The Hillcrest Hawks are taking a road trip to challenge the Lemont Lemont HS at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Both teams are coming into the game red-hot, with Hillcrest sitting on three straight victories and Lemont on four.
Hillcrest's defense heads into the contest hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Friday. They blew past Bremen 54-0. The Hawks' offense stepped up their game for this one, as that was the most points they've scored all season.
Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Hillcrest to victory, but perhaps none more so than Khyran Bullard, who rushed for 63 yards and one score on only six carries. Bullard got the majority of those rushing yards when he took off on a run that went for an incredible 50 yards.
They were just one part of a punishing run game: Hillcrest was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 311 rushing yards. That's the most rushing yards they've posted since back in October of 2024.
Meanwhile, Lemont strolled past Thornton Fractional North with points to spare on Friday, taking the game 29-14.
Hillcrest better keep an eye on Aiden Rudman. He was instrumental in Lemont's win, rushing for 225 yards and three touchdowns while picking up 7.8 yards per carry. With that strong performance, Rudman is now averaging an impressive 106.2 rushing yards per game. Andrew Ascolani helped out on the ground, rushing for 91 yards and a rushing touchdown.
Lemont didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off three passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Denell Johnson and Revin Maldonado. Lemont got some further help from Jackson Dybcio: he made 14 total tackles (3.0 for loss).
Lemont's record is now 4-2. As for Hillcrest, the win got them back to even at 3-3.
Friday's matchup might be decided on the ground. Hillcrest has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 175.8 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Lemont struggles in that department as they've been averaging 214.8 rushing yards. There's a good chance Friday's game turns into a tough fight on the ground.
Hillcrest and Lemont were neck-and-neck when the teams last played back in October of 2024, but Hillcrest came up empty-handed after a 43-42 defeat. Can the Hawks avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
