Skyhawks are state champs! Hammond takes down Laurence Manning for SCISA 3A crown
In many ways, it was a different type of season for the Hammond football team. But it ended with a familiar result: another state championship.
The Skyhawks defeated Laurence Manning 26-6 on Friday at Charleston Southern’s Buccaneer Field.
It is Hammond’s 18th state championship overall, fourth in a row and 12th under coach Erik Kimrey.
However, it was far from a normal season for Hammond, from losing 21 starters off last year’s title game and having to manage through all the protocols associated with playing during the COVID-19 pandemic. The two teams decided to skip one guideline and shook hands after a hard-fought game.
“It was a different year for sure,” Kimrey said. “I think there was a lot more gratitude for sure in the room, just the ability to play and be here this year. It means a lot to us.
“It means everything. You take a group of people and be able to go on a journey together and learn how to struggle. And if you do it right, the rewards come.”
Running back CJ Stokes, a member of last year’s team, spoke about this title with an appreciative perspective.
“With the COVID protocols, we had a lot of people missing games. I missed games. … We just overcame a lot of adversity. That is really all I could say,” Stokes said.
The Skyhawks also overcame their share of offensive struggles in the title game.It wasn’t a Hammond typical offense that had blown out its opponents in the previous title games. Instead, the Skyhawks rode their no-name defense, which lost nine starters from last season.
Senior Brig Brannon had a pick-six interception on LMA’s first drive to put the Skyhawks up 7-0.
The Swampcats scored on their next possession to cut it to 7-6, but Hammond’s defense took over from there, holding LMA to 66 total yards — including six yards in the second half.
“We played our hearts out every single play,” Brannon said. “We came out every play and we were physical. We were a little slow in the first half and we knew there was nothing that was going to stop us from getting this medal and that big trophy.”
Hammond’s offense kept feeding Stokes, who scored on a 35-yard run in the fourth to make it 26-6. Stokes finished with 86 yards on 24 carries.
Freshman quarterback Whit Muschamp was 10-of-18 passing for 120 yards and a TD to Cam Scott. The Skyhawks finished with 222 yards of offense.
Jackson Brown had the lone touchdown for the Swampcats.
This story was originally published November 20, 2020 at 9:23 PM.
