Hammond receiver Aaron Walters tries for more yardage against the Wilson Hall defense. The Hammond Skyhawks earned their fourth straight trip to the SCISA 3A championship game with a decisive 20–7 thumping of the Wilson Hall Barrons in Sumter Friday, November 13. The Skyhawks have won all three previous appearances and will face crosstown rival Heathwood Hall at Benedict’s Charles W. Johnson Stadium November 20. The Highlanders beat Hammond earlier this year 10–7.

The Skyhawks opened the scoring on their second possession against Wilson Hall with a 14 play, 79–yard drive that hit the Barrons with a heavy dose of running back B.J. Bennett. The sophomore rushed seven times for 43 yards including 5–yard scamper up the gut of the Wilson Hall defense to give Hammond a 6–0 lead with 16.7 seconds to play in the first quarter.

The Barrons answered right back with a little trickery and some long ball. Facing a fourth down and six from the Hammond 48 yard line, the Barrons lined up to punt, but the snap was to the up–man who ran an option play to the right and pitched to punter/wide receiver Chris Sharpe who ran for the first down. Two plays later, Wilson Hall quarterback Josh Glenn drifted right, then hurled a pass 39 yards to Wesley Talley in the end zone. The extra point made it 7–6 Wilson Hall with 8:19 to play in the first half.

Hammond’s B.J. Bennett runs for several of his 183 rushing yards against Wilson Hall. The Skyhawks responded with a little long ball of their own. A 13–yard run by Les Cotter plus an incidental face mask got Hammond to the Wilson Hall 40 yard line. Quarterback Dave Nidiffer then hit Hunter George for a 13–yard completion. On the next play, Nidiffer dropped a 27–yard pass perfectly over the shoulder of Aaron Walters in the back right corner of the end zone to put Hammond up 12–7 with 6:44 to play in the second quarter.

Hammond head coach Erik Kimrey talks with Dave Nidiffer during a timeout against Wilson Hall. The Hammond defense then took over. Wilson Hall’s next five possessions ended in two punts, a turnover on downs, and interceptions by Walters and Logan Smith. Meanwhile, Glenn was running for his life. The Hammond defense racked up a total of six sacks, and George Foster got three of them.

The Hammond offense put the nail in the coffin with 2:37 remaining in the third quarter. Walters’ interception gave the Skyhawks the ball at the Wilson Hall 30 yard line. Head coach Erick Kimrey turned to Bennett again who ran five straight times for 35 yards (a procedure call had backed Hammond up five yards) getting in the end zone on a 4–yard burst. Just for good measure, Bennett waltzed into the end zone untouched on the ensuing 2–point conversion to give Hammond the 20–7 cushion.

After three consecutive sacks and holding call, the Barrons were forced to punt from their own five yard line. In one bright spot for Wilson Hall, Sharpe booted the punt 63 yards forcing the Skyhawks back to their own 33 yard line.

Bennett led the Skyhawks to the Wilson Hall 45 yard line, but Nidiffer fumbled on a 13–yard run to give the Barrons hope at their own 29 yard line. A pass interference call and a Glenn scramble set Wilson Hall up at the Hammond 26 yard line, but Smith’s interception ended all hopes of a Barron comeback.

Kimrey then turned to Bennett again. He rushed 11 times for 62 yards to get Hammond to the Wilson Hall 11 yard line with less than a minute to play in the game. Kimrey then took a delay of game and ordered his quarterback to take a knee ending the contest at 20–7, Hammond.

Bennett finished with 183 yards rushing (122 coming in the second half), two touchdowns, and a 2–point conversion on 33 carries. Nidiffer completed 12–of– 20 passes for 146 yards and a touchdown. Walters had four receptions for 65 yards and a touchdown. Ron Millhouse caught five passes for 46 yards.

The Hammond defense held Wilson Hall to 134 total yards.