The Hillsborough Raiders football team played its  last game of the season, a consolation game against East Brunswick on Nov. 12. The Raiders were able to finish the season with a 4-6 record, completing their 2015-2016 campaign with consecutive wins. For the second week in a row, the Raiders ignited a third quarter comeback to victory. 

Hillsborough, down 16-7, orchestrated a comeback by scoring two touchdowns in the final nine minutes to win 20-16. Although the Raiders could not repeat the success they had in the playoffs last year, ending the season with two wins was a positive, especially for the returning players.

The Raiders were also able to get their first home win of the  season with the win over East Brunswick. The victory proved to be an emotional one for this year’s seniors.

“I’m glad we could go out with a win,” senior linebacker Paul Michinard. “I’m really gonna miss it.”

The Raiders will lose many significant pieces of the team to graduation,  but fans should be excited about the team’s young, developing talent.

Junior safety Luke Jansen is one of the players who will step into a larger role as a senior next year.

“The season was rough, but in the end we fought hard and enjoyed working with each other and pushing each other to improve,” Jansen said

The Raiders will lose key seniors Hayden Panagos, Alfred Fisher, Dillon Zimmerman, Ryan Melillo, Matt Mattson, Dan Stoddard, Zach Eilbacher and many more. The team will have a tough time replacing these players but a young, talented core has high hopes for next season led by Jansen, Jackson Parham, David Amankwa, and Kyle Kauffman.

The 4-6 Raiders may not have been a team above .500, but they put up a fight against each team they played. Each game was a hard fought contest and there is no doubt the team had fun while playing. Despite this seasons struggles, head coach Kevin Carty is optimistic for the upcoming season. 

“Our freshman and JV teams both had winning records, and we have 20 returning players who started at some point for the varsity team this season,” Carty said. “If those guys can have a strong off-season, we can definitely build upon this finish for a great season next year. “