Quite the debut: How Hillsdale QB Kael Lewis found the record book in first start

JEROMESVILLE − Whenever someone does something for the first time, it's understandable that there will be some level of apprehensiveness.

And why not? First times can be nerve-racking. Add making your first start on the varsity level as a sophomore at the the most important position in football to the list.

Hillsdale quarterback Kael Lewis did just that in the Falcons' 44-12 rout of Black River on Friday night, when he completed 9 of 13 passes for 238 yards and threw his six touchdown passes all in the first half.

More: Hillsdale use its vertical speed to blitz Black River in football season opener

Asked if he expected that type of performance in his varsity debut and Lewis said with a smile, "My confidence was there but I kind of told one of my buddies that I didn't really expect it to go like that."

Well it did. So, how good was the kid in his debut?

"Man, I think he broke some records," said junior wide receiver/defensive back Brock Bower, who caught three of Lewis' touchdown tosses. "For a first game, you can't ask for much more. A lot of people get overwhelmed in their first game but he didn't. He performed to the best of his ability."

Records he did set. Lewis' six touchdown passes were the most touchdown passes thrown in a single game in Hillsdale school history.

"Pretty impressive start for a sophomore," said Hillsdale coach Trevor Cline. "He played phenomenal."

What stood out was just how comfortable Lewis looked in the pocket and how precise his throws were, hitting wide receivers like Bower, Holland Young (two TD catches) and Hayden McFadden (one TD) in stride or placing the ball in the radius where his pass-catcher could get it. The arm capacity was also evident in his downfield throws.

"I was really confident and mentally prepared," said the 6-foot-2 Lewis. "During two-a-days, we've been going over the offense for awhile. Our offensive line blocked really well today. I gotta bunch of skilled guys around me that I know if I could get them the ball, they were gonna make plays."

"We knew he was going to be a good football player for us," Cline said. "He works extremely hard and does a good job watching film, so when he gets out there on Friday night, he's prepared and ready to analyze the defense, make the right read and get it out to the playmakers."

Cline knew Lewis would be a solid replacement after playing some last season behind senior Jack Fickes, who had 25 total touchdowns (15 pass, 10 run) in 2023.

"Yeah, we knew last year that he would be our starting quarterback this year," Cline added. "He ended up getting hurt in midseason last year and ended up not being the backup at that point. He healed from that and had a really good offseason. When his opportunity came, he was able to take over the QB position."

"Me and him are actually good buddies," Lewis said of Fickes, who was at Friday's game. "He has a lot of confidence in me and he's shown me a lot."

For Lewis, it could be a jumping-off point for some high expectations over the next three years behind center.

"If you watched him and didn't know him, you would have thought he was a senior going to college right now," Bower said. "He was in the moment."

After the win, when it was mentioned to Lewis about his single-game record performance, he responded with two words.

"Not bad."

jsimpson@gannnett.com

Twitter/X:@JamesSimpsonII

James Simpson II is a sports reporter with the Ashland Times-Gazette, and was recently at the Mansfield News Journal. He is a self-published author and has gotten the opportunity to interview sports figures like Bernard Hopkins, Norm Nixon, Vince Dooley, Jimmie Johnson, etc., for stories at different publications. He also produced a pretty cool feature on late NBA great Wilt Chamberlain.

This article originally appeared on Ashland Times Gazette: Quite the debut: How Hillsdale QB Kael Lewis found the record book in first start