2022 Hillsboro Indians Football Preview
Lead Summary
By
Stephen Forsha-sforsha@gmail.com
HILLSBORO — Changes have been made to the Hillsboro Indians football program, but a familiar face will be the one leading from the sideline in 2022. Nathan Horne — the previous defensive coordinator and a former longtime varsity wrestling coach — has taken over as the head football coach for the Indians, as he’s paid his dues, and now it is time to make the program his.
Horne takes over for Jack O’Rourke — who had a 30-30 regular-season record at HHS in six seasons — as he resigned from the head coach position this offseason. With O’Rourke as the head coach in 2018, the Indians were co-champions of the Frontier Athletic Conference, their first football conference championship since 1998.
Last season, the Indians were 4-6 overall with a Frontier Athletic Conference record of 1-4.
Now for the 2022 season, and for the Indians football program, Horne has been around the program much of his life as his father Jim Horne was a successful head coach for HHS for 15 years, leading them to conference titles and playoff appearances.
Though Horne is in year one as a varsity head coach, he has 19 years of experience coaching football, including being the Indians’ defensive coordinator in recent memory. This season, Horne will run the offense, while Ben Pence will be the Indians’ defensive coordinator, as Hillsboro has 52 players on the roster this season.
Horne spoke about what it has been like to be a first-year head coach, though he’s been around high school football for most of his life through either being around his father coaching, playing football or being a coach himself.
“It’s been a learning curve. I’ve been here a long time. This is my 19th year, I watched Dad coach for a long time, but watching and doing, you know, you definitely have some things that you pick up,” Horne told The Highland County Press. “Actually being in the fire, communication, with all the online and the apps and different things, that’s been a learning curve as far as just constantly keeping up with all that stuff.
“But the football aspect of it has been what I’ve expected. I was the head coach for our wrestling program for nine years. It’s very similar. You don’t have the numbers that you have in football, so there’s a lot more people, but the management aspect and all that’s very similar to wrestling.”
One of the most important aspects of coaching for Horne learned from his father over the years was practice. Yes, it is time to talk about practice.
“Practice has to have that balance of having fun and working hard, and I think Dad was very good at doing that. There have to be moments where practice is more laid-back, and then there’s moments where it’s time to go after it. Kids need that,” Horne said. “I think you build those relationships in both aspects, so it’s just finding that balance that I think that I’ve learned from him throughout watching him, you know, being in third or fourth grade and going to practice all the time.”
One thing for Horne this season is the offense will be a triple option, which is the type of offense he’s comfortable with as that is the offense he ran as a player.
Horne will be not only the head coach this season, but he’s taking over the offensive play-calling this season. Last year, the Indians ran a wishbone offense with some option mixed into the offense.
“I’m a triple option guy. That’s what I ran in school playing quarterback for Dad, so that’s what I like to do. We’re going to do some run and shoot stuff as far as our passing game,” Horne said. “That’s going to be very different from what they did last year. We’re going to line up and run some stretch game, some zone game, so similar to a pro style.
“So that’s kind of what we’re going to be mixing in, and we’re going to be mixing in some options and some read stuff out of that, and then some run and shoot and then line it up and run some stretch zone game. You’re going to see some things that you kind of recognize — we’ve always ran a little bit of option in the past — but I’m planning on running more.”
As for running the football, players to watch for Hillsboro are Travis Ross, Dom Smart, Austin Barrett and Jacob Tussey.
“Austin Barrett and Jacob Tussey are going to be alternating most likely at the at the super back/fullback position. We have Dom Smart, he’s a sophomore and will be playing tailback for us most likely,” Horne said.
“And then Travis Ross is a returning starter. He’ll be a senior.
“There’s some freshmen that might come in and swap play for some of those guys, but those are the guys that will have the lead roles, I’d say. I’m expecting big things from those guys.”
Graduated from last season is Derek Whitt, who played fullback and right tackle for Hillsboro last season, as well on defense where he played defensive end and linebacker, being the Indians’ leading tackler in ’21.
Another player graduated is multi-year starting quarterback Chris Stout. Stout was also a starting cornerback for the HHS defense.
At quarterback, Stout passed for 1,268 yards and had 11 touchdown passes, as he was an All-Ohio honorable mention selection.
The Indians also have to replace Canaan Griffith — an All-Ohio honorable mention selection — who at corner led the Indians with four interceptions his senior season. At receiver, he had 23 receptions for 453 yards with six touchdowns, plus he also had a passing touchdown. Griffith — who is now an assistant coach for the middle school program — was also Hillsboro’s leading returner on special teams with a kickoff return for a touchdown.
As for some of the returning players who contributed last season, they include Gary Reno, Ayden Clemons Ryan Mau and Troy Stone on the offense line. Cam Smart played wide receiver last season, but entering his senior season he’s penciled in to be the new starting quarterback for Hillsboro.
“We have a decent amount of returners. Gary Reno, Ayden Clemons, Ryan Mau, those guys played on the line for us. They’re all back. Troy Stone played some line last year too. Those guys are back, and so there is some experience,” Horne said. “There are some things that we’re going to have some new guys in there. Cam Smart is a frontrunner for QB, and I’d say he’s got the job, or it’s at least his to lose.
“He’s a senior for us. He’s a returning starter and did a great job for us at safety and at receiver last season. This year would be his first year playing QB, and he’s not a young guy, but he is playing quarterback for the first time, so there’s going to be a learning curve there.
“So we’ve got a mixed bag really of fresh faces, new faces and returners,” Horne continued. “Austin Barrett and Jacob Tussey are basically the core of our defense, our middle linebackers, and we’re expecting big things from those two. So defensively, our heart of the defense is returning. There is also Travis Ross playing strong safety for us. Nic Burns played corner for us as a freshman, so he’s returning as a sophomore in a similar role for us, and we’re expecting big things from him at wide receiver.”
With Horne on offense this season, the defensive coordinator is Ben Pence, while other coaches are Chester Akers and Cody Mathews coaching the offensive line, while Heith Brown is coaching receivers and defensive backs.
“On defense, we’re keeping the defense the same,” Horne said. “We’re going to be running a 4-2-5, so that side of the ball is — Ben’s going to have his spin on it, and his style that is probably not going to be exactly the same as mine, but our base defense is the same.”
Last season on special, teams the kicker was Dylan Rigsby, a first-year player who has since graduated. In ’21, he kicked two field goals and was 100-percent on extra point attempts. He was also the punter for the Indians last season.
This year, the Indians are looking to Turner as kicker, as he has kicked for the Indians in past seasons, including some in ’21.
“Nick Turner is real consistent on his PATs and has been in practice, so we’re expecting him to again kick for us,” Horne said. “He’ll do a good job there. Wesley Bailey is another one that’s going to do some kicking for us. Nic Burns has been punting for us. Those three guys are probably going to be our kickers.”
As for the team as a whole entering the 2022 season Horne is happy with how the players are maturing, but he knows more work is needed before their Week 1 regular-season opener on the road against Western Brown.
“I feel like that as a whole, we have matured,” he said. “We’ve gotten a lot stronger in the weight room from where we were last year at this time. The kids that were younger who started last year just have another year of maturity to them. We’re working hard.
“These kids have been working hard, and I’m super excited about the potential, not just in our seniors, but some of our juniors and sophomores and our freshman class. The freshmen have been working their tails off. I’m excited about what we can do this year and as well as in the future. We’ve got a great group of kids. They’ve been getting after it, and we’re looking forward to a good season.”
Last season, the Indians’ four wins were against Goshen (20-13), Williamsburg (21-14), Clermont Northeastern (51-13) and McClain (31-7). Their losses were against Western Brown, East Clinton, Jackson, Miami Trace, Chillicothe and Washington.
This season, Hillsboro’s non-conference schedule is: at Western Brown, at Goshen, vs. East Clinton, vs. Williamsburg and vs. Clermont Northeastern.
The FAC schedule is at Washington, at Jackson, at Miami Trace, vs. Chillicothe and vs. McClain. Against their Highland County counterpart McClain, the Indians have won the annual Rotary Bowl game for six straight years.
Horne ended by praising the parents and the athletic department for all their help.
“Our parents have been doing a great job as far as getting involved, feeding the kids in between practices and after camp days. It’s been very positive to see everybody involved,” he said. “Our athletic department has really worked with us as well as far as getting some technology that we needed, as well as equipment.”
Hillsboro’s 2022 season kicks off Friday, Aug. 19 in an away non-conference game against the Western Brown Broncos of the SBAAC at 7 p.m.
The Indians are on the road again in Week 2 against. The Tribe’s first home game will be Sept. 2 against East Clinton.
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Horne takes over for Jack O’Rourke — who had a 30-30 regular-season record at HHS in six seasons — as he resigned from the head coach position this offseason. With O’Rourke as the head coach in 2018, the Indians were co-champions of the Frontier Athletic Conference, their first football conference championship since 1998.
Last season, the Indians were 4-6 overall with a Frontier Athletic Conference record of 1-4.
Now for the 2022 season, and for the Indians football program, Horne has been around the program much of his life as his father Jim Horne was a successful head coach for HHS for 15 years, leading them to conference titles and playoff appearances.
Though Horne is in year one as a varsity head coach, he has 19 years of experience coaching football, including being the Indians’ defensive coordinator in recent memory. This season, Horne will run the offense, while Ben Pence will be the Indians’ defensive coordinator, as Hillsboro has 52 players on the roster this season.
Horne spoke about what it has been like to be a first-year head coach, though he’s been around high school football for most of his life through either being around his father coaching, playing football or being a coach himself.
“It’s been a learning curve. I’ve been here a long time. This is my 19th year, I watched Dad coach for a long time, but watching and doing, you know, you definitely have some things that you pick up,” Horne told The Highland County Press. “Actually being in the fire, communication, with all the online and the apps and different things, that’s been a learning curve as far as just constantly keeping up with all that stuff.
“But the football aspect of it has been what I’ve expected. I was the head coach for our wrestling program for nine years. It’s very similar. You don’t have the numbers that you have in football, so there’s a lot more people, but the management aspect and all that’s very similar to wrestling.”
One of the most important aspects of coaching for Horne learned from his father over the years was practice. Yes, it is time to talk about practice.
“Practice has to have that balance of having fun and working hard, and I think Dad was very good at doing that. There have to be moments where practice is more laid-back, and then there’s moments where it’s time to go after it. Kids need that,” Horne said. “I think you build those relationships in both aspects, so it’s just finding that balance that I think that I’ve learned from him throughout watching him, you know, being in third or fourth grade and going to practice all the time.”
One thing for Horne this season is the offense will be a triple option, which is the type of offense he’s comfortable with as that is the offense he ran as a player.
Horne will be not only the head coach this season, but he’s taking over the offensive play-calling this season. Last year, the Indians ran a wishbone offense with some option mixed into the offense.
“I’m a triple option guy. That’s what I ran in school playing quarterback for Dad, so that’s what I like to do. We’re going to do some run and shoot stuff as far as our passing game,” Horne said. “That’s going to be very different from what they did last year. We’re going to line up and run some stretch game, some zone game, so similar to a pro style.
“So that’s kind of what we’re going to be mixing in, and we’re going to be mixing in some options and some read stuff out of that, and then some run and shoot and then line it up and run some stretch zone game. You’re going to see some things that you kind of recognize — we’ve always ran a little bit of option in the past — but I’m planning on running more.”
As for running the football, players to watch for Hillsboro are Travis Ross, Dom Smart, Austin Barrett and Jacob Tussey.
“Austin Barrett and Jacob Tussey are going to be alternating most likely at the at the super back/fullback position. We have Dom Smart, he’s a sophomore and will be playing tailback for us most likely,” Horne said.
“And then Travis Ross is a returning starter. He’ll be a senior.
“There’s some freshmen that might come in and swap play for some of those guys, but those are the guys that will have the lead roles, I’d say. I’m expecting big things from those guys.”
Graduated from last season is Derek Whitt, who played fullback and right tackle for Hillsboro last season, as well on defense where he played defensive end and linebacker, being the Indians’ leading tackler in ’21.
Another player graduated is multi-year starting quarterback Chris Stout. Stout was also a starting cornerback for the HHS defense.
At quarterback, Stout passed for 1,268 yards and had 11 touchdown passes, as he was an All-Ohio honorable mention selection.
The Indians also have to replace Canaan Griffith — an All-Ohio honorable mention selection — who at corner led the Indians with four interceptions his senior season. At receiver, he had 23 receptions for 453 yards with six touchdowns, plus he also had a passing touchdown. Griffith — who is now an assistant coach for the middle school program — was also Hillsboro’s leading returner on special teams with a kickoff return for a touchdown.
As for some of the returning players who contributed last season, they include Gary Reno, Ayden Clemons Ryan Mau and Troy Stone on the offense line. Cam Smart played wide receiver last season, but entering his senior season he’s penciled in to be the new starting quarterback for Hillsboro.
“We have a decent amount of returners. Gary Reno, Ayden Clemons, Ryan Mau, those guys played on the line for us. They’re all back. Troy Stone played some line last year too. Those guys are back, and so there is some experience,” Horne said. “There are some things that we’re going to have some new guys in there. Cam Smart is a frontrunner for QB, and I’d say he’s got the job, or it’s at least his to lose.
“He’s a senior for us. He’s a returning starter and did a great job for us at safety and at receiver last season. This year would be his first year playing QB, and he’s not a young guy, but he is playing quarterback for the first time, so there’s going to be a learning curve there.
“So we’ve got a mixed bag really of fresh faces, new faces and returners,” Horne continued. “Austin Barrett and Jacob Tussey are basically the core of our defense, our middle linebackers, and we’re expecting big things from those two. So defensively, our heart of the defense is returning. There is also Travis Ross playing strong safety for us. Nic Burns played corner for us as a freshman, so he’s returning as a sophomore in a similar role for us, and we’re expecting big things from him at wide receiver.”
With Horne on offense this season, the defensive coordinator is Ben Pence, while other coaches are Chester Akers and Cody Mathews coaching the offensive line, while Heith Brown is coaching receivers and defensive backs.
“On defense, we’re keeping the defense the same,” Horne said. “We’re going to be running a 4-2-5, so that side of the ball is — Ben’s going to have his spin on it, and his style that is probably not going to be exactly the same as mine, but our base defense is the same.”
Last season on special, teams the kicker was Dylan Rigsby, a first-year player who has since graduated. In ’21, he kicked two field goals and was 100-percent on extra point attempts. He was also the punter for the Indians last season.
This year, the Indians are looking to Turner as kicker, as he has kicked for the Indians in past seasons, including some in ’21.
“Nick Turner is real consistent on his PATs and has been in practice, so we’re expecting him to again kick for us,” Horne said. “He’ll do a good job there. Wesley Bailey is another one that’s going to do some kicking for us. Nic Burns has been punting for us. Those three guys are probably going to be our kickers.”
As for the team as a whole entering the 2022 season Horne is happy with how the players are maturing, but he knows more work is needed before their Week 1 regular-season opener on the road against Western Brown.
“I feel like that as a whole, we have matured,” he said. “We’ve gotten a lot stronger in the weight room from where we were last year at this time. The kids that were younger who started last year just have another year of maturity to them. We’re working hard.
“These kids have been working hard, and I’m super excited about the potential, not just in our seniors, but some of our juniors and sophomores and our freshman class. The freshmen have been working their tails off. I’m excited about what we can do this year and as well as in the future. We’ve got a great group of kids. They’ve been getting after it, and we’re looking forward to a good season.”
Last season, the Indians’ four wins were against Goshen (20-13), Williamsburg (21-14), Clermont Northeastern (51-13) and McClain (31-7). Their losses were against Western Brown, East Clinton, Jackson, Miami Trace, Chillicothe and Washington.
This season, Hillsboro’s non-conference schedule is: at Western Brown, at Goshen, vs. East Clinton, vs. Williamsburg and vs. Clermont Northeastern.
The FAC schedule is at Washington, at Jackson, at Miami Trace, vs. Chillicothe and vs. McClain. Against their Highland County counterpart McClain, the Indians have won the annual Rotary Bowl game for six straight years.
Horne ended by praising the parents and the athletic department for all their help.
“Our parents have been doing a great job as far as getting involved, feeding the kids in between practices and after camp days. It’s been very positive to see everybody involved,” he said. “Our athletic department has really worked with us as well as far as getting some technology that we needed, as well as equipment.”
Hillsboro’s 2022 season kicks off Friday, Aug. 19 in an away non-conference game against the Western Brown Broncos of the SBAAC at 7 p.m.
The Indians are on the road again in Week 2 against. The Tribe’s first home game will be Sept. 2 against East Clinton.
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