Hammond’s Heath Jackson looks for a shot against Heathwood Hall’s Cal Peterson. Photos by Mike Maddock
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Hammond’s Heath Jackson scored five goals, Drew McCall added three, and Ben Heroman chipped in two as the Skyhawks defeated the Heathwood Hall Highlanders 11-4 in lacrosse action Monday, March 25 at Edens Stadium.
“He had a good day,” Hammond head coach Jonathan Patterson said of Jackson. “He had a good night with five. He could have had a couple more, but it was a good day at the office.”
The opening minutes of the first quarter were dominated by missed opportunities and great saves. Thomas Scurry tried to get Heathwood Hall on the board first with a shot at the 8:45 mark, but it sailed wide. Heathwood’s defense held firm, specifically goalie Ford Thompson, who stopped three shots in a little over a minute to keep the game scoreless. He finished with 14 saves.
Then with 2:15 left, Jackson scored to put Hammond ahead 1-0.
Less than a minute later, McCall passed to Heroman, who was in front of the goal. Heroman turned and fired a shot past Thompson as Hammond led 2-0.
Heathwood Hall’s Sellers McGee tries to prevent a possible shot from Hammond’s Drew McCall.
Heathwood Hall answered before the end of the quarter when Cooper Horton passed to Mac King, who slid the ball into the lower corner of the net to trim the deficit to 2-1.
The Skyhawks’ scoring picked up in the second quarter. Jackson got it started with a goal at the 10:56 mark to increase Hammond’s lead to 3-1. The Highlanders got one back with King’s second goal of the game with just over six left, but the Skyhawks responded with two goals from Jackson and one from McCall to take a 6-2 lead into halftime.
Jackson collected his fifth goal in the opening minute of the third quarter to grow Hammond’s lead to 7-2. Then McCall found the back of the net at the 3:21 mark, after he drove to the goal and slid one into the far corner.
Heathwood Hall regained some momentum at the end of the quarter as Hunter Hodges launched a shot from ten yards out that found the back of the net, trimming the deficit to 8-3. Horton built off that momentum with a goal at the 4:45 mark of the fourth quarter, cutting the deficit to 8-4.
Heathwood Hall’s Cooper Horton battles with Hammond’s McLean Robinson.
However, the Skyhawks’ defense shut the Highlanders down from there, while their offense added insurance goals. Witt Williams got his first at the 3:40 mark. McCall capped off his night with his third goal a minute later, and Heroman collected his 100th career point as a Skyhawk with a goal a minute after that to set the final score.
“He had some really good finishes for us on the inside,” Patterson said of Heroman. “He’s battling an injury. He’s been toughing it out. I’m really proud of him, giving it his all. He’s not 100 percent. Hopefully, that’ll change after spring break.
“Drew takes a beating and initiates our offense. Everything goes through him. He’s done a great job. He’s been a rock for us all season.”
Hammond goalie Noah Eargle finished with nine saves.
“Hats off to our defense,” Patterson said. “Our defense is phenomenal. They did a great job. Noah had a phenomenal day in the cage. Sam Heroman is a monster. Durham Kirk and Robert Malanuk are our short stick mids. Tanner Chastain, Andrew Dennis, and Edward Grimsley have been phenomenal. Mclean Robinson and Walker Cason are also a part of that amazing defense. They are what gives us easy looks because they play so great. They didn’t give Heathwood any easy offense. They forced turnovers, got up and down the field, and gave our offense easy looks. Our offensive production only comes because we do a great job on defense. Our defense is the backbone of our team.”
Hammond improves to 10-1 overall and 5-0 in SCISA.
“This is big. It’s a region game,” Patterson said. “This is when it most matters because if we don’t win these games, we don’t get in the playoffs. This is a huge game. It’s always good to beat Heathwood with them being a rival. They fought hard. We were a little much for them tonight. Hopefully, we’ll have the same outcome next time.”
Heathwood Hall falls to 2-5 overall and 1-1 in SCISA.
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