Talented and team-first, Hillock the right man for the job

In two seasons under centre, Evan Hillock has yet to lose as a Western Mustang. Can the quarterback keep the streak alive and guide the team to a second straight Vanier Cup title — this time on home turf?

Hillock takes a backseat to Western’s stellar run game, but the quarterback led the league in touchdown passes, completion percentage and QB rating this season. (Photo: Matt Hiscox Photography).

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Evan Hillock was not destined to be a starting quarterback in the OUA let alone win a Vanier Cup (and be named MVP) in his first season at Western University last December. No, he wasn’t cultivated from a young age to be the Mustangs’ signal-caller who is one win away from defending that national title – this time on home turf.

In fact, football wasn’t a given until a few short years ago.

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A talented pitcher, Hillock mowed down hitters in his hometown of Hamilton, Ont., before joining the Dorchester-based Great Lake Canadians, an elite program that has sent numerous players to the NCAA ranks and had players selected in the MLB Draft.

Sure, he played football in high school. He was athletic, and it’s what all his friends were doing at St. Thomas More, the Catholic school he attended in the Steel City.

But it wasn’t his focus.

He was a baseball player.

That changed after a game against Burlington’s Nelson High School in Grade 12. That’s when Mike Finch got a good look at Hillock in action. Finch was the quarterbacks coach at Nelson. If the name sounds familiar, it’s because he’s the father of Will Finch, the former star pivot at Western.

“He saw me play and told Will, ‘I think this guy would be pretty good if he got some coaching,’” Hillock said. “I’d never trained for football before. It was kind of my second sport.”

That soon changed. After his Grade 12 season, the younger Finch reached out to Hillock and the two began working out. It was a baseball player freshly considering a football future and a former Mustang quarterback (2012-15) who was twice named OUA MVP, earned All-Canadian honours, and set Western passing records during his tenure.

Hillock went back for a fifth year of high school and won a third straight city championship and a third straight provincial bowl game, going undefeated along the way (he may have understated his talents as a high schooler).

Western wasn’t Hillock’s first choice. While he didn’t pursue the local route (McMaster Marauders), he committed to the University of Guelph in November of his final year in high school. But things changed. Hillock made trips to Guelph and worked out with the football program, but he didn’t feel at home. It wasn’t the right fit. So, three months after his initial decision, he de-committed from the Gryphons.

“I wasn’t really happy there,” Hillock said. “I decided I needed a change.”

After a season scrapped by COVID-19, Hillock was an instant difference-maker. Since taking over as Western’s starter two-and-a-half games into his rookie season last year, all he’s done is win.

He won the remaining four regular season games in 2021. Then, he led Western to three straight OUA playoff wins (including his first Yates Cup win over Queen’s). And then he won a Mitchell Bowl and a Vanier Cup.

In other words, since he came into the game at halftime on Oct. 2, 2021, he has won every game he’s played in. Nearly a year later, he still hasn’t lost.

(Photo: Matt Hiscox Photography).

A perfect 8-0 regular season this fall continued the streak. Then, after a first-round playoff bye, Hillock led Western to a 45-9 win over Laurier in an OUA semi-final two weeks ago, and then a 44-16 win over Queen’s in last weekend’s Yates Cup rematch.

That’s 19 games in a row.

Twenty would return the Mustangs to the Vanier Cup.

Twenty-one would defend their national title.

“That’s the goal every year at Western. That’s the expectation,” said Hillock, who last week was named a First-Team OUA All-Star. “But Coach (Greg) Marshall has done a good job of making sure we’re not looking too far ahead, that we’re locked in on what we have to do next. We’ve done a good job of that.”

Last week, that meant preparing for Queen’s, the No. 3-ranked team in the country, according to USPORTS rankings. And though Western led just 13-7 at halftime, they exploded for 31 second-half points to cruise to a 44-16 win on a snowy day in London. Lead back Keon Edwards had a huge day, rushing for 260 yards and a touchdown to earn Player of the Game honours.

Hillock, meanwhile, was his steady self, making clutch passes in key situations. He completed 10 of 14 attempts, including a trio of bigtime touchdown passes – a 73-yarder to Seth Robertson, a 57-yard strike to Savaughn Magnaye-Jones, and a 44-yard score to Griffin Campbell. Hillock finished the day with 222 yards through the air.

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The odd thing is that while Hillock won a Vanier Cup last year, he’s been even better this year. During the regular season, he led all OUA quarterbacks in completion percentage (69.4%), touchdown passes (16) and quarterback efficiency/rating (194.0), the latter by a wide margin.

Perhaps the most impressive stat? He had zero interceptions.

Playoffs included, he’s now thrown 19 touchdown passes and one interception heading into the Mitchell Bowl against the No. 2-ranked Laval Rouge et Or on Saturday (3 p.m.) at Western Alumni Stadium in London.

“The game has really slowed down for me a lot this year. That comes with experience,” Hillock said. “As a rookie, especially in the playoffs last year, I made some bad decisions trying to do a bit too much. Now, I’m better understanding the play calls, the reads. On offense, I’m one of the only guys on the field who touches every play. That’s a big responsibility. We have such a good team, turnovers are going to put us at a disadvantage, so I just try to take care of the ball.”

You might assume, given his efficiency, his league-leading 16 touchdown passes, and his standing as arguably the best quarterback in the OUA, that Hillock also led in total passing yards and other volume-based statistics. But that’s not the case. He was just fourth in yards (1,699) and yards-per-game (212.4), and well down the list (ninth) in pass attempts (157). The simple reason is because the Mustangs’ offense is so run-dominant. That’s been a Western staple for years.

“We have the two best running backs in the country,” Hillock said of Edwards and Edouard Wanadi. “We have the best offensive line in the country, by far. So, it’s about trusting the game plan, trusting the coaches, and doing whatever we need to do to win. If that means me throwing the ball 10 times and handing it off 50 and we’re going to win, then that’s all that matters.”

(Photo: Matt Hiscox Photography).

He loves being a team guy. When Hillock talks about the highlight of his Western career so far, winning the Vanier Cup in Quebec City last year, he doesn’t mention his three touchdown passes – or the fact he was named MVP of the biggest game of the year. He talks about “sending the seniors off” with a win in their last game wearing the purple and white.

He has special admiration for his offensive line, which he calls “the anchor” of the team. He believes Elliot Beamer, Phil Grohovac, Zack Fry, Keegan O’Neil and Erik Andersen will all have the chance to play pro football down the road.

“They do so much for our team. They create big holes in the run game that allow Keon and Eddie (Wanadi) to hit it, and they give me tons of time in the pass game to go through my reads and make throws. They’re a really special group and I’m honoured to play behind those guys.”

His team-first mentality is also quite evident when he talks about Jackson White, the quarterback whose job he took in the third game of the season last year. There’s no animosity there. He loves the fact that White is still part of the offense, coming in primarily on third-and-short or goal-line situations. He’s run in three touchdowns with his big body this year, including one in Western’s semi-final win over Laurier. He also stepped in against Ottawa in the final regular season game of the year when Hillock left with an injury.

“Jackson’s a great guy, and he’s a really good quarterback. After I took over, he was always good with me. We have a close relationship, and I have a ton of respect for him,” said Hillock. “He’s helped me. We compete, and we make each other better. We’re just trying to help the team win games in any way we can.”

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Western’s toughest tests lay ahead. First, with the aforementioned Laval Rouge et Or, the No. 2-ranked team in the country. They don’t play each other during the regular season, but they’re no strangers. In 2017, the Mustangs beat the Rouge et Or for their first Vanier Cup title since 1994. The following year, Laval reclaimed the title over Western in a rematch.

Historically, these are the two most successful football teams in USPORTS. Laval has won more Vanier Cup titles (10) than any other school, while Western has made the most appearances (15) in the championship game. In Saturday’s Mitchell Bowl, they won’t be playing for a national championship this time around, but many believe this matchup features the two best teams in the country.

How do you prepare when you haven’t seen a team all year?

“You gotta watch more film,” Hillock said. “You haven’t played anyone that they’ve played, so it’s about watching film to get an idea. And then those first few drives of the game, you’re just kind of feeling them out, seeing how it is.”

That’ll be the case for both Laval and, if Western advances to the Vanier Cup, either St. Francis Xavier or the University of Saskatchewan, the two teams playing in the Uteck Bowl, the other national semi-final. Western beat Saskatchewan in last year’s Vanier Cup.

In a way, it seems the Mustangs have been facing a similar dilemma in several of their games this year. Despite the lopsided final scores, Western has often relied on big second halves to beat opponents – including in their two playoff games thus far. They led just 14-9 at the half in their semi-final win over Laurier, and just 13-7 at the break in their Yates Cup win over Queen’s.

“That’s definitely a focal point. We want to start faster,” Hillock said. “But credit to the other teams we play. Every team comes in and gives us their best game. Our defense has kept us in it all year. They’ve held it down until the offense has been able to get going. And then we wear teams down, which starts with our offensive line. They’re a physical group and they let Keon and Eddie get running.”

They also open up the passing game. And when the running backs and Hillock are both in a groove, it’s an offense that opponents can’t stop. Just look at the final scores of those last two playoff games.

(Photo: Matt Hiscox Photography).

The Mustangs hope to continue wearing down the opposition in the Mitchell Bowl – and then, hopefully, in the Vanier Cup. On home turf. For the first time in the game’s 57-year history, the national championship will be played in London this year.

Hillock says the Mustangs have done a good job of not looking ahead, of focusing on winning the next game and then the next game after that. But try as you might, it’s impossible for a player not to think about what it would feel like to play for a national championship (and defend their title) at home, in front of the hometown crowd.

“I’m sure the atmosphere would be crazy,” Hillock said. “We’re taking it game-by-game, but obviously that’s the end goal. It would be a cool experience. We have a great group of guys. Being with them in the locker room and practicing and playing with them every day this year has been an incredible experience. Now that the (Vanier) is at home, you want to defend home field … We just gotta handle business.”