Cleared, but cautious

Woodstown RB Hill will rejoin team Tuesday without contact, isn’t likely to play until third game

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

WOODSTOWN – The news wasn’t exactly what James Hill hoped to hear, but it was at least on the positive end of what he could have expected.

The senior Woodstown running back was cleared by his doctors Monday morning to return to football practice, but without contact. He was hoping to return without restrictions, but he also could have been held out longer.

“I got cleared to go to practice and everything, but me and my mom and my family and my doctor have waited on a decision of returning ASAP,” Hill said.

Hill, a 3,000-yard career runner, tore an ACL jumping in the Wolverines’ wrestling room this past winter. Typical recovery time is between six and nine months. His aggressive approach to recovery, which impressed both his coaches and his teammates, got him back on the front end of the window.

Wolverines coach John Adams was the first person Hill called after getting the report. He was “very excited” about the news Hill can return.

Despite taking the conservative approach, Hill called it “definitely a great day.”

“For the past couple weeks, all camps, I’ve been sitting at practice watching everybody,” he said. “Now I’m able to participate and push everybody else hard as I want to push. Push but don’t push over their limits.”

He plans to be at 8 a.m. practice Tuesday and participate in non-contact drills and be in uniform with his team for Thursday’s home scrimmage with Delsea, but it’ll be at least three weeks before he’ll see live action. His next doctor’s appointment is Sept. 13 and that, he says, is “my (date to) go play high school football.”

That means he’ll miss at least the Wolverines’ first two games against Haddon Heights and Paulsboro. He rushed for 540 yards and five touchdowns on 56 carries in those two games last season. In that scenario, his season debut would be Sept. 15 at Deptford.

“I said before Bryce (Belinfanti) and Bobby (Donahue) and everybody can take care of them, so I really didn’t need to rush myself back for them,” he said. 

Adams has said throughout Hill’s rehab the plan was to go slow with the player’s return. Hill was expected to start out playing defense before being thrown into the rigors of the Wolverines’ WJFL Diamond Division schedule.

“When he first got surgery they said probably Week 4 as a timeline of getting him back and then he was doing great so we got our hopes up for Week 1,” Adams said. “The doctor said he looks amazing, but doesn’t want to jump the gun and now we are looking at having him out only two games, which is still tremendous and ahead of the original timeline.

“It gives us a chance to ease him back in more and make sure he’s ready. In the end I think it is what is best for him and his future.”