By Justin Feil, Contributor
At almost any given time, at least one of the Amankwaa brothers is on the field for the Hillsborough High School football team.
The two of them have helped contribute to a 3-1 start for the Raiders in a variety of ways. David, a senior, caught a touchdown pass in their 27-13 win over Phillipsburg last week and has been a consistent force at running back as well as mixing between safety and linebacker on defense and lining up for special teams.
Charles, a junior, is in his second year starting at cornerback, and it’s safe to say that every opponent looks to account for him on special teams. Last year, he blocked a half-dozen kicks and he blocked his first punt of the year which Jack Edwards fell on for a Hillsborough touchdown in the win over Phillipsburg.
“The two of them are gunners on punt,” said Raiders Head Coach Kevin Carty Jr. “I’d be surprised if anybody has two better guys than those two guys running down to cover punts…they’re very good at everything. They can run, they can hit. They have good technique. They’re good players.”
The two started playing football together five years ago and have been integral parts of the Raiders since last season, but they have come a long way since their beginnings.
“My first position, I was at nose guard,” David recalled. “That was my first year ever playing football, so that was weird. I eased myself into a running back position, but I mostly like playing defense. I like hitting people.”
Charles, too, likes defense more. He gets a few plays here and there at receiver, but he has made his biggest impact at cornerback for a defense that is much improved over a year ago. They also have shutout wins over Elizabeth and Plainfield.
“I feel me and the opposite corner, Tyler Boatwright, got much better,” Charles said. “We now know the defense so we’re not playing scared. We’re not bailing out of our coverage fast. We’re playing more comfortably than we did last year. We got bigger and faster, so we feel like we can compete with anybody in our conference and our league.”
The Raiders’ good start can be credited to improvements across the board. In addition to being a stouter defense, Hillsborough is being smart with the ball on offense and they are taking care of it.
“It’s been a huge benefit,” Mr. Carty said. “Especially in our three wins, I think we have two turnovers and we’ve forced quite a few.”
The team’s only loss so far, against Bridgewater, came about after the team struggled with turnovers of their own.
“We had a couple big turnovers and that got us behind and it was tough to come back,” Mr. Carty said. “We’ve done a good job in improving those for the most part and that’s why we’ve been successful.”
The offense has gotten a big lift from the defense and special teams. They were having trouble moving the ball against Phillipsburg, but two huge special teams plays helped give the Raiders a cushion.
Greg Alboum blocked and recovered a punt to set up the first score of the game on David Amankwaa’s catch of a Matt Moore pass.
“The first time we went to block the punt, the wing blocked me and Greg ended up blocking it,” Charles said. “The second time, he kind of forgot about me and saw me late, and by the time he saw me I was already there and I hit the punter. Jack scooped and scored.”
The next possession for Phillipsburg ended with Charles’ first block of the year. He hasn’t had as many as a year ago.
“All the teams come out to block me now,” Charles said. “They see how many I blocked last year. I blocked like six last year so they’re all coming out to get me this year.”
The Raiders have been reliable kick blockers through the years. It’s helped give them momentum in some big moments, including last year’s season-ending win over East Brunswick when Charles took a punt in for the winning touchdown.
“Our coach really loves blocking punts on special teams,” Charles said. “He really values special teams. He wants us to do it every game if we can. We spend a lot of time at practice blocking punts. If offense can’t get anything going, and defense stops them, you have to block punts to set up our offense.”
The blocked kicks set up the Raiders well against Phillipsburg. The defense allowed only a field goal in the first half to stake themselves to a 13-3 halftime lead.
“It gave our team a lot of breathing room,” David said. “Our defense was mostly out there and made sure they didn’t score. When they did punt, my brother helped a lot.”
In the fourth quarter, Phillipsburg would get a field goal and touchdown, but the Raiders put the game away with an 81-yard touchdown run by Boatwright that David was lead blocker for the entire way down the field. Kyle Kauffman also scored on a long run, a 47-yard scamper for Hillsborough. Alboum put away the win when he recovered Phillipsburg’s onsides kick attempt.
“A guy like Greg, there aren’t a lot of carries for him, but he came up big,” Carty said. “He also had a key block as lead blocker against Elizabeth in David Amankwaa’s 80-yard run that put that game away.”
Hillsborough finished off Elizabeth in much the same way they did Phillipsburg. Now, they will try to do the same against a Ridge team that is also 3-1. The teams haven’t played in five years, but with the division realignment they are back on the schedule.
“I believe we can win this game,” David said. “Their line seems to be pretty big. I feel like our defense is a lot better than them and if we’re able to execute the plays and knock them back, and make sure no deep balls thrown, we can win.”
David figures to help wherever he can. He will get some carries on offense and looks forward to seeing how the defense responds to a big test. The Raiders had hoped they could rely on their defense more this season. They haven’t run a lot of plays on offense but they feel confident in their ability to stop teams on the other side of the ball and make things happen with special teams.
“Before the first game, I knew that our defense was going to be really crazy,” David said. “We have two of the best corners with Tyler and my brother Charles. Our D line is just incredible.
“This year, we’re more physical,” he added. “A lot of players are in the weight room whenever they get the chance. We’re a lot faster than last year, I believe. We’re more aggressive. We communicate more, unlike last year when we weren’t really connecting.”
The Raiders wish they had played better in the loss to Bridgewater, but they are focused on moving forward and securing a playoff spot. The first month of the season was promising enough and has given Hillsborough momentum.
“I believed when I was a freshman, the people I grew up with, we’d be doing good things,” David said.
“We have an excellent quarterback, our running game is insane and our D’ line is beyond compare. We really connected a lot. During summers, we’d work and make sure we learned everything before our senior year and make sure we’re capable of remembering the plays and we’re better than the other teams.”
For David and Charles Amankwaa, it’s their final season together. With their play on offense, defense and special teams, they’re helping to ensure that it’s one that will be remembered forever.
