Hill School football edges Kiski, 14-13 in final game at Dell Field

POTTSTOWN >> The Hill School football team’s lead, which stood at 14 points in the first quarter, became more and more precarious as Saturday afternoon’s game against Kiski School progressed.

But the Rams’ offense controlled the ball when it had to, the defense came up with some big plays and The Hill hung on for a 14-13 non-league win in most likely the final game to be played at Dell Field.

Kayden White scored both touchdowns for The Hill (3-5), the first on an 80-yard run and the second on a fumble return. White ended up with 153 rushing yards on 16 carries. Andrew Baublitz ran for 105 yards and Josh Barlow for 77 for the Cougars (3-5).

“When we faced adversity, we played phenomenally,” senior co-captain White said. “We had to close it out. It was probably the last game at The Dell. This was a great way to end it. Next year they start playing on the turf field.”

White shot through the left side of the line and outran the defense to put the Rams on top five minutes into the contest. Then Kiski’s quarterback fumbled while being sacked and White scooped up the rolling ball and ran 30 yards into the endzone for the 14-0 advantage with 1:53 left in the opening quarter. But the Rams lost the ball on downs on their next two possessions and the score remained 14-0 at the half.

The Cougars drove 76 yards on 13 plays over 6 ½ minutes to start the second half, with Barlow running in from six yards out for a score. Then the Rams came up a yard short at the Kiski 18 yard line on a 4th-down play and Kiski drove for another score, with Baublitz racing down the right sideline for the last 49 yards as the third quarter ended. The extra-point attempt was blocked, leaving the Rams with a 14-13 advantage.

Kiski began another drive from its own 20 midway through the final quarter and advanced to the 45. But Billy Antippas dropped Barlow for a 4-yard loss on a 2nd-down play.

“(Barlow) is a hard guy to bring down,” White said. “We had to gang tackle.”

The Cougars had to punt after an incomplete pass and the Rams took over at their own 11-yard line with 4:01 remaining. From there, they drove 72 yards to run out the clock as White rushed for three first downs and the Cougars were slapped with three 15-yard penalties.

“All week at practice, we talked about not making stupid plays and staying composed,” Hill senior middle linebacker Anthony McMullan said. “We were able to make plays in tough situations and came out on top.”

“We made a little adjustment on the defensive line,” White said. “They were getting outside. We made sure that we kept them inside and made sure the linebackers filled the gaps.

The Rams were out-gained 271 yards to 226, but White and Tristan Reynolds came up with interceptions for the The Hill, which didn’t turn the ball over once.

“When we came back from the locker room at halftime, we said we need to play for the seniors,” McMullan said. “We figured it out and we came out on top. Hill is a very historic school and we preach tradition.”

The Hill had been expected to play in its new state-of-the-art football stadium at the Far Fields this season, but construction was delayed.

“One hundred, thirty-five years on this field,” McMullan said. “This was the last football game to be played on this field. It was good to see the field come out on top.”

The Rams will wrap up their season Saturday at Lawrenceville School.

Hill School 14, Kiski School 13
Kiski School 0 0 13 0 – 13
Hill School 14 0 0 0 -14
SCORING
First quarter
HS-White 80 run (Elmore kick)
HS-White 30 fumble return (Elmore kick)
Third quarter
KS-Barlow 6 run (Lee kick)
KS-Baublitz 49 run (kick failed)
TEAM STATISTICS
KS HS
First downs 18 8
Rushing yards 197 163
Passing yards 74 63
Total yards 271 226
Passes C-A-I 9-18-2 8-15-0
Fumbles-Lost 3-1 1-0
Penalties-Yards 6-60 9-95
Punts-Avg. 4-36.8 3-36.3
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
Rushing
Kiski School: Baublitz 8-105, 1 TD; Barlow 21-77, 1 TD; Shea 10-15
Hill School: White 16-153, 1 TD; Hewitt 8-10; Voynar 1-6; Zindle 1-(-6)
Passing
Kiski School: Shea 9-18-74, 2 INT’s
Hill School: Hewitt 8-15-63
Receiving
Kiski School: Williams 6-48; Hess 2-0; Baublitz 1-26
Hill School: Voynar 4-25; Willman 2-25; Zindle 2-13
Interceptions: Hill School-White, Reynolds