The small village of more than 700 people has endured its fair share of triumph and heartbreak recently, but for a community that bleeds orange and black, Hillman has been fortunate to have an incredible sports program to fall back on and be proud of.

“Hillman has always had great athletes. Over the last 30 years that I’ve been around, we’ve had some great coaches and teams. I think the difference recently is that we currently have excellent coaches and teams in every sport at the same time,” Hillman Athletic Director Scott Cordes said. “The Hillman community has always been supportive of our athletic teams and I think that makes our success that much more special.”

The Tigers were put on the map in the early 90s thanks to a dominant run on the diamond that went on for a half decade. In 1992, then head baseball coach Dave Checkley and his team brought home Hillman first state championship and they were just getting started. After winning the title in 92, the Tigers won two more Class D state championships in 1994 and 1997, while losing in the regional finals in 1993 before finishing as runner-up in 1995 and falling in the state semifinals in 1996.

At the time, Hillman was a baseball school and despite some changes, the Tigers are enjoying a successful run across a variety of sports.

Jared Juergens

Under Eric Muszynski, the boys basketball team has turned into one of the most consistent Class D programs. The Tigers currently hold several impressive winning streaks. Hillman is 10-0 overall this season, 6-0 in North Star League play and is ranked third in the state. The Tigers are also riding a 50-game NSL winning streak, a 49-game regular season winning streak and have won 40 games in a row on their home court.

Since the 2009-10 season, Hillman has an .830 winning percentage with a record of 137-28. The Tigers have won league titles each of the past three years and in 2010, along with district titles in three of the last four years while making a regional final appearance in 2013, 2014 and 2015. Hillman’s best season on the court came during its 2015 run in which they lost to Class D juggernaut Powers North Central in the quarterfinals.

Though it hasn’t always easy, Muszynski has built his program into a consistent winner.

“It’s been really special. I look at this community as a whole and our entire staff, we are all here for Hillman athletics. Winning breeds winning and when you enjoy success in one sport, these athletes want to continue carrying on that winning tradition in all sports,” Muszynski said. “For us, I’m happy with the culture that we have created on the basketball court and the tradition that we built. My hat goes off to former players and current players. You see a combination of the players, coaches and community working together. Everyone is on the same page and that’s how this all becomes possible.”

The girls basketball team is currently enjoying one of its best starts in school history. After dropping their season opener, the Tigers have won 11 in a row and are currently ranked fifth in the state. The team has won the NSL Big-Dipper division title the last two years and made a run of its own in 2015, winning a district title and advancing to the regional finals. Since 2009-10, the girls have an overall record of 99-50.

Billy Kolcan

“What is going on at this school right now is special. The fact that a majority of our teams continue to have winning seasons really benefits each sport because all of the kids are used to a winning season and they don’t want that to change,” Hillman girls basketball coach John Kuzewski said. “We knew that we were going to be tested the beginning of this year and we learned a lot from that first game of the year and I think it’s starting to show. Our goal is to bring home a third consecutive NSL title which would be a first in the programs history. From there we want to make a serious postseason run come tournament time and I think we have the team to do it.”

Much like the basketball teams, Hillman’s football team also has a streak of its own as has made the playoffs every year since 2006.

After going winless in 2005, the Tigers have not had a losing season since. They have also won four NSL titles (09, 10, 14, 15) and hold a 68-42 overall record since 2006.

“I knew there was a lot of talent in Hillman when I took over. It’s been a blast and though at times it wasn’t easy to continue the streak, the kids had it in their hearts and minds to continue this winning tradition,” Hillman football coach Bill Koenig said. “Names always stick in my mind like Allen, Mercer, Kasky, Godfrey, Safford, Smith, Steinke and so many others. These are kids that started and carried on this tradition and kids I still continue to see and they have a lot of pride in what they started. Who knows how long this streak will continue, but I’m just blessed to be apart of it.”

The Tigers softball team has also had its fair share of recent success too. The team captured three consecutive NSL titles from 2010-2012 and won district championships in 2011 and 2015.

Gunnar Libby

The softball team also went on to win a regional title in 2015 and made a final four appearance.

It had been a while for the baseball team to return to its winning ways after experiencing so much success in the 90s, but Hillman head coach Rick Firman and assistant coach Jason Weiland are turning the program back into a consistent winner.

Both Firman and Weiland were apart of the winning teams in the 90s and have made it their goal to get Hillman baseball back to the top.

“It was our goal when Jason and I took over this program to get back to competing on a state level and we’re still focused on heading in that direction,” Firman said.

The baseball team has won the NSL three out of the last four years (13,14, 15) and has won district titles in back-to-back years, along with advancing to the regional finals each of the past two years.

Vanessa Schook

“The program struggled for a bit and we don’t want an average program. We are taking steps every year to reach our ultimate goal which is winning a state title,” Firman said. “It really helps when you have most of these kids coming off of a winning season in basketball and they continue that winning tradition. All the success works together and having so much support throughout the community really helps and what Eric has done, not just with the basketball program, but what he does as a coach and a teacher, benefits us all.”

The recent success speaks for itself. Since 2010 Hillman teams have won a combined 15 NSL titles, eight district championships, five regional final appearances, two regional titles and made a trip to the final four. With all of the success that the school has seen over the past several years, the athletes and coaches continue to work hard to keep that success going.

“Success breeds success. It does put a lot of pressure on our players and coaches because the fans expect a quality performance every time one our teams compete,” Cordes said. “It is a challenge and will continue to be one, but it’s a challenge that Hillman has accepted and we wouldn’t have it any other way.”

Jonny Zawacki can be reached via email at jzawacki@thealpenanews.com or by phone at 358-5690.

Dylan Steinke