The Hillsborough Raiders faced off against the Phillipsburg Stateliners on Sept. 26 at their mid-season game. While the team has had a difficult start to the season with an overall record of 1-4 they aren’t losing hope. A final score of 20-59 was not the way they wanted to end the night especially since there was so much preparation going into ready to play PBurg. 

“Our team played with toughness, which I think was enhanced by the motivation from our great home crowd and the alumni from the 1980 and 2000 state champions,” Coach Kevin Carty said. Carty prepared the Raiders the best he could by having them watch previous games and setting up well thought out offensive and defensive plays. 

Seniors Sanjay Mills, Andrew Schwarz, Jayden Carter, Devon Khurana and Shane Khurana did well, with a couple memorable moments. Schwarz came in the first quarter strong, and earned the Raiders’ first touchdown with a 70-yard run. While the opponents pushed hard Carter ended the quarter with an impressive 83-yard run for another touchdown. As the night went on seniors Mike Bracco and Sam Dech racked up points for PBurg. 

The Raiders played to win on their home field despite the challenging opponents. With only five minutes left in the third quarter, Carter threw the ball down the field towards the endzone. Thanks to a strong defensive line from Hillsborough, Schwarz ran with two defenders on him, and was able to score another touchdown. Support for the Raiders erupted from the stands as fans cheered on their team.

“The team has been working exceptionally hard this week despite our early setbacks and are poised to get back on the winning side of things,” said Carty. 

Hillsborough went on to beat Westfield 42-21 on the road and Bridgewater-Raritan 30-18 at home during their homecoming festivities. Last week, they lost 21-7 to Piscataway at home and look to face Hunterton Central Friday at their next away game.