Fairview quarterback Anders Hill has his fair share of Division I suitors, but he is most looking forward to getting back on the field with his teammates after heavy flooding in Colorado last week.
Jeremy Papasso/Boulder Daily Camera
When
Anders Hill went to bed last Wednesday, his thoughts were squarely on the next night's non-league showdown with visiting Rangeview (Aurora).
Sure, heavy rains had cut short that day's practice and the downpour hadn't really let up through the night, but there was no reason to think that Hill and his teammates from
Fairview (Boulder) wouldn't take to the field to try to improve the Knights' record to 3-0 on the season.
Things had definitely changed by that next morning, however.
"We all thought we were still going to play," said Hill, a 6-foot-4, 215-pound senior. "When you woke up (Thursday morning) you realized how bad it really was."
Hill and his Fairview teammates were caught in the middle of the devastating storm that ravaged Colorado last week, causing massive flooding and destruction throughout the state. Boulder County was hit particularly hard, with more than 16 inches of rain dumping on parts of the area over several days.
Hill said his family was fortunate, as they never had to evacuate as the flood waters stopped short of their home, but it still proved to be a dramatic few days. The school was closed Thursday and wasn't scheduled to reopen until Sept. 18. The game against Rangeview has been cancelled and won't be made up.
"We had a couple of late nights because we thought we might get evacuated, but it never happened," Hill said. "The players went over and helped out a teammate whose basement flooded. But for the most part everyone's okay."
Now with the storm in the cleanup stages, Hill and the Knights are focused on getting back to football. With the school closed, though, coach Tom McCartney and his staff hasn't been able to have formal contact with the players since last Wednesday, and the team has a game against Lakewood on Saturday.
"We were scheduled to play Lakewood on Friday for their homecoming, but they were gracious enough to move it to Saturday," said McCartney, who's in 21st year with the team. "They're a good team and it's going to be tough to be ready for them, but we'll do our best."
Fairview is off to a fast start this season, racking up 111 points in its first two contests. Hill has been especially sharp, throwing for 607 yards and seven touchdowns with only two interceptions. He has a full complement of weapons to work with, and has completed passes to seven different receivers.
"We're really trying to spread the ball around and make sure we're not forcing it anywhere," said Hill, who missed a large portion of his junior year with a fractured ankle. "We worked hard over the summer so we would be prepared and then we just needed to put it together on the field."
If he does have a favorite target, it may be 6-3, 190-pound senior
Sam Martin, who is also one of Hill's closest friends off the field. Martin has hauled in a team-best 18 balls for 319 yards and four scores.
"Sam's a receiver that can do anything on the field," Hill said. "He's not just a possession guy or a speed guy. He does it all. I have a lot of trust in him and know that if we need a big play, I can count on him to come up with it."
Hill's also tasked with making adjustments at the line of scrimmage and has the green light to change the play depending on what the defense shows him.
"Anders is extremely bright and a student of the game, and he has the freedom to change any play we have," McCartney said. "He's a gunslinger, so he typically wants to throw the ball. So, it's always nice when we see him check down to a run."
Hill said he has no problem switching to a running play, especially if the defense is dropping eight guys back in coverage. Junior
Jason Harvey has 150 yards rushing through the first two games this year, and the Knights have ran for 336 yards and six scores on the ground.
"We're definitely a pass-heavy offense, but we can run the ball when we need to," Hill said.
A 4.0 student, Hill has offers from several Ivy League schools and also is being recruited by several other schools including Colorado, Colorado State, Oklahoma State and Vanderbilt. He plans on waiting to make a college decision. For now, he's just eager to get back on the field, especially after last week's storms.
"Just talking to some of the other players, we're anxious to get back at it," Hill said. "We're a really close-knit team, so we're going to be okay."
