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After missing the playoffs last season, Hillman is eager to return to the postseason in 2023. Hillman will have more than 20 players on its roster, including 12 freshmen and three juniors.
HILLMAN — When it comes to the Hillman football team, it is not uncommon for the conversation to shift towards its 16 straight seasons of playing in the postseason.
That streak ended last fall after the Tigers slumped to a 3-6 record, but sixth-year head coach Cody Allen isn’t shying away from that.
“You talk about it and then it is always move forward and start a new one (streak),” he said. “You have to embrace the history of the program, but also each team has to write their own chapter of the story.”
The Tigers had wins over Whittemore-Prescott, Hale and the Charlton Heston Academy last year and also had one-score losses to Posen and Mio. They graduated five players from that team, but they’ll have a roster packed with more than 20 players this fall, including 12 freshmen.
“It has been a slow start with all of the freshmen,” Allen said. “We are just trying to teach as much as we can early on and that way once we get into the grind of the season we have the knowledge and we are able to grow as a team.”
On the team this year will be seniors Ed Hardies (running back, linebacker), Gavin Booms (lineman), Vaughn Hunt (lineman), juniors Hector Del Rosario (running back, linebacker), John Ruthko (lineman), James Proffit (lineman), sophomores Evan Crane (wide receiver, defensive back, quarterback), Ethan Deville (wide receiver, defensive back), Damien Kasky (wide receiver, defensive back), Xavier Nichols (quarterback, linebacker), Easton Hunt (running back, defensive end), Nick Cordes (lineman) and freshmen Jackson Lis (lineman), Joseph Mousseau (running back, linebacker), Richard Savone (lineman), Austyn Cotie (running back, linebacker), Eli Schulze (running back, defensive end), Nicoli Vineyard (wide receiver, linebacker), Trenton Gambs (running back, linebacker), JJ Wise (wide receiver, defensive back), Levi Waterberry (wide receiver, defensive back), Michael Misel (lineman), Tanner Dean (lineman), Rhys Lafleche (tight end, defensive end).
“Not all of them have been available at the beginning of the year, but hopefully coming into this week and the weeks coming forward, we will have everyone at practice and ready to roll,” Allen said. “It will be nice to have enough players to go live against each other; that is something we haven’t been able to do in a few years, a full 8-on-8 practice.”
With Hale dropping its football program this fall, Hillman will play in North Star League Little Dipper games against Posen, Au Gres and Atlanta.
“We always want to compete for our league title and a playoff spot, but being so young we just want to grow and gain as much knowledge as possible and try to improve every week,” Allen said.
Hillman opens the season today, when it hosts Whittemore-Prescott. The Cardinals went 3-6 last season as well. The two teams met in week one last year too, and that contest went decidedly in favor of the Tigers’, 40-0.
“Whittemore was a younger team last year, so they are going to be improved,” Allen said. “I think especially this year it will be important to come out and have a strong showing and be able to compete just for confidence reasons for a lot of our younger players.”
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