DAPHNE, Ala. — A young man’s 18th birthday typically marks the end of childhood and a chance to set out on his own. Daphne High School senior Chris Hill turned 18 on Wednesday, but circumstances forced him to enter the real world faster than he had planned.

Just before Hill and his teammates won the state championship game, Hill came home from football practice to find the water and power shut off and that he had lost his home. Hill could not find his father and later learned his father left Daphne to find work in Texas.

“I understand you might say it could make you grow up fast, but I think it was right on time …. I think everything happens for a reason and it really happened for the best,” Hill said.

“It was the fourth playoff game, the semifinal game against Davidson and we had practice in Foley because they had an indoor facility. Coach (Milton Sutton) was my ride home because he lives in Fairhope and my house was on the way,” Hill said.

“He was taking me home that night and my dad’s car wasn’t there … It was kind of late; it was 9 o’clock and I was expecting him to be at home.”

Hill found all the doors locked and had to enter the house through a window.

“Things weren’t the same as when I left,” Hill said.

After Hill inspected the house, Sutton asked him if everything was all right and tried to help Hill get in touch with his father, to no avail. When Sutton realized something was amiss at Hill’s home, he decided to take Hill home with him.

Hill heard from his father a few days later.

“He came to the school after a practice and I saw him. He was saying that he was going to try to find somewhere else to stay and he had decided to go to Texas to try to find work,” the student said.

Hill’s father was a contractor, but he had been unable to find enough work in the Daphne area. Hill was amid football playoffs and didn’t want to abandon his team when they needed him the most.

“I told him that would be cool if he left, that I would just stay with Coach Sutton,” Hill said. “I was in school. Playoffs were going on so I wasn’t about to leave then.”

Hill has been living with the Suttons since November, and he plans to stay there until he heads to college in the fall.

Hill — who grew up in Little Rock, Ark. — was mostly raised by his great aunt and great uncle. While in the eighth grade, he came to this area to visit his father. While he was visiting, his Uncle Pete died, so Hill decided to stay with his father.

“I know that is one thing my uncle wanted to see me do: go to college and make something of myself and be a better person. That is one thing I am going to have a chance at doing,” Hill said.

The student credits his success to his drive and determination to be successful.

“I believe in self-discipline. If you don’t take care of your own business, no one else is going to take care of that for you. You have to learn how to discipline yourself and set a goal or a standard for yourself so you won’t fall below your own standards,” Hill said.

He has also strived to achieve the goals he set for himself.

“I do a lot of thinking and daydreaming. I think about the goals I am trying to achieve and what I am doing this for — not just for me, but for other people. I am doing this for my uncle and my family in the future, like my future wife and kids because I plan on having a family,” Hill said.

Hill signed a scholarship in February to play football at Northwest Oklahoma State. He also just received a Hawkins Scholarship from the Hawkins Foundation. He counts the scholarships as his biggest accomplishments and a way to achieve his goals.

“A scholarship is a jumpstart. It is the first beginning of what I believe my future holds. That is giving me an opportunity to get my education and set up where I can have a good job. Also, it is giving me a chance to go further in life.”

Hill said he selected Northwest Oklahoma State University — where he plans to major in nursing — for multiple reasons.

“A teammate of mine was offered a scholarship there so at least I will know somebody. It is kind of close to Texas and Arkansas, so it is around the area where I have family,” Hill said.

On signing day in February, Hill shared his story. Many of the teachers were surprised to learn the challenges Hill had faced.

Daphne High School Principal Meredith Horton said no one really knew what was going on until that day.

“It was news to a lot of us,” she said.

She praises Hill as a model student with a bright future.

“He is an outstanding athlete, a good citizen, just a great representative of our school. He doesn’t get in trouble and he is just a student we are really proud of. We hate to see him leave. He has gained a lot of confidence. I think that Chris is a team player,” she said.

Help from the community

New Life Ministries Church in Mobile is raising funds to help with Hill’s college expenses. Pastor Michael Pierce said the church is taking donations and hopes to provide Hill with a laptop and a backpack. To make sure all of his needs are covered while at school, the church hopes to come up with $10,000 — $200 for each month Hill is in college.

Donations can be made to the Chris Hill Fund by mailing checks payable to:

 New Life Ministries Christopher J. Hill Fund, Commonwealth National Bank, Attn: Tracie Tate

2214 St. Stevens Road Mobile, AL 36617

Hill said the outpouring of support from the community has made him feel loved and blessed.

“I had got the mentality that I would do everything on my own,” he said. “I had to learn how to accept help. I just feel blessed to have all of these people who are willing to help me.”