Bicentennial League Preview: Hill’s time comes at Delco Christian

Two-time defending Bicentennial champion New Hope-Solebury faces the task of replacing standout running back Jesse Capriotti, pictured during last year’s Montco All-Star game.

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Lloyd Hill’s route to Delaware County began in South Beach.

It’s where Hill was born, and where he lived until an offer to play football at Widener University uprooted Hill from Miami and brought him to Southeastern Pennsylvania more than 25 years ago.

Hill has been here ever since, along the way holding down assistant-coaching roles with Delaware County Christian School’s football program, and even serving as the throwers coach for Roman Catholic’s track team.

This summer, Hill got the call he was waiting on for years.

“I’m ready to be a head coach. I’m ready for this moment,” said Hill, the recently appointed coach at Delco Christian.

Behind Hill, the Knights will keep their eyes toward another lengthy postseason run. They fell one win shy of a PIAA playoff berth, losing in last season’s District 1-2 Class A sub-regional championship.

Hill, the new coach, will have a new quarterback, Jordan Mitchell, calling the shots. Is that enough to signal a new offense, too? Not so fast, said Hill, who assured that the Knights will not stray from the Power-T offense that has become synonymous with their program.

Mitchell replaces Luke Gutowski, the reliable and do-everything signal caller for the Knights. In is sophomore Mitchell, Gutowski’s backup in 2017 who earned most of his varsity reps at defensive back. Mitchell, according to Hill, is “athletic, speedy, and a good role model,” traits that could help smooth over his inexperience at the position.

“We’ve always been successful (with the Power-T),” Hill said. “If it isn’t broke, don’t fix it. But what we can fix is making our players’ fakes tighter, their blocks better, their techniques stronger. That’s where we’ll need to be perfect.”

Teaching is Hill’s calling. After earning a degree from Widener, Hill launched a career in troubleshooting and tech support in the information systems field. After a while, Hill said he “felt like a robot,” and needed a change. For the next year, he held a full-time teaching gig by day and worked in computer systems at night. That arrangement didn’t last long, and Hill followed his heart into the classroom.

Today, in addition to his role on the football field, he’s a middle school math teacher at Delco Christian.

“I told our guys my heart is with building their life skills,” said Hill, 43, a Brookhaven resident. “I want to make sure I’m teaching them valuable skills like integrity and how to overcome adversity, and responsible risk-taking.

“I have trophies and medals. They’re collecting dust. I want our guys equipped with things that will mean something and will last forever.”

The Knights, in a crowded Bicentennial Athletic League, will need significant play from a few key players. Among them is Mitchell, a sophomore who will have a steep learning curve at quarterback. Jason Motley, a two-way player, will make his most-critical contributions at linebacker. The senior linebacker is invaluable to the Knights. He’s capable of playing any position on the defensive side of the ball, Hill said. And according to junior Abby East, Motley “knows the formations and shifts for every player on our defense. He even calls out the plays.” And on the other side of the ball? “He’s going to tear it up,” said  East. 

East, a junior defensive end and tight end, is one of the Knights’ best tacklers and “has the potential,” Hill said, to lead the Knights this season and beyond. Peter Grieb, a running back and linebacker, is expected to have a breakout year.

A.J. Gerow (RB/LB) and Jared Sutphin (OL/DL) did not play last season, but Hill has seen enough in camp to expect big things from the senior duo.

“This group is hard-working. They want to get after it,” Motley said. “We’re ready. We have Coach Hill, and we have the talent to simply outwork teams and win.”