Ross, Hammond return to SCISA AAAA championship game

By WORTHY EVANS

Contributing Writer

COLUMBIA–Hammond’s offense struggled against Porter-Gaud in the semifinal round of the SCISA AAAA playoffs Friday night at Edens Stadium.



Jackson Ross, leading the Skyhawks defense and special teams, had no trouble at all in a 42-3 victory against the Cyclones (7-5).

The senior University of South Carolina commit, who plays defensive back and a jumbo-set running back in addition to handling punting duties, put the game out of reach in all three phases of the game. 

In the second quarter Ross intercepted two passes–running for a touchdown on the possession that followed his first pick, and returning another interception 45 yards for a second score. Shortly after those picks, he returned a kickoff 70 yards for a third TD that gave the team a 28-3 lead by the half. 

“It’s my last time on this field, so I wanted to make sure that we ended this thing the right way,” Ross said. “I couldn’t imagine it going like that but I was happy it happened. We’re moving on to state and that’s the goal.”

Head coach Jon Wheeler watched with delight as his top senior changed the flow of the game in the space of nine minutes.

“He’s a special one, obviously and we’re going to miss him. That was the last time playing on this field for him, and it was awesome to see him go out like that,” Wheeler said. “He’s a special young man, first of all, but also a special player..”

With the win Hammond (12-0) returns to the final game of the year, one year after crosstown rival Heathwood Hall denied the Skyhawks in the semifinal game last year, and snapped their chance to earn a ninth-straight state championship. 

Friday’s win was a testament to this year’s team doing everything it needed to do to reach the state final and go for the school’s 23rd state football crown. When asked if not going to the state title game last year actually helped the team’s drive for the state championship this year, Wheeler admitted “Probably.”

“I hate to lose more than I love to win, so I hate to even say that, but probably,” he said. “Coach (Jeff) Barnes (assistant to Wheeler and the school’s athletic director) has said it and I’ve said it, sometimes you get spoiled, and people don’t realize how much work these kids put in to continue that tradition of competing for championships and winning a lot of championships. I hate that it gets watered down because it minimizes what these kids accomplished and the work they put in. I’m very proud of them.”

Hammond takes on Pinewood Prep, which knocked off defending AAAA state champion Northwood 31-25 Friday night. 

The first half was nearly all Hammond–and the second quarter was all Ross.

After forcing a punt on Porter-Gaud’s opening possession, Hammond drove from midfield for the first score of the game, a Kingston Washington run from 5 yards out at the 7:06 mark of the first quarter.

Ross then took over. Shortly after his 37-yard punt, Ross picked off a Cam Werntz pass that set up a short Skyhawks drive from the 30-yard line. Ross finished off the job with a 10-yard touchdown run at the 7:23 mark of the second quarter.

With a 14-0 lead, Hammond kicked off to the Cyclones, but their possession lasted all of three plays when Ross picked off another pass at the Porter-Gaud 45-yard line and rushed through traffic for a 45-yard pick-6 with 6:57 to go at the half.

Porter Gaud’s only score came off the strong leg of placekicker Hunter Thiem, whose 53-yard kick barely cleared the crossbar for the Cyclones only score of the half. 

With 30 seconds on the clock, Ross took the kickoff at the 30-yard line and bolted past Cyclones defenders for his third touchdown of the half.

Coming out of the half holding a 28-3 lead, Hammond took the opening kickoff and set up another scoring opportunity with Cade Amell’s 62-yard pass to Wham Walker. John Stokes closed out that 80-yard drive with a 4-yard touchdown run. 

On the next possession Kayden Proctor Bates picked off a Werntz pass and returned it 35 yards for the final score of the game. That touchdown set off a running clock for the remainder of the game. 

“I’ve been playing with these guys in the senior class for a long time,” Ross said. “Obviously the standard was chopped last year. It was a long offseason and all summer long the goal was to get back and get this thing back, and we’ve got a chance to do that next week.” 

Porter-Gaud 0         3         0         0         –         3

Hammond   7         21       14       0         –         42

First Quarter 

H - Kingston Washington 5 run (Matthew Bellon kick) 7:06 

Second Quarter

H - Jackson Ross 10 run (Bellon kick) 7:23

H - Ross 45 interception return (Bellon kick) 6:57

P - Hunter Thiem 53 field goal :30

H - Ross 70 kickoff return (Bellon kick) :18.9

Third Quarter

H - John Stokes 4 run (Bellon kick) 8:16 

H - Kayden Proctor Bates 35 interception return (Bellon kick) 7:19

                              PG                 H

FIrst downs                   7                7

Rushes-yds               13-(-3)     26-47

Passing yds                 79             150

Att-Com-Int             23-13-3     9-7-0

Fumbles-lost              0-0             1-1     

Penalties-yds            3-15           6-50

Punts-avg                6-38.5        4-34.5

RUSHING

P - Scooter Brown 7-11, Daven Brown 2-2, Amir Chisolm 2-(-3), Cam Werntz 1-(-11), Team 1-(-2).     

H - Blaze Barns 6-15, Mikel Corbett 6-19, Kingston Washington 5-26, William Zhong 4-(-1), Jackson Ross 1-10, John Stokes 1-4, Caden Young 1-(-5).

PASSING 

P - Cam Werntz 13-23-3.

H - Cade Amell 7-9-0.

RECEIVING

P - Scooter Brown 3-23, Amir Chisolm 3-21, Whit Shealy 2-12, , Cole Thornton 2-4, Huck Nevin 1-9, Wilson Yarborough 1-2, Jackson Dyer 1-(-1).

H - Caden Young 3-68, Wham Walker 2-71, Jackson Farmer 1-14, Asher Gause 1-(-3).