HILLDALE

from 2021 Pigskin Preview: Indian Bowl — Through the Years

by muskogeephoenix

EUFAULA

Pigskin Preview

Muskogee Phoenix Thursday, Aug. 26, 2021 11

Blevins’ mark set on Hornets

By Mike Kays mkays@muskogeephoenix.com

The third lead-up to a football season at Hilldale for head coach David Blevins has put its own unique layer on the foundation.

In 2019, he had just been hired, returning to the school he once played for as a lineman. In 2020, the pandemic knocked out spring work and any summer off-campus events like 7-on-7 or team camps.

As for 2021, it’s back to what 2019 was, only with more familiarity with each other, and more likely, something far closer to the 11-2 mark they had in 2020 than the 4-6 finish in 2019.

There’s one thing he’ll miss about 2020.

“One thing getting back to normal does, it normalizes everyone’s schedule and you have the usual lineup of church camps, vacations and such,” Blevins said. “Last year

there wasn’t anything to do except be up at school and you know, we actually saw them a lot more.” The lineman in Blevins knows you can’t hit weights like you can an opponent. So those contact drills between vacations — even if it wasn’t a complete team all the time — were a good thing Blevins to have back, especially when you have a standout running back as a centerpiece of your offense and four of five starting linemen returning, none of which are seniors.

Virgil

(Continued on next page)

Eric Virgil is out to top easily the 1,400 yards rushing he had as a junior in 2020.

HILLDALE HORNETS

Record last year: 11-2, 4A quarterfinals

Head coach: David Blevins, 3rd season

Staff: Earnie Ragland, defensive coordinator, Erwin Starts, offensive coordinator; Jordan Alexander, wide receivers; Rick Lang, defensive backs; Bailey Puckett, defensive line; Alex Puckett, outside linebackers; Grant Dunn, defensive backs; Blake Burns, quarterbacks.

Returning starters (7 offense, 6 defense, 9 special teams): Eric Virgil, RB, 5-7, 175, Sr.; Jaxson Whittiker, K, P, 6-0, 170, Sr.; Logan Harper, WR, 6-3, 190, Jr.; Rylan Nail, TE, 6-3, 220, Sr.; Brayson Lawson, WR/CB/RET, 6-0, 190, Sr.; Evan Keefe, OL/DL, 6-3, 255, Jr.; Koby East, OL, 6-2, 275, Jr.; Grayson Gaddy, OL, 5-10, 240, Jr.; Micah Gonzalez, OL, 6-2, 255, Jr.; Mike Oeser, LB, 5-9, 185, Sr.; Cason Albin, DE, 6-2, 210, Sr.; Isom Smith, CB, 6-1, 165, Sr.; Brayden Smith, OLB, 6-0, 180, Sr.; Jace Walker, WR/S, 5-10, 170, Jr.

Others to watch: Whittiker, WR; Smith, RB; Nail, OLB; East, DE; Smith, TE; Harper, OLB; Blair Paulson, OL, 5-9, 245, Jr.; Caynen David, 5-7, 155, Jr.; Kayden Shoals, G/NG, 5-9, 275, Jr.; Lamarion Burton, CB, 5-10, 160, Jr.; Isaac Gonzales, RB/SS, 5-9, 170, Jr.; Jax Kerr, QB, 6-4, 165, Fr.; Hayden Pickering, WR, 5-7, 140, Fr.; Mason Pickering, LB, 5-10, 170, Fr.

12 Muskogee Phoenix Thursday, Aug. 26, 2021

“Oh definitely, that contact time has helped,” he said. “The experience we have up front is something as we looked toward this fall that we were pretty excited about.”

Evan Keefe, Micah Gonzalez, Koby East and Grayson Gaddy are the incumbent starters. East moves from center in 2020 to left guard, next to Keefe. Gonzalez at tackle and Gaddy at guard are on the other side. Wyatt Branscum will be part of the line rotation and Blair Paulson moves in at center.

Their main goal, other than to protect quarterback Caynen David, is to open holes for senior running back Eric Virgil, who is coming off 1,402 yards and 16 touchdowns on 179 carries, numbers that were limited by missing two due to quarantine.

Keefe and Virgil won special honors at a USA Football camp this summer in Kansas City.

“We have a great line,” Virgil said. “They block, I get good yards. They make me look good out there.”

Virgil, by nature a quiet guy, says he can get loud with them if necessary for encouragement. Blevins says that’s all part of a competitive nature he sees that has crystallized within this group of players.

“Two of his closest friends are on the team (Branscum and Gonzalez) so there’s that kind of chemistry there,” the head coach said. “But for us, we all hold each other to a higher standard. If you’re not up to that standard, we’re going to let you know.

“And I really like how competitive of a group that makes us. If it’s competition, everybody is in. Compare that to my first year where we were just learning each other, and were at a whole new level.”

When it comes to competing, Brayson Lawson is among those who seemingly will be all in on every single play. Lawson will start at receiver and in the secondary and will also return kicks and punts.

His effort and intensity will help shape his season, just as it will those around him. Like Blevins said, the competitive juices flow all over the field.

“I’ve put in a lot of running, a lot more than usual,” Lawson said. “When we’re all in, it makes it a lot easier to run more sprints.”

Hilldale should be contenders for a District 4A-4 title, with two-time defending champion Poteau again the primary target. The Hornets were runners-up to the Pirates in 2020.

But moreover, Hilldale’s year will be more broadly defined by their postseason road. In their entire playoff history dating back to a quarterfinal loss to Afton in 1981, Hilldale is 0-10 at the quarterfinal round.

Michael Oeser, a senior linebacker who will also figure in some time on both sides of the ball, said those lessons, most recently a heartbreaking home loss to Cushing in 2020, are grounded in resiliency. The Hornets fought back from trailing 21-0 to come within a deflected pass of pulling out a win in a 34Lawson 28 verdict. “You just have to keep working hard and trust in each other and what we’re all out here to do,” he said. Sooner or later, the breakthrough will happen. “Our goals are centered Oeser on not just deep playoff runs but state titles,” Blevins said. “That’s what I want us to be about.”