Hill's heroics lead dominating defense

There’s a lot of key pieces to a Glacier run defense that has been among the best in the state the last three seasons. The Wolfpack has had talent at every level, with Division I players on the line and in the defensive backfield.

The one constant, brutally consistent, punishing force that has led the team has been Josh Hill.

“You just know things are going to be taken care of (when he’s out there),” Glacier defensive coordinator Shannon Smith said. “Any checks we have or any kind of things we have going on, he’s right there. I don’t think he’s missed one check in two years.”

The senior linebacker was named Western Conference defensive MVP last season after recording 138 tackles, including 12 for a loss, seven pass breakups, a sack, an interception and two fumble recoveries last season. Surrounded by bigger, louder and more established players, Hill stood out the most, making his mark by being near the ball on every play.

“We had some guys that were superstars,” Glacier head coach Grady Bennett said. “When it came down to it and you look game by game at his numbers and his stat line for the year, man, it was impressive.

“He started to be the one that was lining us up on defense. He became the glue. The one that was holding that defense together and making those plays consistently.”

That consistency bled into this offseason, where Hill said he wasn’t ready to rest on one good season.

“I felt like I had that chip on my shoulder, I needed to work for it,” Hill said. “I needed to keep getting better. I can’t be happy with what I did last year.”

The work has shown on the field, where he again has shown the type of talent his coaches have seen for some time. He is one of Glacier’s leaders in nearly every defensive category, including a fumble recovery touchdown and an interception against Missoula Big Sky to help the Wolfpack advance to the state title game for a second-straight year.

“He’s made plays like that all year,” Bennett said. “He just has that sense of where to be and when to be there.

“It seems like every game now he makes a play that’s amazing. He’s physical and he’s fast, but he understands angles so well. That’s something you’re always trying to teach. To him it’s just natural. The position he puts himself in to make plays because of the angles he takes is just a natural thing. He understands the game, just an innate ability.”

Now in his final season in Kalispell, Hill has stepped into a more vocal leadership role for the Wolfpack, something he was able to rely on others for earlier in his career. The result has been the best run defense in the state, allowing only 90 yards a game despite playing against a schedule with the two best running backs in the state.

“Some of the things sometimes you don’t see in the interior,” Smith said. “When he takes on a lead block and, for lack of a better word, destroys them, (it shows) he is a gifted player.”

There was one play that left coaches, teammates and fans aghast with his ability. Playing against Missoula Sentinel in Week 7, Hill broke late on a pass out of the backfield, leapt two feet in the air and reached back for a highlight reel interception that ended any hope for the Spartans.

“I remember saying very loudly on the sideline to anybody that could hear, ‘That was maybe the finest defensive play I’ve ever seen,’” Bennett said.

“Right then I said if somebody doesn’t get a scholarship ready and offer this guy soon, they’re nuts.”

The offers have been light from top colleges thus far, though they may start to roll in now that he’s nearing the end of another MVP-type season.

“I try to do different things every week to get better and keep improving,” Hill said.

“We just (as a team) want to get better every game. I think the best two games we’ve played this year have been our last two, the playoff games. We just want to make the championship the best game we’ve played all year.”