John Rowe

Staff Writer

Will Hill’s football journey has had its share of ups and downs.

Hill, who’ll turn 29 next week, still has hope, thanks to the new Alliance of American Football.

A safety/linebacker for the undefeated Orlando Apollos, Hill is flashing some of the skills that enabled him to play for the New York Giants and Baltimore Ravens in the NFL he hopes to get back to.

He just might make it. In three games, Hill has been credited with 12 solo tackles, with seven assists. In Orlando’s 21-17 over Memphis on Saturday night, Hill was responsible for three tackles and three assists.

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Hill was part of the defense that sent Memphis quarterback Christian Hackenberg, the former Jets second-round pick, to the bench at halftime. Memphis was shut out in the first half and Hackenberg was intercepted twice before Memphis coach Mike Singletary, the Hall of Fame linebacker, replaced him with Zach Mettenberger.

Hill, the former St. Peter’s Prep star from West Orange, also must convince NFL teams he deserves another chance. He was suspended four times for violating the league’s substance abuse policy.

The Ravens released Hill, who won a college national championship with Florida in 2009, after they learned in 2016 that he was about to be suspended for 10 games.

Here’s how other New Jersey players are performing for their AAF teams:

Steve Beauharnais

The former Rutgers linebacker from Saddle Brook continued his fine play, although the Arizona Hotshots suffered their first loss, 23-16, at Salt Lake City.

Beauharnais was credited with four solo tackles, three assists and a half sack that resulted in a 4-yard loss. The former St. Joseph Regional star has 11 solo tackles in three games.

Keith Hamilton

The former Don Bosco Prep and Rutgers defensive tackle continues his recovery from knee surgeries.

Part of Salt Lake City’s six-man defensive line rotation, Hamilton had one tackle for the third consecutive game.

Matt Simms

The former Don Bosco Prep and Tennessee quarterback threw for a season-best 328 yards and ran for 27 yards, but the Atlanta Legends dropped to 0-3 with a 28-12 loss to the undefeated Birmingham Iron.

On the season, Simms has completed 59.4 percent of his passes for 614 yards and two touchdowns. He’s been intercepted six times.

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