JEROMESVILLE − This really happens on all levels of sports. Whenever a team or franchise/program reaches a certain level of success and goes on a run, the entire sport takes notice. More attention is paid to that team. They end up being in all the media headlines because of just how good or even great they’ve been and it soon gets to the point where everyone is gunning for them.
And they have the hardware to back it up.
Let’s keep the focus on the 2020s decade we’re in.
Think the current dynasty Kansas City Chiefs from 2018-2024 (three Super Bowl titles in seven years), the heavy-spending Los Angeles Dodgers from 2020- 2024 (three 100-win seasons, two World Series titles in five years) and the 2023-2025 Florida Panthers (two straight Stanley Cup titles in 2024 and 2025; three straight Stanley Cup Finals appearances).
Now, we’re not comparing Hillsdale football to those pro teams but you get the point.
The more success a team has, the bigger the target.
Coming off a 14-2 season in 2024 where they broke a bunch of school records and advanced all the way to the OHSAA Division VII state championship game, Hillsdale football has started the 2025 season at 3-0 after their 35-14 home win over Loudonville on Friday, are one of the top teams in Division VII again and are aiming for more success with a large chunk of their key guys back. But while they’re on this path in hopefully making it back to Canton, the Falcons will likely have to do it with a target on their backs.
And they know it.
“Going 14-2. The target only grows bigger every week,” said senior wide receiver/defensive back Brock Bower. “We’re 3-0 now. You can’t go 16-0 if you don’t start 3-0.”
“Yeah, we definitely have a target on our back,” said Hillsdale senior defensive and offensive lineman Jake Haven. “We went 14-2 last year. Runner-up in the state championship game. Every team wants to beat us. Every team wants to play their best against us. We have to not let that affect us and play the way we play every single week.”
“Anytime you make it to state the previous year, you’re going to have a target on your back,” said Hillsdale head coach Trevor Cline. “The guys have done a good job knowing every week you’re probably going to get every team’s best foot forward.”
Coming into Friday’s game, Loudonville was 2-0 and their early-season play was much of a surprise in the Wayne County area. The Redbirds made the Falcons work for it, especially in the first half but the superior team pulled away in the second half. Afterwards, Loudonville head coach Ed Honabarger even acknowledged that his team’s A-game was needed to walk out of the stadium with a win.
“They have everybody back from their state runner-up team,” he said. “We needed to have our A++ game tonight. We really only had our C-game.”
And that’s the thing with having a target on your back … everyone wants to beat you and they know in order to that, they will have to play at a top-tier level. So, there was no overlooking a team like Loudonville.
“(Coach Cline) preached to us this week that they’re 2-0 for a reason,” Haven said. “We have to keep our cool and not overlook anybody this season. If you overlook someone, you slip up and lose a game.”
“Our players know we’re going to get everyone’s best game just because they want to see how they stack up against us,” Cline added. “We’re up for that challenge and we’re looking to prove it from week-to-week.”
When you’re being chased, you’ll even get opposing teams taking part in a little trash talk to get themselves extra pumped up and maybe even rattle that team with a target in the process. Bower mentioned that he and his teammates had their antennas even more up versus Loudonville.
“Coming in, we started hearing some stuff. Loudonville talked a lot of trash. Some of their pep rally stuff,” said Bower. “We come into every game 100 percent but there was some motivation coming in.”
For the 2025 Hillsdale Falcons, they are the hunted. And they have embraced it.
So, is it more fun to be the hunted instead of doing the hunting?
“For sure,” said Haven. “It’s really nice to know you’re a good team and can put up points and stop other teams. Obviously, you’re gonna have struggles throughout the season but it’s nice to know that you have a good team and if we play the way we play, we can beat any team in the state.”
When it comes to knowing his team has a target on their back, Bower cites one of the most famous quotes in all of sports history by tennis great Billie Jean King.
“We love it. Pressure is a privilege,” Bower said firmly. “It’s not my quote but I’ve heard it before. If anything, it makes you a lot better and more prepared for the better teams out there.”
jamessimpson@gannett.com
Twitter/X: @JamesSimpsonII
This article originally appeared on The Daily Record: ‘The target only grows bigger every week’: Hillsdale football welcoming being the hunted
Reporting by James Simpson II, Wooster Daily Record / The Daily Record
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
