The athletes that make up a team can shift the entire outcome of that team’s season. For the Lakeland Hawks 2023 football season, resilience and determination led to a respectable .500 winning percentage, a 5-5 record, and a 1-1 record in the 4A Inland Empire League.
Each opponent they faced put up a fight. The team’s best game was the regular season finale in which a playoff berth was clinched against league rival Moscow Bears on Oct. 10th with a score of 31-0.
A team that came together as total strangers finished the season as a tightly-knit group that stuck through all the ups and downs.
“I mainly like the help from my teammates and them encouraging me to do better and help me go along and gain confidence in myself,” sophomore quarterback Peyton Hillman said.
“This team helped me by showing me how to control my emotions on and off the field,” junior runningback Lovie Weil said.
Lots of young players contributed to the Hawks’ season.
“It was successful because a lot of young players got the experience of playing on varsity,” Weil said.
He believes sophomores such as Cash Lund, Peyton Hillman, Jace Taylor, and all other sophomores on the team deserved the varsity reps they were given.
“I didn’t think I was going to do much this year, so it was definitely a surprise. I probably looked up most to my coaches and asked them for help if I needed it,” Hillman said.
The Hawks started out with a good streak, winning their first three games against Preston, Lake City, and Pullman.
The game against Preston was one of the season’s longest travels. They played at the Montana Tech field, which is about five hours from Rathdrum, ID. This game started the team off on the right foot and gave them confidence for their following games.
As any season goes, obstacles arose. But what made this season stand out is that the Hawks did not back down and kept pushing through each game regardless of the score. After four losses in a row against West Valley, Coeur d’Alene, Post Falls and Sandpoint, the team persevered and beat Timberlake at the homecoming game with a close score of 28-24. In the next and final week of the regular season, the Hawks pulled through against Moscow.
Another obstacle this season presented was injuries. The first and second-string quarterbacks, Hayden Benson and Jace Taylor, were injured. This put third-string sophomore Peyton Hillman at the helm of the offense for the remainder of the season. Hillman was the most consistent quarterback option for the Hawks this season.
Weil also missed a handful of games with an injury. So many injuries to key players like the Hawks dealt with are almost unheard of. They managed to overcome, and it gave many players chances to get more time on the field.
The team took on many miles of traveling this season. After the huge win against Moscow, the Hawks were off to Twin Falls for the opening round of state. After a nine-hour bus ride, the team’s efforts were not enough to advance past the Twin Falls Bruins, making it the final game of the season. The score was 28-12.
“Our record will be better next season,” Hillman said.
The team will be back and ready to take on whoever they face in the upcoming season.
