Lovie Weil and Jace Taylor, two of the most crucial components of the Lakeland Hawks football team, were both hospitalized with injuries after the Hawks(3-1) fell 21-10 to the visiting West Valley Eagles(1-1) at Corbit Field on Sept. 8.
“I think once West Valley scored their first touchdown, we had our heads down and lost all the momentum,” said sophomore Peyton Hillman, third-string quarterback. “I think our energy level needs to be a lot higher moving forward than it was this last game.”
West Valley drew first blood in the game’s opening quarter on a 20-yard pass from Ethan Turley to Kenan Dunfield.
The Hawks got on the board in the second quarter when Owen Forsman blocked a West Valley punt that rolled through the back of the endzone for a safety.
Despite this phenomenal play from Forsman, the Eagles maintained momentum for nearly the entire game following the safety.
Hawks starting quarterback Haydon Benson was injured in the first game of the season, promoting sophomore cornerback Taylor to the starting quarterback position. After settling in with a great performance against Pullman, Taylor was pummeled at the start of the fourth quarter against West Valley and separated his acromioclavicular(AC) joint.
Starting running back, Weil was likely the most valuable player in the Inland Empire through three games. He rushed for over 150 yards against both Preston and Lake City, and after receiving player of the week honors from the Lake City game, Weil outdid himself with 223 yards and three touchdowns against Pullman.
Weil suffered a high ankle sprain in the third quarter of the West Valley game, just minutes before Taylor went down. Neither Weil nor Taylor were able to return to the game and will both be sidelined for the foreseeable future.
Hillman entered his first varsity game in the fourth quarter, trailing 21-2. Although nerves were surging through his body, he was able to gain some confidence after running a QB keeper. The Hawks scored their only touchdown of the game on Hillman’s first varsity possession.
“I expected a challenging, upbeat game, but my linemen didn’t let anyone get near me, so I was confident,” he said. “The touchdown on my first drive was exciting, but I have to give it to our defense setting us up with good field position.”
Hillman acknowledged that he is the last quarterback option for the Hawks, so he is focused on staying healthy and making plays for our offense.
“Even after we lost Lovie and Jace, we kept our composure,” said junior Clive Hobbs. “I think Peyton can definitely lead the offense; he just needs to keep his confidence going.”
Hobbs has been a great compliment to Lovie Weil in the backfield this season. He will be receiving the bulk of the carries for the next few weeks and finally got into the endzone with a four-yard rushing score in the fourth quarter against West Valley. He did it again the very next play, converting on a two-point conversion.
“Seeing Lovie go down was hard on the whole team, and it was a really sad, disappointing moment,” Hobbs said. “I love watching Lovie run, but I knew that it was up to me, so I gave it everything I had on every down.”
Hobbs has had a promising start to his season and will start at running back until Weil returns. Hobbs says what sets him apart in the backfield is that he is not scared to take a hit. He credits his progress to his running back coach, Al Bevacqua, and looks forward to showing the rest of the coaching staff what he can do.
“Offensively, we need to be more consistent and less hit-or-miss,” Hobbs said. “I thought our middle linebackers did a great job. We need to set the edge on defense and not let the quarterback scramble out of the pocket easily, and our coverage needs to be tighter.”
Lakeland’s schedule does not get any easier moving forward, and they travel to Coeur d’Alene to take on the Vikings (2-1) at 7 p.m. on Sept. 15.
