30 October, 2014
On Halloween (Friday October 31st) the #5th seeded (3-4) Hopkinton Hillers will head down the road to Milford and take on the #4th seeded (4-3) Scarlet Hawks for a quarter-finals playoff matchup. It will be a matchup of two schools which many of the players grew up playing organized football against or with each other. The Hillers and Scarlet Hawks have not played each other in recent years however both teams bring a very similar style of play.
The Scarlet Hawks and Hillers are both very well coached and have displayed a good mix of run and pass offense. The Scarlet Hawks are a very experienced team with 25 returning players overall, 17 of which were starters heading into the 2014 season. The Hillers brought back Pat Ryan, Drew Donohue, Haiden Pereira and Matt Decina from their 2013 playoff run to lead the offense. Defensively the Hillers have faced their struggles as many key defensive players graduated following the 2013 season but the Hillers defense has developed the young core throughout the season. The Scarlet Hawks defense is experienced and transitioned nicely since coach Todd took over last season.
Defensively the Hopkinton Hillers will need to keep an eye on the potent Milford running back triple threat of Quentin Orr, David Abrego and Jonathan Rodriguez as well as a variety of Scarlet Hawks downfield threats including Pete Schuler, Blake Hill and Leonardo Moronta. The Scarlet Hawks defense will also have their hands full as they try to contain the strong arm of QB Pat Ryan and RB Drew Donohue. The Hillers feature speedy downfield threats including Haiden Pereira and Matt Decina.
Milford (ranked Max Preps #64 in the state) has averaged 25.7 points per game this season while giving up an average of 29.8. The Hillers (ranked Max Preps #109 in the state) have scored an average of 31.6 and given up an average of 33.7. One of the biggest improvements for the Hopkinton Hillers have been the increase of offensive diversity while the Scarlet Hawks defensive back core featuring Jack Desantis and Stevan Luna has been a major part in the Scarlet Hawks success this season.
The Halloween matchup between Hopkinton and Milford should be a packed and loud atmosphere featuring many excited fans for both teams. This game has all the makings of a classic showdown and should exemplify what High School playoff football is all about. Strap in your seat belts, it's going to be a wild one!
