Woodstown’s James Hill displaying an all-around game for the Wolverines
In his opening game, a 46-19 win at Haddon Heights, Hill rushed for 312 yards and four touchdowns on 28 carries. He also caught two passes for 56 yards and two scores, including one leaping grab in the end zone.
That’s right, six touchdowns in the opener, just another day’s work for Hill. He followed that up by rushing for 228 yards and a score on 28 carries in an 18-0 victory over Paulsboro.
Hill then scored both touchdowns in Woodstown’s 14-6 win over Deptford. In three games he has rushed for 726 yards (8.5 avg.) and seven touchdowns and has three receptions for 60 yards and two scores.
That 3-0 start by Woodstown shouldn’t be surprising. The Wolverines went 9-3 last year and advanced to the South Jersey Group 1 championship before falling to Woodbury.
Hill rushed for 1,374 yards (8.3 avg.) and 15 Tds in earning first-team all-conference honors while competing in one of the best small-school divisions in the state – the West Jersey Football League Diamond Division.
advertisement
The 5-foot-11, 185-pound Hill is one of the more versatile players in South Jersey. In addition to being a running back, he is also a top-flight linebacker and a very good punter.
Hill was a dominant player as a sophomore and it’s no stretch to suggest that he is better this year. “He works non-stop in the offseason, he does stuff outside of what we do as a program for football and we got him running track two years ago so that’s been beneficial,” said Woodstown head coach John Adams. “He doesn’t miss a workout with us and is the first guy in the weight room in the locker room going to practice.”
Simply put, he just loves the game, loves competing and his willingness to improve is his greatest trait. Right up there is his humility. No matter how many impressive statistics he compiles, Hill is all about crediting others.
After his six touchdown day against Haddon Heights, he had this to say about the offensive line. “The line did everything they needed to do and I just followed behind them.”
Not surprising, Hill is being kept busy with recruiting. NCAA rules allow schools to contact potential recruits beginning Sept. 1 of their junior year.
Needless to say, Hill has had to field quite a few phone calls since then.
“Since Sept. 1, I had a lot of schools hit me up,” Hill said. Now again, recruiting takes on all levels. If a school contacts a player that doesn’t mean they will offer a scholarship, but it does mean that particular player is on their radar.
So Hill has heard from a varsity of schools, from Football Bowl Championship and Football Championship Subdivision schools.
“The recruiting process is going well and it is just getting started,” he said. The same could be said of Hill.
For all, he accomplished last year and despite his sizzling start this season, it’s possible that the best may very well be yet to come. The same can be said of Woodstown, which despite being a sectional finalist last year may be improved this season.
Hill feels that is the case.
“We know last year when we lost a championship it hurt all of us and now we know we can redeem ourselves and we are going to play each week as hard as we can.”
Author: Marc Narducci
Archives
Who’s Who in Health Care
Ahead of the Curve
Money Matters
Going Greener and Cleaner
Self-Made Man
Building Toward the Future
On The Move
Firing Up
Drinking it All In
Caring for One Another
What’s the Big Idea?
Making Connections
Up to the Challenge
Today’s Pupils, Tomorrow’s Professionals
Best of Home & Garden 2024
More...
