Duquesne’s Hill looking to add ring to collection
Todd Hill is no stranger to championship rings.
The Duquesne linebacker already has two of them, which commemorate Steel Valley’s dominant run to WPIAL and PIAA Class 2A championships in 2016. Hill, a junior for the Dukes, was a starter and key defensive cog on that 15-0 Steel Valley team — the first in PIAA history to mercy rule each of its opponents. The Ironmen surrendered just two touchdowns the entire season. Hill, a Post-Gazette Fabulous 22 selection, played a major role in that alongside the likes of Paris Ford (Pitt, NFL free agent), Amonte Strothers (Delaware) and DeWayne Murray (Duquesne).
Five years later, he’s striving to replicate that success on the Bluff. Plus, it’s about time he adds some more ice to his collection.
“I need a college ring,” said Hill. “The high school rings are cool and everything, but I need a college ring.”
Hill’s experience at Steel Valley undoubtedly shaped him into the player and person he is today, molding his work ethic and confidence. It’s no coincidence he stepped right in and contributed in his first season on the Bluff.
“Our coach [Rod Steele] always told us to take care of the little things and the big things will fall in place,” said Hill. “Ever since that season, I’ve never lived down from that moment. Any time I’ve gotten into a game, I feel like I’m the best out there. That’s why I work so hard. I know that feeling of being on top, and I want to reach that again here at Duquesne.”
As Duquesne (3-1) kicks off its second game of Northeast Conference play this weekend against Bryant, Hill’s primary focus is avenging the final game of last season — one that left Duquesne seven points short of a conference title.
The Dukes erased a 14-point, fourth-quarter deficit to Sacred Heart to force overtime in the NEC championship at Rooney Field, won the coin flip and elected to begin OT on defense. Hill made a tackle at the line of scrimmage on first down. On second down, the Dukes forced an incompletion and followed it with a sack on third.
With Sacred Heart facing 4thand-14, the Dukes appeared en route to pulling off the miraculous comeback and in turn cementing themselves as NEC champs. Well, until Pioneers receiver Naseim Brantley used a pick to create separation from press coverage and haul in a 29-yard touchdown catch in stride. A fumble recovered by Sacred Heart on Duquesne’s next offensive possession shut the door for good.
For perhaps the first time in Hill’s football career, the agony of defeat — that close, but not quite close enough feeling — was indeed really real. He wasn’t on the field for the final touchdown, instead forced to watch from the sideline as the season slipped away. Best believe the memory still lingers in the back of his mind.
“We had it,” said Hill. “We were that close, literally. That’s what I think about all the time that wants me to be better every week.”
After ranking fourth on the team in tackles as a sophomore, Hill has 11 stops, 3.5 tackles for loss and a sack through four games this season as the Duquesne program is amidst one of its more memorable campaigns to date. The Dukes secured the NEC’s first win against an FBS opponent in a 28-26 thriller against Ohio on Sept. 11. Their only loss came to TCU in Week 1, and they’ve won their past two games against Virginia University of Lynchburg and Merrimack by a 9321 margin.
“This is really like for all the marbles,” Hill said, with six conference games remaining on the schedule. “We’ve just got to win out basically. Me personally, last year I [was named] second-team all-NEC. That was good, but I’m striving to be an All-American or first-team all-conference. I just want to prove that I’m a household name in the NEC, and I want us to show people that Duquesne isn’t a team to be messed with.”
Finally recovered from a complete ACL/MCL/meniscus tear in his right knee five games into his freshman year, Hill is in a better place both physically and mentally. The injury occurred against LIUBrooklyn, Hill’s first career start, with three minutes left in the fourth quarter. Hill had already registered seven tackles and a forced fumble, which later earned him NEC Freshman of the Week.
“Someone fell on my knee from the backside,” Hill said. “I didn’t know how bad it was, walked to the sideline and everything. It was just crazy. I couldn’t control it, but I just learned from it and focused on my mental to get me back to where I am today. It definitely helped me a lot. Without the injury, I wouldn’t cherish football as much as I do now.
“Ever since then, I wanted to come back and make a bigger impact than I did in the years before.”