Another tough game!

In any sport, a team has to be prepared for injuries. Injuries can make good teams mediocre and mediocre teams not good at all. Well, unfortunately for the 2009 Hackley varsity football team, the injury bug has bitten them. What has been a very good Hornet team is now facing an uncertain future. On Saturday, the 3 and 1 Hornets faced Hamden Hall, which was also 3 and 1, at Pickert Field. The home team squad opened the game down two key players: senior Captain Steve DelMoro was dressed but he had been nursing a bad shoulder during the week and senior Kojo Boateng was not even suited up. By the middle of the game, senior all-purpose man Chris Starr was on the sidelines with a sprained ankle, slowing him for much of the second half. At the end of it all, the Hornets came out on the short end of the score, 16-6, dropping their season record to 3 wins and 2 losses.

The game was predominantly a defensive battle. In the first half, both defenses were stopping the other’s offenses. With Steve DelMoro not in the game except for 1 play, the Hornets defense held the Hamden Hall offense in check throughout the first quarter and most of the second. Junior Conor McDermott recorded two quarterback sacks and The Hornets held three times, forcing Hamden Hall to punt on each of first three possessions.

Hackley scored first - midway through the second quarter and led briefly, 6-0. But, after the Hornet score, which came with less than 4 minutes to go in the half, Hamden Hall was able to get itself going and they marched right down the field to score themselves. Once the Hornets got the ball back, the offense couldn’t get going. Hackley was forced to punt but there was a missed snap. Hamden recovered the ball on the Hackley 13 yard line and that led to a field goal, giving them the lead at halftime, 9-6.

Despite the depleted squad, the Hornets hung tough in the second half, holding Hamden to a single score, early in the 4th quarter. But that was all of the scoring for the day.

For the game, senior Darnell Davis had over 100 yards and the lone Hornet touchdown on a combination of 11 carries and a punt and kickoff return. Sophomore Adam Parker had a total of 84 yards on 13 carries and a punt and kickoff return. On defense, in addition to the McDermott sacks, junior Marquis Wilson had nine tackles and Sophomore AJ Wolf had 8 tackles respectively.

Next week’s game at undefeated King Low Heywood Thomas will be a challenge. Hopefully, the Hornets’ injuries will heal quickly and the squad will be at full strength.