SPECIAL FROM THE HAMBURG SUN: The Hilbert College football squad is beginning to take on more of an identity as it enters year three of its program, still seeking its first-ever win in the Division III circuit.
 
A solid returning core of players has second-year head coach Ted Egger believing that good things could be around the corner for the Hawks.
 
Tackling machine Taivaughn Roach, who posted the most tack- les per game in all of Division III in 2023 with 100 total stops (49 solo and 51 assisted) in eight games, returns as the team leader for Hilbert. Roach posted a whopping 19 tackles in last year's season opener against Union College, also recording two sacks and a forced fumble during the campaign.
 
"He's got a tremendous motor," Egger said of the 5-11, 190-pound Cheektowaga Central High School graduate. "He makes plays all over the field."
 
Additionally, mostly all of the Hawks' interior linemen return this fall on both sides of the ball.  Defensive lineman Clifford Zeigler, also a junior in 2023, posted a pair of sacks last season.
 
On the offensive side of the ball, quarterback Brody Hopkins endured the growing pains associated with a new program as a sophomore starting in 2023. However, Egger said the junior signal caller has shown marked improvement this offseason and is expecting quality play from Hopkins this fall.
 
Wide receiver Bryce Robinson, who finished tied for the team lead in receptions last year with 32 in eight games, is another player who Egger says could break loose in 2024.
 
"We really feel good about the offense, with a year under the belt for several guys," said Egger, whose team begins play in the Empire 8 Conference (for one year) this season after playing as an independent in its second year. "Sometimes it takes time, a year of transition, to get your footing down."
 
An immediate test awaits the Hawks in their opener when they face perennial power Cortland State. The game is set for 1 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 7, at St. Francis High School. The Red Dragons won the NCAA Division III national title in 2023.
 
The Empire 8 Conference this past spring entered into a scheduling agreement for non-conference football games with the Liberty League for the 2025 and 2026 seasons. As part of this agreement, Hilbert (after this season) will leave the Empire 8 to join the Liberty League as an associate member for football, giving both leagues eight football-playing members. Empire 8 teams for this season include Hilbert, Brockport, Cortland, Hartwick, Alfred University, SUNY Morrisville, St. John Fisher, and Utica.
 
Hilbert finished 0-8 in 2023 after a winless inaugural campaign. The Hawks showed improvement as last year went on, losing by just two scores in a pair of late-season contests.
 
"We're continuing to grow as a program, with the goal of showing improvement," Egger said. "We're looking forward to getting after it this year."