Columbus High School junior running back Kylin Hill knows how far the Falcons traveled this season.
He also knows a state championship is within the team’s grasp.
Columbus saw its 2015 season end with a 56-42 loss to Clinton in the first round of the Mississippi High School Activities Association Class 6A playoffs Friday night. Hill did his part with 24 rushes for 382 yards and five touchdowns.
For his efforts, Hill is The Dispatch Prep Player of the Week.
“I was out there trying to do what I could do to help my team win,” Hill said. “It was a crazy game. It is really hard to believe our season is over.”
While the season is in the books for the Falcons, many will remember it as one of the best in program history. Columbus played host to a first-round playoff game for the first time. The six Class 6A, Region 1 wins were the most in school history. The Falcons’ eight wins is second all-time behind a 10-win season in 2000.
“We learned how to win,” Hill said. “I think that was the biggest thing to happen for this team. We wanted to win. We knew we had some good players. We just had to learn how to put it all together. Even when others didn’t believe, we believed. I think the confidence level of this team was the best I have ever been on.”
A large part of the team’s offensive success came thanks to Hill, who had 203 carries for 1,801 yards (8.9 yards per carry) and 23 touchdowns (18 rushing, three receiving, two return).
“A premier player but also a great team player,” Columbus second-year coach Randal Montgomery said. “He has done everything we asked from day one. As our season progressed, you could tell he felt like he could take on any team’s best defenders.”
Ranked by Scout as the state’s No. 2 running back prospect in the Class of 2017, Hill had lackluster numbers through four games. Columbus had similar results with a 2-2 start.
From there, Hill had 100 or more yards in six of the final eight games, 200 or more yards in four games, and a career high against Clinton.
Junior running back Kendre Conner suffered an ankle injury in the loss to West Point. While Conner regained his form, the pressure of the running game fell on Hill.
“We really didn’t have to say anything to him,” Montgomery said. “When Kendre went down, he knew his expectations were even higher than they originally were. He really responded.”
As junior quarterback C.J. Gholar continued to grow, Hill fueled the ground game. The Falcons also rode a stellar defense to the best region start possible.
Columbus rallied from double-digit deficits to beat DeSoto Central and Southaven as part of 5-0 start in the region. It also erased a similar deficit in the region finale against Hernando.
“Once we got a couple of wins, that got everything going,” Hill said. “We felt like then we belonged.”
The luck ran out for Columbus in the playoffs. Cam Akers, the state’s top quarterback prospect in the Class of 2017, outdueled Hill.
Columbus finished with a season-high 576 yards of offense but committed six turnovers. While the end result was disappointing, it set the stage for what Hill and the Falcons hope is an even better season.
“We have almost everybody back on offense,” Hill said. “We want to win a state championship. I know how hard we worked this year. Next year we have to work even harder.”
Follow Dispatch sports writer Scott Walters on Twitter @dispatchscott
Scott was sports editor for The Dispatch.
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