2021 Football Preview: Hillsboro Indians
Lead Summary
By
Stephen Forsha-sforsha@gmail.com
HILLSBORO – Coming off a tough season in 2020 where the Hillsboro Indians and every other team in the state had to battle more than their opponent, they learned a lot on the field that can be taken into the upcoming 2021 season, as this is a fresh start for a program that struggled in the win column last year.
The 2020 season saw the Indians – like every other team – battle the COVID-19 pandemic, as nothing was normal and the schedule was a bit different compared to most years. With every team in Ohio qualifying for the playoffs last season, the Indians went 0-1 in the tournament, but they did end up playing a full 10-game schedule, which was a rare feat across the state.
Hillsboro finished the season at 2-8 overall with wins over the McClain Tigers on Oct. 12 and Clermont Northeastern on Oct. 24, as both victories were at Richards Memorial Field. The Indians were 2-2 at home in 2020 and 0-6 on the road. Hillsboro finished in fifth place in the Frontier Athletic Conference in ’20 with a 1-4 mark in conference play.
Now with 2021 front and center, the Indians have around 35-40 players on their roster, as head coach Jack O’Rourke leads the Indians football for a fifth season, and his 35th overall as a head coach.
“I can’t be more pleased with just how hard they’ve come out and worked,” O’Rourke said following a two-a-day practice. “If you saw them last night when we ran sprints, they busted their butts. They’re trying to do what I ask them to do. We’re constantly coaching them up, and I see improvement in a lot of areas.
“I think our deception this year, where you’re going to have trouble finding where the ball is, is going to be a lot better than it has been. We’re trying to spread you all over the place and hit you everywhere we can. That’s one of the things we’re trying to accomplish there.”
O’Rourke spoke about what he wants to improve with his team this season and what the offseason has been like.
“From my standpoint, it’s trying to reevaluate what we’re doing and see if it can fit our kids a little bit better,” he said. “For us, it’s just evaluating everybody and trying to fit the kids in the best position to be as successful as we can.”
Last season, the Indians totaled 131 points, averaging 13.1 points per game in ’20, and defensively Hillsboro allowed 374 points, allowing an average of 37.4 points per game. In their lone FAC win last season, the Indians defeated rival McClain, 21-16 in Hillsboro. In their non-conference win, HHS won at home over CNE, 22-20.
In a tough season, the Indians were able to learn from the hardship on the gridiron and played a full schedule, which in turn can help with this season.
The returning players were able to gain valuable experience, and it was a goal of O’Rourke’s to play a full 10-game slate in 2020.
“It was very important for me just because when I went into it with the kids, I said, ‘look, we’re going to play as many games as we possibly can, and we’re going to fight this thing all the way,’” O’Rourke said of last season. “I had some kids that didn’t play the last ballgame, because they chose not to play the last ballgame. That was their choice. I get it.
“But from my standpoint, and for the kids who had been seniors and wanted to play 10 games, I wanted to make sure we got 10 in. It was very important last year.”
As for the upcoming season, the Indians return their starting quarterback Chris Stout, who is entering his senior season. In all, the Indians have around six returning starters on offense.
“It’s nice this year to have a returning quarterback with Chris. Yes, we had times where we didn’t play well last year, but I think it was a real learning experience for him last year,” O’Rourke said. “He’s been a great leader. Our seniors have been good leaders all summer long. There’s not many of them. We’ve got a whole seven of them, but all seven are football players, and all of them are going to contribute.”
The Hillsboro team will consist of around not only those seven seniors, but O’Rourke said there are around 15 juniors, six sophomores and nearly 15 freshmen.
“We had Derek Whitt, who played fullback last year, playing offensive tackle. We don’t know if that’s where he’s going to be or if he’s going to be back playing fullback,” O’Rourke said. “For the first time, I let him play a little fullback [in practice]. I’ve been telling him, if you help me get those other guys developed, then maybe you can get some reps back here, but I also have some other guys who can play that, and I don’t have as many linemen.
“We’re getting better and better every day. We’re not tiny, as far as size-wise on the line. We’ve got decent size. We’ve got a lot of work to do in the o-line. That’s probably the thing we’ve got to work the hardest on. There’s about 10 of them that are going to mix in there and find some playing time. Like I said, there’s going to be a nice mixture, but not a lot of experience.”
This preseason, O’Rourke has been spending a lot of time with the offensive line in practice. The linemen expected to contribute to the varsity team this season are: Whitt, Ayden Clemons, Harrison Grove, Jordan Grove, Jase Huffman, Ryan Mau, Jase Moberly, Gary Reno and Ovid Wilson.
Hillsboro graduated two All-FAC and All-District linemen from last season, those being Zach Burns and Garrett Fannin.
“I kind of go back and forth, but my main thing is coaching the offensive line, even though I was a quarterback in high school,” O’Rourke said. “That’s when our team seem to do the best when I’m down there with them. That’s where I went back this year to try to make the team better.”
At running back for Hillsboro, Coach O’Rourke said the Indians are a “little smaller” at the position than in previous seasons.
“We are a little smaller than we’ve been. We’ve got Cameron Roberts, who has played the last two years, but he didn’t make it through the season last year,” O’Rourke said. “Then Austin Barrett, who really only played the last game at running back last year. He was basically the defensive specialist last year.
“Dominic Smart, a freshman, is definitely going to see time in the backfield. Ethan Grooms is a running back too, and we also have Travis Ross.”
There are also returning players at wide receiver.
“Our wide receivers are Cameron Smart and Canaan Griffith,” O’Rourke said. “Canaan’s practicing but he’s not able to have contact. Hopefully he gets released next week. Those are two as good split ends as I’ve had since I’ve been here. Both can catch the ball very well.
“We’ve got a number of other kids that have been filling in pretty well while there are absences right now.”
The defense for the Indians can be described in one word: fast. “Defensively, I think this is going to be the fastest defense I’ve had since I’ve been here. We’ve got kids that can run,” O’Rourke said. “That doesn’t mean we’re huge people or anything else, but I think we’ve got kids that can run to the football, and I think we can rally to it. I think our pursuit will be a lot better. I think we’ll be a more solid defensive team than we’ve been.”
There is also the kicking game for the Indians and two players who are the standouts on that portion of the special teams are returning kicker Nick Turner and Dylan Rigsby.
The Indians open the season on Friday, Aug. 20 at home vs. the Western Brown Broncos.
“I just hope that we get everybody in the stands again and that we get to enjoy football like it’s meant to be played,” O’Rourke said.
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The 2020 season saw the Indians – like every other team – battle the COVID-19 pandemic, as nothing was normal and the schedule was a bit different compared to most years. With every team in Ohio qualifying for the playoffs last season, the Indians went 0-1 in the tournament, but they did end up playing a full 10-game schedule, which was a rare feat across the state.
Hillsboro finished the season at 2-8 overall with wins over the McClain Tigers on Oct. 12 and Clermont Northeastern on Oct. 24, as both victories were at Richards Memorial Field. The Indians were 2-2 at home in 2020 and 0-6 on the road. Hillsboro finished in fifth place in the Frontier Athletic Conference in ’20 with a 1-4 mark in conference play.
Now with 2021 front and center, the Indians have around 35-40 players on their roster, as head coach Jack O’Rourke leads the Indians football for a fifth season, and his 35th overall as a head coach.
“I can’t be more pleased with just how hard they’ve come out and worked,” O’Rourke said following a two-a-day practice. “If you saw them last night when we ran sprints, they busted their butts. They’re trying to do what I ask them to do. We’re constantly coaching them up, and I see improvement in a lot of areas.
“I think our deception this year, where you’re going to have trouble finding where the ball is, is going to be a lot better than it has been. We’re trying to spread you all over the place and hit you everywhere we can. That’s one of the things we’re trying to accomplish there.”
O’Rourke spoke about what he wants to improve with his team this season and what the offseason has been like.
“From my standpoint, it’s trying to reevaluate what we’re doing and see if it can fit our kids a little bit better,” he said. “For us, it’s just evaluating everybody and trying to fit the kids in the best position to be as successful as we can.”
Last season, the Indians totaled 131 points, averaging 13.1 points per game in ’20, and defensively Hillsboro allowed 374 points, allowing an average of 37.4 points per game. In their lone FAC win last season, the Indians defeated rival McClain, 21-16 in Hillsboro. In their non-conference win, HHS won at home over CNE, 22-20.
In a tough season, the Indians were able to learn from the hardship on the gridiron and played a full schedule, which in turn can help with this season.
The returning players were able to gain valuable experience, and it was a goal of O’Rourke’s to play a full 10-game slate in 2020.
“It was very important for me just because when I went into it with the kids, I said, ‘look, we’re going to play as many games as we possibly can, and we’re going to fight this thing all the way,’” O’Rourke said of last season. “I had some kids that didn’t play the last ballgame, because they chose not to play the last ballgame. That was their choice. I get it.
“But from my standpoint, and for the kids who had been seniors and wanted to play 10 games, I wanted to make sure we got 10 in. It was very important last year.”
As for the upcoming season, the Indians return their starting quarterback Chris Stout, who is entering his senior season. In all, the Indians have around six returning starters on offense.
“It’s nice this year to have a returning quarterback with Chris. Yes, we had times where we didn’t play well last year, but I think it was a real learning experience for him last year,” O’Rourke said. “He’s been a great leader. Our seniors have been good leaders all summer long. There’s not many of them. We’ve got a whole seven of them, but all seven are football players, and all of them are going to contribute.”
The Hillsboro team will consist of around not only those seven seniors, but O’Rourke said there are around 15 juniors, six sophomores and nearly 15 freshmen.
“We had Derek Whitt, who played fullback last year, playing offensive tackle. We don’t know if that’s where he’s going to be or if he’s going to be back playing fullback,” O’Rourke said. “For the first time, I let him play a little fullback [in practice]. I’ve been telling him, if you help me get those other guys developed, then maybe you can get some reps back here, but I also have some other guys who can play that, and I don’t have as many linemen.
“We’re getting better and better every day. We’re not tiny, as far as size-wise on the line. We’ve got decent size. We’ve got a lot of work to do in the o-line. That’s probably the thing we’ve got to work the hardest on. There’s about 10 of them that are going to mix in there and find some playing time. Like I said, there’s going to be a nice mixture, but not a lot of experience.”
This preseason, O’Rourke has been spending a lot of time with the offensive line in practice. The linemen expected to contribute to the varsity team this season are: Whitt, Ayden Clemons, Harrison Grove, Jordan Grove, Jase Huffman, Ryan Mau, Jase Moberly, Gary Reno and Ovid Wilson.
Hillsboro graduated two All-FAC and All-District linemen from last season, those being Zach Burns and Garrett Fannin.
“I kind of go back and forth, but my main thing is coaching the offensive line, even though I was a quarterback in high school,” O’Rourke said. “That’s when our team seem to do the best when I’m down there with them. That’s where I went back this year to try to make the team better.”
At running back for Hillsboro, Coach O’Rourke said the Indians are a “little smaller” at the position than in previous seasons.
“We are a little smaller than we’ve been. We’ve got Cameron Roberts, who has played the last two years, but he didn’t make it through the season last year,” O’Rourke said. “Then Austin Barrett, who really only played the last game at running back last year. He was basically the defensive specialist last year.
“Dominic Smart, a freshman, is definitely going to see time in the backfield. Ethan Grooms is a running back too, and we also have Travis Ross.”
There are also returning players at wide receiver.
“Our wide receivers are Cameron Smart and Canaan Griffith,” O’Rourke said. “Canaan’s practicing but he’s not able to have contact. Hopefully he gets released next week. Those are two as good split ends as I’ve had since I’ve been here. Both can catch the ball very well.
“We’ve got a number of other kids that have been filling in pretty well while there are absences right now.”
The defense for the Indians can be described in one word: fast. “Defensively, I think this is going to be the fastest defense I’ve had since I’ve been here. We’ve got kids that can run,” O’Rourke said. “That doesn’t mean we’re huge people or anything else, but I think we’ve got kids that can run to the football, and I think we can rally to it. I think our pursuit will be a lot better. I think we’ll be a more solid defensive team than we’ve been.”
There is also the kicking game for the Indians and two players who are the standouts on that portion of the special teams are returning kicker Nick Turner and Dylan Rigsby.
The Indians open the season on Friday, Aug. 20 at home vs. the Western Brown Broncos.
“I just hope that we get everybody in the stands again and that we get to enjoy football like it’s meant to be played,” O’Rourke said.
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