Palmetto’s Joe Hills aiming to return to Arena Bowl after coming up short in title bid

Palmetto’s Joe Hills produced a memorable 2017 Arena Football League season. He set an AFL record for consecutive games with a touchdown reception, and he became the first back-to-back and two-time AFL wide receiver of the year.

The one thing that was missing was an AFL championship, though Hills and the Tampa Bay Storm came close to bringing home a title.

Hills caught a 35-yard touchdown pass in Saturday’s Arena Bowl XXX against Philadelphia, though the Soul edged the Storm 44-40 to earn back-to-back AFL titles. It was the fourth time in four meetings this season that Philadelphia defeated Tampa Bay.

Hills is determined to get back to the championship game with the group that was assembled this season, according to an exit interview he did with TampaBayStorm.com.

“We’re definitely going to try to put together a plan to retain as many guys as we can,” Hills told the website. “I, for one, will definitely be on board.”

Hills is one Hometown Hero in the spotlight this week. Here’s a look at some others:

Austin Reiter: The Lakewood Ranch High graduate returned to the Tampa Bay area, where he played college football, last week with the Cleveland Browns for a preseason game against the Buccaneers. Reiter has played in all three of Cleveland’s preseason games, less than a year after tearing an anterior cruciate ligament. The center, who played collegiately at USF, was drafted by the Washington Redskins in 2015.

Sharrod Neasman: The first Braden River High alum to play in the NFL, Neasman transitioned from a high school wide receiver into a defensive back at Florida Atlantic, where he was a walk-on before earning a scholarship. Neasman’s dedication and work ethic helped him make the Falcons roster last year, first earning a spot on the practice squad before being promoted. He played in the Super Bowl along with former Pop Warner teammate Brian Poole. Neasman has played in all three Falcons preseason games, starting once and recording four tackles.

Brian Poole: Last year’s big success story, the Southeast High and University of Florida alumnus went from undrafted status to starting in the Super Bowl with the Atlanta Falcons. So far this preseason, the nickelback has two tackles and has appeared in all three preseason games.

Kelvin McKnight: Listed as a top 10 Football Championship Subdivision receiver during the offseason, McKnight and Samford open the 2017 season at Kennesaw State on Thursday. The Manatee High alum caught 70 passes for 896 yards with nine touchdowns as a sophomore in 2016.

Jake Westberry: The Saint Stephen’s alumnus is no longer a walk-on at Fresno State. The Bulldogs awarded Westberry a full scholarship last week. He joins Manatee High alums Greg Reeves (USF) and Danny Doyle (Duke) as walk-ons who received scholarships in the past year.

AJ Colagiovanni and Garrett Ware: The two recent Manatee High graduates are preparing for their first college football season at Stetson. But tragedy struck Stetson on Monday as teammate Nick Blakely collapsed on the practice field in DeLand and later died after getting transported to a local hospital.

Ryan Neuzil: When Appalachian State opens the season Saturday at Georgia, a familiar face to East Manatee County football fans will be starting for the Mountaineers. Neuzil, who played tight end for Braden River High, is listed as the No. 1 center on App State’s depth chart. The redshirt freshman has made the position transition seamlessly.

Jacob Huesman: While former Braden River teammate Ryan Neuzil is in line to start at center for Appalachian State, Huesman is listed as App State’s backup quarterback heading into the season.

Mike Blakely: The former Manatee High star running back got a glimpse into this year’s Hurricanes when he was at Joe Kinnan Field at Hawkins Stadium for last Friday’s scheduled opener against Lakeland. Blakely even helped during pregame warm-ups, but seeing this year’s Canes was brief as lightning canceled the game midway through the first quarter.

Have any Hometown Heroes we’re missing? Email jdill@bradenton.com with some suggestions.

This story was originally published August 29, 2017 at 4:11 PM with the headline "Palmetto’s Joe Hills aiming to return to Arena Bowl after coming up short in title bid."