By: Johanna Berton

Last Thursday, the Hiller Varsity Football team suffered its second defeat of the season. The Hillers put up a fight in the second half, but it was just not enough to stop Archbishop Williams from coming up with the win. The Hillers did not start off strong in the first half, but this did not set the tone for the rest of the game.  “This game made us stronger because we learned to not stop fighting even when we’re down,” commented junior Anthony Arena. The Hillers battled back in the second half and came up with fourteen points, but Archbishop Williams pulled away with twenty-five points. In the first half, the Hillers had three recorded interceptions by Mike Maresca, Jeff Spiegel, and Clint Atkinson. It seemed like they had a chance to get on the scoreboard, but they couldn’t seem to come up with any points. In the fourth quarter, the Hillers had more interceptions, but once again, it didn’t end with much success.

The team this year is led by eighteen seniors and Coach Steve Simoes. The tri-captains for the Hillers are seniors Mike Maresca, Jeremy Gram, and Sam MacDonald. In the game last Thursday, sophomore Mike Decina played quarterback for the Hillers, as well as junior Max Robidoux.

The Hillers are now 0-2 in their non-league play but their tri valley season starts at home this Friday (September 25th) at 7pm against Westwood. The Hillers may have been defeated in their non-league games, but this will most certainly not determine how they play in the tri valley league games. “Playing in league games often brings the best out in teams so I think we’ll play a lot better against our rivals in the tri-valley league,” commented Anthony Arena. It is crucial that the Hillers start games off strong, and play each minute like it’s the last.