Phillips rushes for 176 yards, blocks extra point attempt
By:Rudy Brandl
CLINTON – Hillsborough High senior Danny Phillips did just about everything in Friday night’s football game at North Hunterdon.
Phillips rushed for a season-high 176 yards and two touchdowns to help the Raiders take a 14-0 lead. Then, when the Lions mounted a comeback, Phillips made sure they didn’t tie the game by blocking the second extra point. Just to put a final exclamation point on the victory, Phillips broke a few more tackles and scored his second TD of the night to cap a 21-13 victory.
"It was the same thing against P’burg (Phillipsburg) last year," Phillips said of the blocked kick, referring to last season’s heroic play that preserved a 21-20 triumph. "We’ve been working on it all week. I just came straight up the middle and got in there and blocked it."
After Josh Williams completed the game’s opening drive with an eight-yard touchdown run, Phillips made a highlight film run for a score later in the first quarter give the Raiders a 14-0 bulge.
North started to chip away, frequently going to the air with quarterback Joe Ricco throwing to Chad Hegstrom. HHS defensive back Kristian Molloy did a superb job defending the taller Hegstrom, who made six catches but none in the fourth quarter.
"He had a height advantage but I used my speed to stay with him," Molloy said. "We watched a lot of films and we knew they’d be throwing to him."
The Raiders (2-3) made just enough plays on both sides of the ball and special teams to maintain the lead. Even when the momentum shifted to the Lions, Hillsborough didn’t let the game slip away. One might say the Raiders played with a sense of urgency.
"We told them when they got off the bus that we can’t lose," Raider head coach Rick Mantz said. "Our backs are against the wall. We have to win every game."
Hillsborough will try to keep it going Friday night when the Bridgewater-Raritan Panthers come to town. It’s the final home game of the 2001 season for the Raiders.
For a complete story on the exciting victory over North Hunterdon, see Thursday’s Hillsborough Beacon.