Smith’s seeking to extend Skyhawks’ championship dynasty

Playing for a state championship has become a rite of passage for the Hammond football program. Graham Smith is ready for his opportunity.

The senior quarterback and the rest of the Skyhawks will take on Pinewood Prep on Saturday for the SCISA 3A state championship. The Skyhawks are in the title game for the 10^th straight season and looking for their eighth championship during in that span.

Smith, who moved to Columbia from Virginia, is one of a handful of Hammond players appearing in their first championship game.

“Coming into the season, everyone expected to go the state championship, but none of it is guaranteed. It is good to get here,” Smith said. “I have been very close to my own championship. It feels great and all the hard work paid off.

“The team we have is a great team and the bond we have built something you won’t find anywhere else.”

Smith has been a key part of this year’s run to the title game, passing for 2,118 yards and 20 touchdowns. Defensively, this might be Hammond’s best team during this 10-year stretch. The Skyhawks are limiting opponents to 6.3 points per game, and had four consecutive shutouts this season.

Hammond’s going for its 10^th SCISA championship in school history. The Skyhawks also won four other championships in the Palmetto Athletic Conference from 1988-92.

Since Erik Kimrey took over the program 12 years ago, Hammond has been the dominant program in SCISA.

The Skyhawks won 17 games in Kimrey’s first two years but lost in the first round of the playoffs both times. Since then, Hammond is 120-10 and has won a school-record 24 consecutive games going into Saturday’s title tilt.

“I think I learned a lot those first couple of years. I didn’t have a lot left in the tank at the end of the season,” Kimrey said. “We’ve done a better job pacing ourselves and understanding November is the most important month and that is when we have to have the most energy and focus.”

As a coach’s son and someone who played football at the Division I level, Kimrey knows winning championships are hard to come by. He has tried to relate that this team. The former South Carolina quarterback says each title run is special because the dynamic of that year’s team is unique.

“I’m just grateful for players that we have had and coaches I have been able to coach with, our school with vision of excellence,” Kimrey said. “When I look back on it, it is a lot of great relationships. Players that we love and still love and that grew a bond together to win a championship or play for one. That is special to be a part of.”

This story was originally published November 20, 2015 at 5:24 PM.