As Sucharski enters his second season as Hillsboro’s head coach, the Hawks return four veteran running backs who have collectively churned out more than 4,500 yards in their careers. Any one of them could produce a 1,000-yard season if they stay healthy and Sucharski can figure out how to spread the ball around enough in Hillsboro’s option offense.
Seniors John Bennett and Tyler Watson and juniors Jaxin Patterson and Austin Romaine form the Hawks’ diverse backfield. Patterson and Romaine have been varsity starters since Week 1 of their freshman seasons and both were first-team members of the Mississippi Area Football Conference Red Division all-conference team last year. Patterson is halfway to 5,000 career yards (2,611) while Romaine is primed for his first 1,000-yard campaign and was the Hawks’ only selection (third team linebacker) on the 2020 Class 4 all-state team as chosen by the Missouri Football Coaches Association.
In most offenses, fullbacks are blockers and seldom carry the ball. But in Hillsboro’s battering-ram attack, fullbacks must be defended like halfbacks. Bennett plays fullback and after rushing for 474 yards in 2019, he had 248 last year. Watson, who was MAFC first-team on offense (at the slash/hybrid position) and second team on defense (back), has all of the physical tools for a breakout season, only needing more touches – he averaged 11 yards on 22 carries in 2020.
All four backs are renowned for their relentless work in the weight room and at practice, and their all-out play on Friday nights. That passion comes at a cost. As the season grinds on, soreness turns to injury. The Hawks piled up 118 points in league wins over Windsor and De Soto last year, but going into Week 8 against St. Francis Borgia, only Bennett was healthy enough to play and the Knights won handily 35-8.
After shutting out Perryville 13-0 in the first round of the Class 4 District 1 playoffs, the Hawks had all four backs in the lineup but lost 36-28 to North County in the semifinals. Patterson rushed for 206 yards and Romaine caught a 64-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Griffin Ray. Hillsboro, which finished 5-5, had beaten the Raiders 36-14 in their earlier conference game.
Sucharski and his four charges sought to understand how they could mitigate the risk of injury in 2021. It came down to preparation before practices and games.
“Stretching and conditioning,” said Patterson, who lists weightlifting as his favorite activity. “I feel more mobile. My speed and strength have gotten a lot better. Overall, I’m a better player.”
Patterson and Romaine have been joined at the hip since grade school. Romaine wants to play baseball and football in college and has received an offer from Southeast Missouri State University in Cape Girardeau.
“I feel like we both run hard. I run more inside and he goes to the outside,” Romaine said.
“Those guys are commodities where we know what we’re going to get, so we tell them that they need to take a break once in a while,” Sucharski said. “We have the players to do that. We want them to be in games on Fridays. We’ve done a good job of rotating kids into the backfield, but some are new to varsity football.
“We’re fielding a more experienced team this year. Getting a full offseason was really big from the standpoint of the weight room as well as understanding what we’re doing in more depth.”
Ray, a junior, begins his second season under center. Last fall he passed for 600 yards and five touchdowns and rushed 190 yards with four scores. During the winter, Ray is one of the top wrestlers in the state. He won Class 3 state wrestling medals in 2020 (fifth at 138 pounds) and 2021 (third, 152) and helped the Hawks take third place last March.
“He got the first-year jitters out. He’ll be more competitive this year,” Patterson said of Ray.
“He’s a step faster and he’s looked good running the ball out of the option,” Sucharski said. “He’s competitive and his experience at the state championship level in wrestling helps him not shy away from contact.”
The Hawks lost two offensive line starters to graduation but return seven players with varsity game experience up front. Seniors Jordan Jarvis and Greg Sanders are the fixtures as three-year starters. Senior Tucker Vuylsteke started some games at center last year when injuries struck. Wyatt Huskey, another senior, was a starting guard until he broke his thumb, allowing Wyatt Yaeger to start as a freshman. Junior Alex Tabares-Medina has started before.
“Regardless of how much talent we have (in the backfield), I always put it on the offensive line because ultimately they have to open the holes. We have talent returning there,” Sucharski said.
Romaine is even better on defense, making game-changing plays. He had 39 tackles (including eight for loss), five sacks and recovered three fumbles last year.
“I read the play really well and know my keys,” he said.
The rest of Hillsboro’s linebacking corps includes Bennett, a three-year starter there, along with Watson and sophomore Payton Brown. Jarvis is the anchor on the defensive front and senior safety Cody Bishop leads the secondary. Sucharski said there’s a nice competition at the cornerback position.
“We play Jackson Week 2 and (Jackson head coach Brent Eckley) tries to find a weakness from play to play. He’s a smart guy and if he sees you have a tired cornerback, he’s going to attack that guy. We’ve worked to build depth and have kids get reps there.”
Before the Hawks host the Indians, who have beaten them by a combined score of 111-14 the past two years, they open the season at home against Northwest. The two teams met in Week 1 last year with the Lions prevailing 37-27 before a sparse crowd in Cedar Hill because of COVID-19 restrictions. As of the Leader deadline, there are no limitations on attendance this time. Sucharski said the adversity of COVID made him get everything the team needed well ahead of time.
“I reached out to all of our vendors last year for jerseys, uniforms and equipment so we’re not short of anything,” he said. “Coaches are reaching out to other coaches because they’re short helmets and we’re in a good place for all of that. With 60 or 70 kids in our junior high program, it’s important to have all of that.”