“Things do happen for a reason,” Hillard said. “I’m just glad this year’s been special for me.”
He is eager to get down to playoff business as the unbeaten Wildcats prepare to host Tippecanoe in a Division III, Region 12 quarterfinal Saturday night.
For Hillard, a two-way guard, winning his last home game is paramount.
“All this means to a senior is pretty much everything,” he said. “This is the last game no matter what on our field, so it’s pretty sentimental to us. We’ve got a great team, a great group of guys. It’s family motives around here. You love one another. You don’t do anything just you. It’s the community.”
This is a guy who tore his ACL near the end of his sophomore wrestling season, worked his way back onto the football field for a few weeks as a junior, then broke his fibula.
Hillard’s right leg took both injuries. “They call me bionic boy around here,” he said.
“He’s got like nine screws in his leg. It’s unbelievable,” Franklin coach Brad Childers said. “I love his intensity. Guys feed off his leadership. He’s a little fireball. He’s always looking for that big hit. You better pay attention because he’ll light you up legally.
“He brings a lot of heart to these kids. He was out there coaching in a wheelchair last year. He could easily be a coach someday if he chose to.”
The 5-foot-11, 220-pound Hillard loves the hand-to-hand combat that comes with being a lineman. It’s not surprising that he’s such a good wrestler, a 195-pound Division II state qualifier as a freshman.
He skipped wrestling last year — “It was a bummer having to take that off,” Hillard said — to get himself back into top shape, and it’s paid off. He describes himself as “stronger than I’ve ever been.”
Hillard shares captain duties with classmates Kevin Banks, Noah Kremer and Trenten Scott. It’s a role they all take seriously.
As a lineman, Hillard sounds like a wrestler (he plans to wrestle for Franklin this winter).
“On the O-line, I just try to get everybody to fire out low. If you’re lower than the other guy, you’re going to win,” he said. “Keep driving your feet. You’ve just got to be a bully and come out with a full head of steam every single play. That one play you take off, it could cost you a running back or a quarterback that easy.”
And as a nose guard?
“Coach just tells me to blow up the play and cause chaos,” Hillard said. “I love doing that with one of my good friends, Nate Glossip. He’s my wingman. He looks up to me and I look up to him, even though he’s younger than me. He’s a really special kid.”
The playoff journey will begin with a Tippecanoe squad that Childers said is one of Franklin’s most physical opponents this year.
It’ll be the second postseason game for Hillard. He was a freshman starter in 2013 when the Wildcats lost to Trotwood-Madison 42-7.
“There was a huge crowd, a breathtaking crowd. It just makes you want to stand there and look up, possibly bring a tear to your eye,” Hillard said. “It’ll probably be bigger this year than it was then, and they’re all there to see you. They’re not there to see your coaches. They’re not there to see the trainers. They’re there to see what the Franklin Wildcats are going to do tonight.”
Saturday’s game
What: Division III, Region 12 quarterfinal, Tippecanoe (7-3) at Franklin (10-0), 7 p.m.
Where: Veterans Memorial Field at Atrium Stadium, 301 E. Sixth St., Franklin
Last meeting: Teams have never played
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