Hillsboro Indians to play first playoff game in 13 years; will face Eastmoor Academy Warriors
Lead Summary
By
Stephen Forsha-sforsha@gmail.com
The Division III Regional Quarterfinal Playoff game has been 13 years in the making, and for the 2018 Indians, they have the same opportunity as six other teams have had before them, and that is to become the first HHS team to win a playoff game.
The Indians are now in the Division III Regional Quarterfinals as a No. 5 seed and will travel to Columbus on Friday, Nov. 2 to take on the No. 4 seeded Eastmoor Academy Warriors at 7 p.m.
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Since their last playoff berth, Hillsboro football has seen a lot occur within the program, with varying head coaches and offensive schemes. Three years ago, following a three-win season, the Indians made a decision to hire veteran head coach Jack O’Rourke, and things began to change withthe program.
Under O’Rourke, the Indians have gone from a 4-6 season in 2016 to an improvement of 7-3 in 2017, and this season they are currently 9-1 and won a share of the Frontier Athletic Conference championship with Jackson, a feat the Indians hadn’t accomplished since 1998. In winning a share of the conference and having just one loss against a Division II school, the Indians are also preparing to play in their first playoff game since 2005.
Following the Rotary Bowl win last Friday night, O’Rourke spoke about making the playoffs and winning a conference championship.
“We’re very fortunate to do what we’re able to do this year. We stayed pretty healthy. That’s what we had to do, and we did,” O’Rourke said. “We’re definitely excited about it (going to the playoffs). I’m probably more excited about winning the conference championship. It’s been even longer since that happened, since 1998. It’s important. It’s harder to do than make the playoffs sometimes.
“They’ve (the seniors) played very hard the last three years for me and worked their way up. We took our lumps the first year a little bit, got better last year and this year it paid off.”
The current Indians are also looking to become the first team in program history to win a playoff game as they Indians have made playoff appearances in 1992, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1998 and 2005.
Now, in 2018, the Indians have used a rushing game that has made its mark on the football scene with an offensive line that has really proven they are the real deal. That isn’t opinion, as the numbers tell the true story.
Hillsboro’s offense has been mostly their rushing game with 3,864 yards of rushing on 449 carries, for an average rush of 8.61 on the season, leading them to a No. 13 state ranking in Division III.
Behind an offensive line and tight ends that include Zach Burns, Max Conover, Silas Simmons, Lane Cluff, Sanchez Seals, Draven Stodgel, Micheal Rose, Richard Adkins and Reece Bloomfield, among others, the Indians have achieved the aforementioned rushing numbers that have propelled them to the top of the FAC and into the playoffs this Friday night.
The offensive line of the Indians are blocking for a trio of running backs in Josh Keets, Deon Burns and Mark Gallimore, along with quarterback Mason Swayne, all of whom have nearly 500 yards rushing or more this season.
Hillsboro’s leading rusher is Keets, as the senior in 10 games this season has 1,327 yards and 19 touchdowns on 106 carries, averaging 12.5 yards per carry and 132.7 yards per game rushing. Last season, Keets rushed for 1,163 yards and 13 touchdowns, now giving him a two-year total of 2,490 yards and 32 touchdowns since his junior season.
Senior Deon Burns has also broken out this season. In 2017, he battled varying injuries, but this season he played in all 10 games, where he led the Indians with 149 carries. Burns finished the regular season with 922 yards rushing, averaging 6.19 yards per carry. Burns is also averaging 92.2 yards per game, while finishing the regular season with 18 rushing touchdowns.
The junior in the running back trio is Gallimore, who has also built an impressive resumé for the Indians, including wrapping up the regular season with four straight games of 100-plus yards of rushing. In that span, Gallimore has 218 yards rushing in Week 7 against the Washington Blue Lions, followed by 112 yards against Jackson, 109 yards against Miami Trace and 100 yards on just four carries vs. McClain in the 63-7 Rotary Bowl victory in Week 10.
For the season, Gallimore has rushed for 887 yards, averaging 11.3 yards per game on 78 carries, and finished the regular season at 88.7 yards per game with eight touchdowns.
Swayne, a senior quarterback, has done his part in not only being a leader on the offense for the Indians as the quarterback, but has made numerous plays with his running abilities this season. Swayne has totaled 499 yards on 71 rushes with 10 touchdowns.
In the passing game, Swayne was 11-of-26 for the regular season for 217 yards with three touchdowns, including a clutch overtime touchdown pass to tight end Luke Middleton in Week 7 against Jackson which was one of, if not the biggest, plays of the season for the Indians.
Hillsboro is more than just a rushing attack on offense, because their defense has played at a solid level too this season, holding their opponents to 145 yards passing per game and 126.4 rushing yards per game. The opposing offense has converted just 31 percent of third down plays, and HHS has forced 24 turnovers and totaled 15 sacks on the season.
Justin Spears is the tackles leader for the Indians with 55 total, including two tackles for loss and three interceptions, along with one fumble recovery.
In all, three HHS players have 50-plus tackles this season with Logan Hester totaling 54 tackles, four sacks and nine tackles for loss. Bloomfield is next with 53 tackles, two sacks and six tackles for loss.
Conover is right there with the above group with 46 tackles, but even better, he’s the team leader in sacks with six and tied for the team-high in tackles for loss with nine. Also with a sack this season are Stodgel, Cluff and Keets. Swyane is the team leader in interceptions with four.
All of those numbers have come together for the Indians and led to their best season in the standings in nearly a decade.
Now for the Eastmoor Academy Warriors — the No. 7 ranked team in Division III, who play their home games at Archie Griffin Stadium — they are also 9-1 overall and won their Columbus City League (South) title with a 7-0 record.
The Warriors have scored 466 points this season and allowed just 126, winning their past seven games.
Eastmoor began their season with a win over Franklin Heights (45-14), followed by a win at home vs. St. Charles (46-15). Their lone loss came to Westerville Central (55-24), and they followed that with a 47-6 win vs. South. At the halfway point of the season, the Warriors defeated Walnut Ridge (26-20).
In the final five weeks of the season, Eastmoor defeated Marion-Franklin (47-0), Independence (61-16), West (62-0), Briggs (65-0) and Africentric Early College (43-0).
The overall record of Eastmoor Academy’s opponents is 41-59, as they’ve won three games with teams that have records above the .500 mark. Compared to Hillsboro, the Indians’ opponents’ record is 45-55, with HHS winning five games against teams over the .500 mark.
Eastmoor Academy is located at 417 South Weyant Avenue, Columbus, Ohio 43213.
The Indians are now in the Division III Regional Quarterfinals as a No. 5 seed and will travel to Columbus on Friday, Nov. 2 to take on the No. 4 seeded Eastmoor Academy Warriors at 7 p.m.
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Since their last playoff berth, Hillsboro football has seen a lot occur within the program, with varying head coaches and offensive schemes. Three years ago, following a three-win season, the Indians made a decision to hire veteran head coach Jack O’Rourke, and things began to change withthe program.
Under O’Rourke, the Indians have gone from a 4-6 season in 2016 to an improvement of 7-3 in 2017, and this season they are currently 9-1 and won a share of the Frontier Athletic Conference championship with Jackson, a feat the Indians hadn’t accomplished since 1998. In winning a share of the conference and having just one loss against a Division II school, the Indians are also preparing to play in their first playoff game since 2005.
Following the Rotary Bowl win last Friday night, O’Rourke spoke about making the playoffs and winning a conference championship.
“We’re very fortunate to do what we’re able to do this year. We stayed pretty healthy. That’s what we had to do, and we did,” O’Rourke said. “We’re definitely excited about it (going to the playoffs). I’m probably more excited about winning the conference championship. It’s been even longer since that happened, since 1998. It’s important. It’s harder to do than make the playoffs sometimes.
“They’ve (the seniors) played very hard the last three years for me and worked their way up. We took our lumps the first year a little bit, got better last year and this year it paid off.”
The current Indians are also looking to become the first team in program history to win a playoff game as they Indians have made playoff appearances in 1992, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1998 and 2005.
Now, in 2018, the Indians have used a rushing game that has made its mark on the football scene with an offensive line that has really proven they are the real deal. That isn’t opinion, as the numbers tell the true story.
Hillsboro’s offense has been mostly their rushing game with 3,864 yards of rushing on 449 carries, for an average rush of 8.61 on the season, leading them to a No. 13 state ranking in Division III.
Behind an offensive line and tight ends that include Zach Burns, Max Conover, Silas Simmons, Lane Cluff, Sanchez Seals, Draven Stodgel, Micheal Rose, Richard Adkins and Reece Bloomfield, among others, the Indians have achieved the aforementioned rushing numbers that have propelled them to the top of the FAC and into the playoffs this Friday night.
The offensive line of the Indians are blocking for a trio of running backs in Josh Keets, Deon Burns and Mark Gallimore, along with quarterback Mason Swayne, all of whom have nearly 500 yards rushing or more this season.
Hillsboro’s leading rusher is Keets, as the senior in 10 games this season has 1,327 yards and 19 touchdowns on 106 carries, averaging 12.5 yards per carry and 132.7 yards per game rushing. Last season, Keets rushed for 1,163 yards and 13 touchdowns, now giving him a two-year total of 2,490 yards and 32 touchdowns since his junior season.
Senior Deon Burns has also broken out this season. In 2017, he battled varying injuries, but this season he played in all 10 games, where he led the Indians with 149 carries. Burns finished the regular season with 922 yards rushing, averaging 6.19 yards per carry. Burns is also averaging 92.2 yards per game, while finishing the regular season with 18 rushing touchdowns.
The junior in the running back trio is Gallimore, who has also built an impressive resumé for the Indians, including wrapping up the regular season with four straight games of 100-plus yards of rushing. In that span, Gallimore has 218 yards rushing in Week 7 against the Washington Blue Lions, followed by 112 yards against Jackson, 109 yards against Miami Trace and 100 yards on just four carries vs. McClain in the 63-7 Rotary Bowl victory in Week 10.
For the season, Gallimore has rushed for 887 yards, averaging 11.3 yards per game on 78 carries, and finished the regular season at 88.7 yards per game with eight touchdowns.
Swayne, a senior quarterback, has done his part in not only being a leader on the offense for the Indians as the quarterback, but has made numerous plays with his running abilities this season. Swayne has totaled 499 yards on 71 rushes with 10 touchdowns.
In the passing game, Swayne was 11-of-26 for the regular season for 217 yards with three touchdowns, including a clutch overtime touchdown pass to tight end Luke Middleton in Week 7 against Jackson which was one of, if not the biggest, plays of the season for the Indians.
Hillsboro is more than just a rushing attack on offense, because their defense has played at a solid level too this season, holding their opponents to 145 yards passing per game and 126.4 rushing yards per game. The opposing offense has converted just 31 percent of third down plays, and HHS has forced 24 turnovers and totaled 15 sacks on the season.
Justin Spears is the tackles leader for the Indians with 55 total, including two tackles for loss and three interceptions, along with one fumble recovery.
In all, three HHS players have 50-plus tackles this season with Logan Hester totaling 54 tackles, four sacks and nine tackles for loss. Bloomfield is next with 53 tackles, two sacks and six tackles for loss.
Conover is right there with the above group with 46 tackles, but even better, he’s the team leader in sacks with six and tied for the team-high in tackles for loss with nine. Also with a sack this season are Stodgel, Cluff and Keets. Swyane is the team leader in interceptions with four.
All of those numbers have come together for the Indians and led to their best season in the standings in nearly a decade.
Now for the Eastmoor Academy Warriors — the No. 7 ranked team in Division III, who play their home games at Archie Griffin Stadium — they are also 9-1 overall and won their Columbus City League (South) title with a 7-0 record.
The Warriors have scored 466 points this season and allowed just 126, winning their past seven games.
Eastmoor began their season with a win over Franklin Heights (45-14), followed by a win at home vs. St. Charles (46-15). Their lone loss came to Westerville Central (55-24), and they followed that with a 47-6 win vs. South. At the halfway point of the season, the Warriors defeated Walnut Ridge (26-20).
In the final five weeks of the season, Eastmoor defeated Marion-Franklin (47-0), Independence (61-16), West (62-0), Briggs (65-0) and Africentric Early College (43-0).
The overall record of Eastmoor Academy’s opponents is 41-59, as they’ve won three games with teams that have records above the .500 mark. Compared to Hillsboro, the Indians’ opponents’ record is 45-55, with HHS winning five games against teams over the .500 mark.
Eastmoor Academy is located at 417 South Weyant Avenue, Columbus, Ohio 43213.