Photos by Jim Marczesky Hammond's Luke Chappell and others keep Cardinal Newman's Davis Lemon out of the end zone. Cliff Ayers threw for 339 yards and three touchdowns, and Les Cotter ran for two more as the Hammond Skyhawks defeated the Cardinal Newman Cardinals 42- 6 Friday, October 10.

Hammond (6- 1, 1- 1) scored on its first six possessions and did not punt until less than three minutes remained in the game. The Skyhawks first drive lasted less than two minutes, thanks to their no- huddle offense and Ayers' accuracy, as he completed five straight passes before handing off to Kyle George for a four- yard run and the Skyhawks' first score. After forcing a Cardinal punt, Ayers led the Skyhawks 88 yards on their second drive, capped by a 28- yard pass to wideout Aaron Walters. At the end of the first quarter, Hammond led 14- 0.

Cardinal Newman (2- 4, 0- 1) tried to get back in the game on the ground, led by senior Davis Lemon. He broke off a 24- yard run on the Cardinals' second drive, but the Skyhawk defense forced an incompletion on fourth down, giving the ball back to Hammond. Three plays later, Cotter ran through the Cardinal defense for an 11- yard touchdown and a 21- 0 Skyhawk lead.

Hammond's Aaron Walters runs in the open field. The Cardinals then put together a 17- play, 70- yard drive, culminating in quarterback Tommy Winterstein's one- yard plunge on fourth- and- goal to score. However, Hammond linebacker Will Patterson broke through and blocked the extra point, steal- ing any momentum the Cardinals had.

After the kickoff, Hammond went 60 yards in five plays, with Ayers hitting Walters for a 13- yard touchdown with less than a minute to go in the half. The Skyhawks went to the locker room leading 28- 6 at halftime.

The second half featured more of the same, as Hammond forced a Cardinal punt and went 73 yards for their next score, a 19- yard pass from Ayers to Taylor Smith. Then, after another Cardinal punt pinned the Skyhawks at their own eight yard line, Ayers calmly and methodically led Hammond on a 16- play drive that climaxed with a six- yard touchdown run by Cotter.

Walters had eight catches for 163 yards and two touchdowns. Lemon led the Cardinals with 112 yards on 26 carries.

Hammond travels to Laurence Manning on Friday, October 17, while Cardinal Newman hosts Augusta Christian.