The Hillcrest Hawks football team has faced a lot of adversity since the beginning of the season. In the summer, they did an amazing job with winning a 7 on 7 tournament and even played great against opposing schools; they had high expectations for the team. Because of  their first round playoff exit and 5-5 season last year, there were high hopes for a state run this season. As time approached for their season opener, it was all good vibes. 

Their opener against Brother Rice started well. In the first quarter, defense was getting stops though offense couldn’t get anything started. The game ended badly with a score of 46-0. It was a very tough loss. Everyone was wondering what the problem was and what were they going to do to fix it. Despite the score of the game, it was a good thing because it showed them that they have to work way harder than what they had been working. 

Coming back for week 2, the team lost to Montini Catholic 31-6. It was bad; people in school talked about the team. The team was feeling as if nobody was on their side. They vouched that at the end of the day it’s Hawks vs Hawks, and nobody needed to believe in them. They bounced back and won two straight. They beat Shepard in a hard fought game and then beat TF North in a lopsided game. 

By week 6, a big game against a good Bremen squad was up.  There was a lot of talk on social media. Players went back and forth posting quotes such as “battle of Pulaski” and “stomp the hawks.” The game was back and forth for the most part. Then, things started getting wild. Calls by the officials took a toll on the players mentally, because to them, it was like how can we win. In the end they took a tough loss to their neighborhood school Bremen. 

The loss was definitely a reality check for them. The day after that game – they came back – they found out what the problem was and attacked it at all cost. They removed all the poison and bad energy from the team. They have now bounced back and won 64-7 against Tinley Park. Now, the 4-3 Hawks are playing Lemont for Senior Night.

Time for the seniors to go out with a bang!