Football superstar honors late uncle
SPARTA. Tylik Hill breaks school records as he helps Pope John Lions return to prominence.
Sparta /
| 08 Jan 2025 | 09:20
Tylik Hill is lifted up after he makes a touchdown against DePaul in the NJSIAA Non-Public, Group B championship game Nov. 29. (Photos by Glenn Clark)
Tylik Hill makes a stutter step on a first-half run, as DePaul’s Marquet Dorsey tries to defend during the championship game at MetLife Stadium.
Tylik Hill yells in celebration on the Lions sideline after his second-half touchdown Nov. 29.
Tylik Hill looks to his left after breaking a tackle on a run from scrimmage in the game against Delbarton on Oct. 5.
Tylik Hill cannot hide his disappointment in the last few seconds of the game at MetLife Stadium.
Tylik Hill tries to fight off two DePaul defenders on a run.
Tylik Hill puts out a stiff arm on a run around the left end against DePaul.
Tylik Hill begins his celebration dance after scoring a touchdown against Delbarton on Oct. 5.
Tylik Hill tries to break free on a run in the second quarter of the Oct. 5 game against Delbarton.
27 touchdowns. 2,336 rushing yards. One state sectional championship.
Many numbers can be used to illustrate how special Tylik Hill was in his senior season on the Pope John XXIII Regional High School football team.
The 5-foot-9-inch running back broke school records and played a major part in a resurgence that Pope John football desperately needed.
Despite all of his success, the number that means the most to Hill is the one on his jersey, which he wears to honor his late uncle Prize Johnson.
Growing up in Asbury Park, Hill was thrust into football at the age of 5.
He remembers going to the local high school football games with his family to watch Johnson, who wore the number 3 on his uniform as he played both sides of the ball for the Asbury Park Bishops.
Hill looked up to his uncle on the field and knew he wanted to play at a high level as he got older.
At the age of 19, Johnson was fatally stabbed on Jan. 5, 2015.
“That’s really the reason I wear number 3 now,” said Hill. “I remember him bringing me to his homecoming game and I wore my number 3 jersey.”
Hill continued to play football, and when he was in eighth grade, Pope John started to take interest.
“I ended up playing Pope John in AYF (American Youth Football) two years in a row in middle school and then they had coaches that started recruiting me,” he said.
Rebuilding program
Once a powerhouse program, Pope John’s football team was in a downswing when Hill began his freshman year.
He didn’t see the field much in his first year,. Despite a woeful 1-9 record, he stuck with coach Dom Gaston, who was hoping to build the program back to where it once was.
“We just believed in Coach Dom and what he wanted to do, and we just brought it on the field and changed everything,”
With a full year under his belt, Hill went from negative eight yards as a freshman to eclipsing the thousand-yard mark as a sophomore. The team also improved, winning four games that season.
After another 1,000 yards on the ground as a junior, Hill had high expectations for himself heading into the 2024 season.
With only one offer, he wanted to prove to coaches that he could play at the highest level of college football.
Hill has never been short of confidence. His handle on the X social media platform reads “The Best RB in the State.”
“I still think I’m the best running back in the state, and I got the best offensive lineman in the state as well. We are all underlooked at Pope John,” said Hill.
His senior year will be remembered at Pope John for a long time.
He set the single-season rushing record that was previously held by Jeremy Tucker with 2,336 yards.
Hill was the heart and soul of the Lions offense, tallying 27 touchdowns in the team’s 13 games.
Best player on field
“Tylik is a superstar,” said Gaston. “He was always the best player on the football field. It’s great to see the running back tradition come alive again at Pope John.”
Hill’s senior season culminated in a trip to MetLife Stadium for the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) Non-Public, Group B championship game Nov. 29.
It was the first appearance for Pope John there in more than a decade.
While the Lions were unable to defeat DePaul Catholic High School and bring home the title, Hill rushed for 175 yards and three touchdowns.
After that game, Syracuse University recruiters reached out to Hill, inquiring about his college plans.
He hadn’t made a decision but after talking with coaches and a visit to the campus in upstate New York, Hill committed to Syracuse.
“They are getting a guy who is going to make Syracuse look good on and off the field,” said Hill. “We (are) coming to do some big things at Syracuse.”
It may be difficult to get the jersey number 3 as a freshman, but Hill will continue to honor his uncle through his play at the next level.
While he will be graduating from Pope John, the running back has left his mark on the program.
“I want all of the younger guys to know that Pope John has all the tools and got everything you need to get to the next level,” he said.