Stratford QB adds dimension

By NICK DOROGY, Gazebo Staff Writer

Stratford senior Noah Hill has taken over the football team by storm and transformed the offense.

Hill, who is only 5-foot-7 and 140 pounds, has had to adapt to a tall offensive line that stands at an average of 6-foot-1, and includes David Matlock and Tobe Umerah, both 6-3.

While it is difficult for to see downfield from the pocket, Hill has brought another aspect to the offense — his ability to scramble.

“The past couple of quarterbacks, John Mitchell, Sim (Patrick), and Noah, have not had a lot of difference. They were all probably better with their feet,” said Stratford Football Coach Mark Farriba.

Known for his ability to scramble, he has been successful by stepping out of “the pocket” and giving himself the chance to run.

“The good thing about Noah is that he’s smart and he’s very mobile. It’s just a matter of putting him in the best situations for him to have success. He has got a great arm too,” Coach Farriba explained. “Our offensive line is probably built for mobility and moving around too, so it really fits together good.”

In his first start, Hill led the Eagles to a 24-0 victory against Savannah Country Day.

Since his first win, the Eagles have improved to a 4-1 record that lands them in second place in subregion 1A, including last week’s convincing win against Mount de Sales.

The Eagles have also averaged 27.8 points a game, which ranks them as the number three scoring team in their region.

“We’ve done a good job not showing everything we have” Hill said. “If we can keep doing what we have, and then add in some new stuff, we can definitely keep winning.”

On Friday, the Eagles will start the beginning of a long and strenuous subregion schedule.

On Friday, the Eagles take on a Twiggs County team that currently sits in third place behind Stratford and are set to test the Eagles physicality.

Stratford will then move on to face FPD, Wilkinson County, and Tatnall in the three following weeks.

“They are the best disciplined team we have faced so far,” said Hill. “And we have the hardest part of our schedule coming up when we play FPD and Tattnall.”