Jonah Hill roams the defensive secondary for the BrookhavenPanthers. The junior safety was busy Friday night, accounting fornine tackles and one assist, plus one forced fumble and one tacklefor a loss in Ole Brook’s narrow 7-6 win over the HazlehurstIndians.

Hill’s performance has earned him The DAILY LEADER’s DefensivePlayer of the Week honors. The 5-foot-9, 175-pound junior is the16-year-old son of Tiffany Hill.

“Jonah is doing a good job for us at safety and outsidelinebacker,” said BHS head coach Wade Henderson. “He made some bigtackles Friday night. He’s a junior so he is going to get bigger,stronger and faster before he finishes high school.”

Hill and his teammates practiced in Sinclair Gymnasium Mondaymorning because of Tropical Storm Lee dumping several inches ofrain on the practice field. The Panthers are preparing to host theClass 6A Petal Panthers Friday night.

Hill said he enjoys playing in the secondary. “You have to watchand make sure I’m the deepest player. I make sure I stop the longrun and the deep pass.”

BHS is off to a 2-0 start, with wins over Lawrence County andHazlehurst. Asked about his defensive teammates, Hill said, “I feellike we have a good defense. We still have a lot of work to do andwe will get better.”

Joining Hill on the defensive side of the ball are Jaboree Pooleand Thevis Cooper at end. The tackles are Malcolm Stewart, Jr.,Marquis Price, Ricky Parker and Josh Thomas.

At linebacker are Kalen Calcote and Tyris Hill in the middle. Onthe outside are Marcus Coleman and Shiem Brumfield. Greg Sims is atleft cornerback. Dontray Smith and Billy Thomas are at rightcorner. The free safety is Alvin Franklin.

Ole Brook defensive coordinator Kelby Bowman said Hill is blessedwith natural ability. “Jonah flies to the football and makestackles. He’s a ballhawk.”

Hill, wearing jersey No. 37, enjoys watching the PhiladelphiaEagles on TV. His favorite NFL player is safety Ed Reed of theBaltimore Ravens.

In his spare time, Hill said he enjoys hanging out with friends andfamily. His older brother, Hakeem Tremel, is a former BHS footballplayer. His sister, Shareka Hill, plays on the BHS basketball team.His cousin is senior wide receiver Jonah Hill.

Looking to the future, Hill said he is considering a career inphysical therapy. He enjoys playing basketball, too.