 yards rushing per carry and 88.7 yards per game rushing in 10 regular-season games a year ago. Plus, in the playoff game, Gallimore totaled 10 carries for 56 yards, including a rush of 39 yards.
Logan Hester also returns to the Indians, as he had one touchdown last season, but he stood out on the defensive side of the field for HHS in ’18.
As a team, the ’19 Indians have around 35 players on the roster, with nine back from the successful team from a season ago. Overall, the offseason program has been one O’Rourke has been pleased with thus far.
“The kids who will be playing a majority on Friday nights have done a good job of attending summer workouts and have done a good job for us,” O’Rourke said. “For the most part, I’m pleased with their attendance with weights and camps and things like that.
“As for our numbers, this is about where we were last year, and we have been as high as 40 on our roster, but we’ve had some kids get hurt.”
One of the players who returns and doesn’t show up on the offensive stat sheet, but was a big part of the 4,000-plus rushing totals for the Indians a season ago, is senior Draven Stodgel. He is not only an offensive and defensive lineman, but a state placer in the discus throw in track and field.
Stodgel played in nine games last season, where on defense he made 23 tackles (11 solo) with two tackles for loss and one sack. On offense at tackle, Stodgel was a part of one of the strongest offensive lines in recent memory from Hillsboro.
“We are real tickled with Draven Stodgel at defensive and offensive tackle, and he has come into this season in great shape,” O’Rourke said. “He’s looked really good all summer and should be one of our leaders.”
One of the players who will have to be replaced on the offensive line is Silas Simmons, not because of graduation, but for the fact the former offensive center is now a fullback for the Indians in ’19.
“Silas Simmons has moved at this point in time from center to fullback,” O’Rourke said. “He is 6-3, 220 right now, so we still have a big fullback, and he gets off the ball fast. We are bigger at that position than we were in the past. He has worked extremely hard, and he wants to go on to college and play. With his work ethic and desire, I think he’ll have a shot.”
O’Rourke — who is in his fourth season at Hillsboro — spoke about the importance of the fullback in the offense of the Indians, as last season that spot was the residence of Burns.
“Fullback is very important to our offense. It is a guy who we base everything off, and if you take our fullback away, you’ll probably going to give us our halfbacks and wide receivers,” O’Rourke said. “Fullback, if you can establish him, we can do what we need to do.”
Camp this preseason wasn’t easy for the Indians, as they had their longest camp to date with nine two-a-day practices.
“The kids’ attitude has been great during two-a-days. We went nine two-a-days, which is the longest we’ve ever gone before, and they survived it and so did I,” O’Rourke said. “I’m pleased with the progress, but we’ll see more as the preseason continues when we face more ones (starters) from other teams.”
At quarterback this season is senior Justin Spears, who has experience at quarterback as a JV starter the past two seasons (only played one quarter per game in JV last season). Also at quarterback at times will be Gallimore.
“Justin Spears and Mark Gallimore will be our quarterbacks as far as varsity goes, but Justin will probably be our starting quarterback, and we like having Mark at running back,” O’Rourke said. “The good thing is if one goes down, the other can play it, and you always don’t have that luxury. That is going to make a big difference.
“Justin has played JV quarterback the past two years and only the first quarter in games last season so we wouldn’t go over the quarter limit last year. He played a full year before at quarterback and did a nice job. He understands the offense very well.”
O’Rourke also stated his team will have to “grow up quick” because of the inexperience for some players, while also rebuilding spots in the starting lineup that were left vacant due to graduation. The offensive line will be one of the few places where most are familiar faces from last season.
On the offensive line, the left guard and left tackle are exactly the same as who played last year in Stodgel and Zach Burns. New to the right side will be Sanchez Seals, Colin Clouser and Justin Conn. At running back will also be Kai Rickman and Keith Doughman.
The defensive coordinator this season is Nathan Horne, who called plays for the team last season. The HHS defense a season ago allowed fewer than four yards per carry, had 15 total sacks and held opponents to a 31-percent rate on third down conversions. The Indians defense also allowed just 13 rushing touchdowns in the regular season and 16 passing touchdowns. Opponents were held to under 300 yards of offense per game in ’18 against Hillsboro, with the defense allowing 271.5 yards per game.
“This will be the second year for Coach Horne calling defense out there, and even though he wasn’t the defensive coordinator last year, he is this year and he feels more comfortable with it,” O’Rourke said. “He understands what he wants a little bit more.
“We have Simmons and Hester at linebacker, plus three strong defensive tackles (Stodgel, Burns, Seals). I feel very confident we are going to force people to run outside, and we’ll see if we can stop them from running outside.”
Last season Spears led the Indians in tackles with 55 total at defensive back, with 36 of them being solo. Spears also had two tackles for loss, three interceptions and a fumble recovery. Hester finished with 54 tackles (29 solo) with four sacks and nine tackles for loss.
Gallimore returns from a season on defense where he collected 31 tackles (20 solo), while having three tackles for loss and one interception. Seals played in eight games on defense in ’18, finishing the regular season with 24 tackles, four tackles for loss and a forced fumble. Stodgel had 23 tackles, one sack and two tackles for loss in nine games played.
The non-conference schedule for the Indians mirrors last season, as the Indians will face five teams from the Southern Buckeye Athletic and Academic Conference (SBAAC). Those teams are the Western Brown Broncos, Goshen Warriors, East Clinton Astros, Williamsburg Wildcats and the Clermont Northeastern Rockets.
All in all, the season doesn’t look too bad for O’Rourke, as he battled and took on some medical issues this offseason and is able to return to the team and be the Indians’ head coach for another season.
“I’m happy as I can be to be standing on two feet and hopefully be on the field for the first game of the season, because there was a time I was wondering if I would be,” O’Rourke said. “It brings some joy to my soul, and I’m a lot happier when I’m involved with it.”
The Indians begin their 2019 regular season at home in a game played at Richards Memorial Field on Friday, Aug. 30 against the Western Brown Broncos at 7 p.m.