Electric backfield, veteran coach lead unbeaten Hillside team looking to re-capture glory

By Kyle Morton, HighSchoolOT producer

Durham, N.C. — Hillside football coach Ray Harrison was beaming after his team's second round playoff win over Apex last Thursday night.

"I'm not a graduate of Hillside," he explained. "But I bleed the blue and white... I love being an assistant principal here. I love being a coach."

Even after a performance that left some on the Hillside sideline concerned and disappointed by a few things in the 46-43 squeaker, the joy at the achievement of moving on to the third round was overriding.

The Hornets are 12-0, in what is certainly the most special season of Harrison's second stint at the helm of the program.

That unbeaten record earned them the top overall seed in a unified 4A East, a consistent top 5 spot in the HSOT Top 25 and respect from around the state the Hornets have not been afforded in over a decade.

"It means history to me," senior quarterback Wilson Kargbo Jr. said of the team's success. "I'm a four-year guy here so it means a lot."

In 2010, Hillside went 16-0 and dominated Davie County in the 4A state championship game, winning the first and only state title in program history.

For the first time since, the Hornets have a buzz around them of an ability to win it all again.

It's a buzz led by the undeniable talent of Kargbo Jr. and running back Jimmyll Williams.

Kargbo has thrown for 2,154 yards and 32 touchdowns while adding 197 yards and 3 touchdowns on the ground. Williams broke the 2,000-yard mark against Apex and is up to 2,007 yards and 22 touchdowns on the ground.

"The key is the offensive line," Kargbo said. "They help both of us out... [My receivers] sacrifice themselves to catch the ball and put points on the board. It's all about sacrifice."

"I feel like it's the chemistry," Williams said of what makes the duo successful. "Me and Wil, we've been close for the last five years now, and just building that chemistry we have like a one-two connection with each other."

While they're quick to credit others for their success, the duo is outstandingly talented. Kargbo displays excellent footwork and pocket presence and has a quick release that produces good velocity and accuracy.

Williams is a straight-ahead runner who does not miss holes and has the speed and shiftiness to get through the front seven and down the field for monstrous gains.

An offensive line that blocks the run and protects the passer well compliments them perfectly, and receivers with big-play capability and strong ball-tracking skills like Tahir Henry and K.J. Johnson make Kargbo's deep ball ability shine.

The propensity Hillside has to beat teams on the ground and through the air has resulted in an output of 42.6 points per game and the ability to rally from behind or pull ahead by multiple scores with ease.

A defense that showed vulnerability against Apex last week has been strong all season, allowing 12.2 points per game before the Cougars put up 43.

The on-field results point toward contention, but the off-field aspects like community, culture and buy-in are all there as well.

One way Harrison and his staff have sought to build up that culture came via visits from Vad Lee, the quarterback of the 2010 team, and other former Hornets.

"[Vad] gave us a saying," Harrison said. "'Purpose over position,' I believe in that purpose, and my purpose is here at Hillside, and I just believe in what we do in the classroom and on the field."

"Really what they passed on was mentality," Kargbo said. "Having the mentality to wake up every day and be a leader. Coming out here and winning, it all comes from leadership."

Williams believes that mentality has allowed his team to stay sharp in key moments.

"The thing about us is we're able to push through it," he explained. "If something bad happens, we keep playing. If something good happens, we keep playing. We never get in our heads. We're always able to push through it, and that's what's gotten us this far."

For a veteran coach like Harrison who wants more than anything to see Hillside flourish, being patient with talented players can be challenging.

But Harrison believes that patience is exactly what has gotten his program to this point.

"The best thing we did for those guys was to let them play JV," Harrison said. "A couple of those guys probably could have played their freshman year... but playing JV helped them grow and mature. We knew Jimmyll had this in him the whole time. It's always been there in him... it's so amazing to watch this young man do his thing, whereas Wilson, Tahir, K.J. and the offensive line do a great job."

That patience is paying dividends now for this senior class, and the hope is that more is to come.

Hillside will host Pine Forest tomorrow night in the third round, and the Hornets will have home-field advantage for as long as they remain in the playoffs until the state championship game.

With no win guaranteed and a slew of upsets already in the books through two rounds, Harrison and his team are left to do what they can, hoping that their purpose is to be in the position that the program was in 12 years ago.