Hammond’s home remains in title game with win over Laurence Manning
Hammond advanced to the SCISA Class 3A championship game for the 10th consecutive season with a 27-6 semifinal win over Laurence Manning Academy Friday at Edens Stadium.
It was the 24th consecutive triumph by the Skyhawks, who have bagged seven championships in nine tries since 2004 under coach Erik Kimrey. The program has claimed nine SCISA championships since its 1971 debut.
Hammond (11-0) will square off against Pinewood Prep (11-1) next Saturday at Charlie W. Johnson Stadium (7:30 p.m.). The teams didn’t play during the regular season because of the historic flooding.
LMA, which fell to Hammond in last season’s title game, finished with a 6-5 record.
TURNING POINT
Hammond turned a potential interception into a touchdown that opened the floodgates. Graham Smith’s pass to Malik Bennett up the right sideline should have been an easy pick for LMA’s Jake Jordan inside the Swampcats’ 5-yard line, but the ball bounced off his hands and right to Bennett who completed the 34-yard scoring play at 2:48 of the first quarter.
KEY PERFORMERS
Graham Smith: The senior quarterback was 12-for-17 passing for 109 yards and two touchdowns and ran for a season-high 105 yards and one score.
Malik Bennett: Ran for 78 yards and caught three passes for 64 yards and two touchdowns.
Sean Hutchison: Kicked two field goals to up his season three-pointer count to 13.
OBSERVATIONS
Defense wins: Hammond’s no-name defense was at it again, limiting LMA 58 yards and two first downs in a first half that decided the issue. The Swampcats drove 45 yards on the opening possession, but stalled out at the Hammond 31. It wasthree-and-out for LMA for the rest of the first half.
In gear: After a 1-2-3-kick routine on its first offensive possession, theHammond attack scored on its next four tries to build a 24-0 lead.
Finally finding the end zone: It took 95 minutes over two games, but LMA finally found the end zone against the Hammond defense.
THEY SAID IT
“Our defensive coaches do such a great job of getting our players in the right positions to make plays. This might be the lightest defense we’ve had since I’ve been here, but they do the right things and don’t give up big plays.” – Erik Kimrey, Hammond coach
“This is an exciting opportunity for me because I’ve never gotten this far in a season. This is my first time playing for a championship and I’m looking forward to the experience.” – Graham Smith, Hammond quarterback
“It was a season of missed opportunities for us, a season of missed details. They (Hammond) pay attention to detail top to bottom, they don’t have negative energy, they don’t have distractions. That’s the difference between (Hammond) and the rest of us.” – Robbie Briggs, LMA coach
KEY NUMBERS
295: The number of wins in Hammond football history, according to the SCISA Football History web site.
70: The number of points scored against Hammond this season.
10: The number of touchdowns scored against Hammond this season.
137-15: Erik Kimrey’s record in 12 seasons as Hammond’s head coach.
27-4: Hammond’s playoff record under Kimrey.
19: The number of SCISA championship game appearances by Hammond.
HOW THEY SCORED
1st Quarter
H – Malik Bennett 34 pass from Graham Smith (Sean Hutchison kick), 2:48
2nd Quarter
H – Bennett 29 pass from Smith (Hutchison kick), 11:17
H – Smith 2 run (Hutchison kick), 6:23
H – FG Hutchison 25, 0:13
4th Quarter
H – FG Hutchison 42, 3:39
LMA – Colton Ardis 7 run (kick failed), 1:00
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
Rushing: LMA – Robinson 19-38. Hammond – Bennett 13-78, Smith 12-105.
Passing: LMA – Osteen 8-12-0-110. Hammond – Smith 12-17-0-109.
Receiving: LMA – Mishoe 3-59. Hammond – Bennett 3-64, Theodore 4-26.
This story was originally published November 13, 2015 at 10:43 PM.