On this Thursday night (October 19), the Hillers varsity football team will face the one team that kept them from being Tri-Valley League champions last season: the Holliston Panthers.

Hopkinton will enter the game with a 4-2 record against neighboring Holiston, which stands at 3-3.

“The boys are confident. We just need to go in there, not make any mistakes, and do what we [have to] do,” senior captain and defensive tackler Jason Girard said.

Girard explained that Holliston is the team’s biggest rival in the TVL in recent years.

“We haven’t beaten them in a while,” he continued. “They stole the TVL championship from us last year, so we want our payback.”

“Some challenges of this game are that we are going over there, and they are known for their crazy student sections,” senior punter Russel Perryman said.

Perryman anticipates an intense environment for the big game.

“I think inside, the team feels it, but we know we can rely on each other,” he assured.

Senior safety John Sanda also acknowledged last year’s loss and believes that it will fuel the Hillers to do better.

“It’s going to be intense. We haven’t beaten [Holliston] in a couple of years. We had a devastating loss last year, and we are looking to kill them,” he said.

The rest of the Hillers players expressed similar beliefs and high hopes in light of the upcoming game.

“We have what it takes to win this year because we’ve got the guys to do it,” Sanda said with a smile.