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| After just 20 practices, Jeremiah Caviness stepped in at quarterback for Hilbert in the program's first Division III football game. Hilbert athletics photo |
By Joe Sager
D3sports.com
If it wasn’t real already for Hilbert College, it certainly became so Saturday.
The Hawks played in their first game that counts. Though they dropped a 63-0 decision to Denison, just stepping on the field for actual game action 310 days after they announced they were going to add the sport this academic year was a major victory for the program.
While most schools give themselves an extra year to plan, bring in a recruiting class that first year and train and scrimmage before beginning game action, the Hawks wanted to get right after it and play an independent schedule their first year.
- Nov. 4, 2021: Hilbert adding four sports, including football
- Nov. 10, 2021: Hilbert hires program's first coach
- Sept. 9, 2021: After long wait, Keystone takes field for first game
“When I was hired in November, the plan was to field this team and play this team this year. There wasn’t any other idea. It was a goal that we had set,” Hilbert coach Jim Kubiak said. “We went out and recruited 90-plus players and brought them to Hilbert College and that is a great accomplishment as well. We targeted an area in western New York that’s an area we feel is very under recruited. We were excited to recruit those players.”
The Hawks were excited to jump right into game action and not have to wait an entire year.
“It was a challenge, but something I feel needed to be done,” quarterback Jeremiah Caviness said. “It’s nice to get that experience now and, going forward, we can be ready for anything coming our way.”
It was a busy preseason for Hilbert, which had roughly 20 practices before it had to face an established program like Denison.
“Playing Denison, what a fantastic program. They have an awesome coaching staff and great players. There’s a huge gap between what they’re doing and what we’re doing,” Kubiak said. “It’s good to play a team like that, for the players to see what this is going to be like and what adjustments we need to make.
“I think our effort is there. Denison did a fantastic job, but I was really happy with our effort,” he continued. “Those guys played and did their very best. The execution wasn’t there and we were outmatched, but the effort was there. That’s really important in a situation like this.”
“We learned a lot from that game,” Caviness said. “I feel like in watching film, we learned even more. It was a big learning experience.”
There has been a lot of learning going on for the Hawks. Most of the players on the roster are freshmen. So, they’ve had to adjust to doing things at a higher level and at a high pace.
“The game is much faster than high school. It takes a little to get adjusted to,” Caviness said. “Things are kind of busy. I wouldn’t say it’s overwhelming. Our coaches keep a good, level head for us. They have been through it and they let us know how they handled it and that keeps everybody grounded.”
Except, not everyone can say he is part of a brand-new program.
“It certainly has been a challenge. Sometimes, I think when you get into a situation like this, you don’t account for some of the simpler things getting up and running like other programs have,” Kubiak said. “There are a lot of challenges, for sure. There are a lot of young players who haven’t had that NCAA structure with classes and weightlifting and meetings. It’s about getting guys in the right places in the right times with their notebooks. We’re pushing forward. We’re creating this program. Our real goal here is to get a little bit better every week with our attendance, our classes and our understanding of what we’re doing on the field and being a little better at practice.
“So far, the kids have responded. We’re excited about our opportunity this coming week.”
Coaching a team mostly of freshmen can be challenging – not just from a lack of experience, but in fundamentals, too.
“As coaches with a professional background or higher-level backgrounds, there is an anticipation players would have basic understanding of gaps and techniques and coverages. There was very little of that,” said Kubiak, who is the Naval Academy’s all-time leading passer. “Our beginning point is a little further back than what we anticipated. But, I think the kids have embraced the amount of time and effort we’ve tried to put in to lay the foundation. We’ve gone back to 101. Less is more; we’re finding out. You come in with an idea of what you’d like to do. But, you also have to realize what you can do. We’re paring it down and doing less. We’re focusing on being able to do things that the players can absorb and execute.
“As we move through the year, there is a better understanding and execution of those things. That’s what we’re shooting for,” he continued. “Next year, the value of a spring football – being in classroom situations and being able to get lined up – will be incredibly helpful.”
The Hawks knew they’d take their lumps this season. But, having a chance to play right away and build something together over four years under experienced coaches was a big selling point.
“The coaching staff was the biggest draw for me. There’s a lot of NFL experience on our staff. I want to be a sponge and learn a lot from them,” Caviness said. “The coaches all said that freshmen will have an opportunity to play. They told the truth. A lot of freshmen are playing and taking advantage of their opportunities.”
For now, the team plays its games at St. Francis High School’s Polian Family Field. Hilbert has plans to break ground by 2023 on an on-campus multipurpose facility for its football and men’s and women’s track and field teams, which were started this year as well. Currently, the squad practices at an on-campus grass field. Hilbert, which started women’s ice hockey this year also, saw an enrollment burst that of 399 new students this fall. Its enrollment went from 750 last fall to 901 now.
“From a planning standpoint, the college is excited,” Kubiak said. “This is the largest class Hilbert has ever had. Really, the idea is to make Hilbert a destination and the kind of programs players would want to come and make an immediate impact.”
Kubiak and his coaches will keep coaching. They just hope their players keep learning.
“All in all, you may go in with a plan that has worked in the past, but doesn’t fit necessarily what you’re doing all the time and you have to adjust things. That’s been sometimes challenging,” he said. “We’re trying to find the answer. We’re trying to get it all the time. Sometimes, we miss and we have to adjust.
“It’s been very exciting. We’ve had great support from the college. There is a lot of excitement surrounding the program.
“When you come into a situation like this, you have to expect some bumps in the road and just try to keep an open mind every day.”
