Hillsboro collects 6 All-Ohio player selections; Jack O’Rourke selected as Coach of the Year
Hillsboro earned a combined total of seven honorees on the 2018 Division III All-Ohio football list as selected by the Ohio Prep Sportswriters Association, highlighted by Hillsboro’s Josh Keets and head coach Jack O’Rourke.
The Indians had a total of six players earn Division III All-Ohio honors, with Keets earning second-team All-Ohio. Hillsboro head coach Jack O’Rourke was selected as the Division III All-Ohio Coach of the Year.
In his three seasons with the Indians, O’Rourke has seen his Hillsboro team go from being 4-6 his first season to a 7-3 record and then to a 9-2 record, sending the Indians to the playoffs for the first time since 2005 and winning their first conference championship since 1998. O’Rourke has been a head coach at the varsity level for over 33 seasons.
“This is an honor, being named Coach of the Year,” O’Rourke told The Highland County Press. "I’m shocked, but this happened because I have a great coaching staff and great kids to coach. It’s more about them than about me.
“The success we had this season had a lot to do with the seniors’ effort in the weight room. We sold the team concept, and everyone believed in it. We incorporated the whole concept of being a team, and we incorporated it with the kids. I’m just proud to be their coach.”
Max Conover, Deon Burns, Mason Swayne, Logan Hester and Reece Bloomfield of Hillsboro all were named to the All-Ohio Division III special mention team for their play this past season as the Indians qualified for the Division III state playoffs for the first time in 13 seasons, finishing the year at 9-2 overall.
Keets, a senior who stands at 6-2 and weighs in at 245 pounds, led the Indians in rushing for a second straight season. Keets during the 10-game regular season had 106 rushes for 1,327 yards with 19 rushing touchdowns. He also had one kickoff return for a touchdown and averaged 12.5 yards per carry in 2018.
The senior running back, Keets, also had six games of 100-plus yards rushing, with two games of over 200 yards rushing with the first game coming in Week 5 vs. Clermont Northeastern where he had 16 carries for 201 yards and three touchdowns. His second time was during Week 9 at Miami Trace where Keets rushed seven times for 229 yards and three touchdowns. Keets also scored at least one rushing touchdown in eight of 10 games this past season.
“Josh is a very talented young man. He really stepped up his game this season. He played hard and put forth a lot of effort, which turned into the great season he had,” O’Rourke said.
Fellow running back Burns, also a senior at 5-8 and 250 pounds, totaled 149 rushes for 922 yards with 18 touchdowns in the regular season. Burns finished with 6.2 yards per carry, and in four games during 2018 had at least 100-plus yards rushing, including Week 7 at Washington C.H. where he totaled 22 carries for 181 yards and two touchdowns. Burns had another outstanding game in Week 1 at Western Brown with 27 carries for 132 yards and one touchdown.
Burns scored at least one touchdown in nine of 10 regular-season games played for the Indians.
“You don’t find a better kid than Deon. He’s a quiet leader, and he had a good offseason in the weight room. Him staying healthy and staying on the field was a difference maker for us this season,” O’Rourke said. “It was fun calling plays for him and the rest of the running backs this year.”
Another HHS senior, Conover, as an offensive and defensive lineman helped block for 3,849 yards on 430 carries by the Indians. On the offensive line, he helped block for a team that averaged 8.95 yards per carry. Defensively, Conover totaled 46 tackles (27 solo). He also led the Indians with with six sacks, nine tackles for loss.
“Max is a tough kid. He kept fighting through injuries all year. He was a real go-getter and played with great effort all season,” O’Rourke said.
Bloomfield, as a linebacker and tight end for the Indians during his senior year, was a lead blocker for the HHS rushing game this season. Defensively, he was third on the team with 53 tackles, including 27 solo tackles. Bloomfield also recorded two sacks and six tackles for loss.
“Reece improved as much as anyone this season. His blocking as the tight end made us go. He was a great blocker for us, and he did a good job at inside linebacker all season,” O’Rourke said.
HHS junior Hester at linebacker totaled 54 tackles (second on team) with 29 solo tackles to his credit. Hester also had four sacks and nine tackles for loss.
“Logan just improved a great deal. He flew to the ball all over the place, and it’s going to be good to have him back next year,” O’Rourke said.
Swayne, a senior cornerback, had four interceptions and one tackle for a loss. He was also the quarterback of the Indians. At quarterback on the offensive side of the ball, Swayne had 71 rushes for 499 yards and 10 rushing touchdowns, where he averaged 7.02 yards per carry.
“Mason was a really good leader for us. He might not have had the most passing yards, but when we were in need of a play, he did a good job and took control of the offense. His leadership really helped us this season,” O’Rourke said.
*All stats are from the 10-game regular season.