Friday Night Lights represent a big part of the Fall sports season for Raiders. Boro Superfans pack the stands to cheer on their home team, closely clustered together dressed in the black Hoco shirts, prepared to root for the hometeam. Amid the support of their fans, the Hillsborough High School Varsity Football team secured a win vs The Westfield Blue Devils during their Homecoming game on October 7.
Along with the rest of the student section, the Raiders Cheer team amped up the team by hyping the crowd with chants like Y-E-L-L and others. Senior Nayana Downing said, “Homecoming was different from other games because the crowd makes it more hype and enjoyable.”
The coach shared the team preparation and strategy for the big game with the goal of capturing a victory. “Watching film and devising a game plan are the most important stages to the weekly preparation. As coaches we spend the weekend studying film for tendencies and any advantage we can find. Then it is about relaying that to the team. If we can know what they are doing before they do it we put ourselves in a much better position,” Coach Brandon Wiater said.
As the first period clock began to tick away, the boys gave it their all to score a Touchdown with strong plays by the defense and offense. Senior Garret Meyer and Junior Anthony Guerrero made successful runs and passes, but the score remained 0-0 as the first period wrapped up.
Coach Wiater plans for future victories. “We would like to win out and get a higher seed in the playoffs. Then the goal is always to win a championship.” Coach Wiater said.
As the second quarter began, Senior Roberto Santiago received a 36-yard pass from Jackson Jankowicz off the Andrew Advani kick. Westfield got the ball back, quickly responding with a touchdown, making the score 7-7.
Senior Nate Drab said, “I was worried, knowing its tied is never a good feeling, and meant we needed to not just make changes, but to step it up in every way possible.”
The third period came quick, but so did the Raiders, when Santiago received a 23-yard pass, making the score 13-7, putting Boro in the lead. The outcome of the Homecoming game was a concern for the team..
“The coach’s ideas on how to stop the other team lead us to victory,” Drab said.
Coach Waiter said that the season is progressing well. “Both offensively and defensively we have had some well-executed game plans. The team has had a nice balance and has played for each other. Having individuals that are willing to sacrifice the glory, so a teammate can make a big play always leads to success. We have a bunch of unselfish players that are a ton of fun to coach,” Wiater said.
As the last period approached, the Raiders hoped to hold onto their lead. Senior Chimmy Ozokopor received a 4-yard line pass from Ryan Seamon, increasing Hillsborough’s lead for a score of 19-7. The crowd grew louder with fans anticipating the action.
“The best part is starting the chants and having a crowd,” Senior Veronica Stefanczuk said.
Westfield got the ball, receiving a 17-yard pass, and scoring a second touchdown, making the scoreboard 19-13 Hillsborough. Minutes shortly ran out, and Hillsborough pulled through with a win. Players celebrated, fans cheered, and the 2025 seniors shared their excitement for the win. Drab said, winning his last Homecoming game was, “Unforgettable, it was such a great experience.”
The game ended with a 19-13 victory for Hillsborough.
