By: Gabe Kamins, Co-Editor-in-Chief
There were cardboard cutouts of parents and pets in the stands instead of cheering students and cowbells. There were parked cars outside of the fence on the hill with spectators hoping to catch their first glimpse of the Hawks. The most popular place to watch the game was not in the student section, but rather in the living room thanks to the Facebook live stream of the action. It may have looked a little different, but it was still football.
For the first time since November of 2019, the Hawks hit the turf to play some football. While the crowd noise was lacking, the excitement from players and coaches was surely not. Howard High School came to Clarksville with revenge on their mind following a 14-7 defeat at the hands of the Hawks to end their 2019 season. It was only a scrimmage, but both teams were looking to taste victory for the first time in over a year.
Star receiver Curtis Eley got the Lions started early, taking a touch pass for 51 yards and a score on the third play of the game. Eley also caught a long touchdown for Howard in last year’s meeting as well, and will likely be one of the top players in the county this season. While it was a bit of a shock for the Hawks defense, they were able to buckle down and not surrender any points for the rest of the evening.
To nobody’s surprise, recent Wake Forest commit Zach Igwebe was the first one to find the end zone for the Hawks. Big plays from Dylan Burnett, Michael Crisitello, Nick Laumann, and Myles McDuffie set up Igwebe for the 5-yard score. Igwebe had a solid night on both offense and defense – something that will likely be repeated throughout the entire season.
Following an early 7-7 score, both offenses were stifled. Howard and River Hill are two programs that pride themselves on defense, so it was no surprise to see the defenses leading the way in the first matchup of the year. Daniel Fahmy, making his first start at linebacker since early 2019, was everywhere for the Hawks on defense, registering sacks, tackles for loss, and a fumble recovery. “It just felt really easy out there,” Fahmy explained after the game. “I trained hard over the summer so the work paid off. The team really brought it and Coach [Van Deusen] had us locked in the whole week, so we were ready when the time to play came.” For Howard, a stout defensive line led by Daniel McPherson was in a groove throughout the entire contest. But perhaps the biggest play of the game came when an offense had its best field position of the entire night. Thanks to some pressure from Michael Crisitello, Gabe Kamins recorded a huge interception on the two-yard line to keep the Lions out of the end zone and the score tied at 7.
After the momentum from their goal-line stand, the second-team offense for the Hawks took the field looking to drive down for the winning score. Playing in his first career varsity game, Myles McDuffie made a few huge plays through the air and the ground before rushing for the game-winning 8-yard touchdown. The Hawks celebrated, knowing that they just took down a very quality opponent in Howard.
Nobody knows what the future holds for the 2021 football season. Some teams are already dealing with concerns involving the virus, while others are suddenly without opponents for their week 1 matchup. The county will have to figure something out in order to safely continue with the season, and give the seniors the final year they deserve. Regardless of what comes next, the Hawks playing football for the first time in 19 months was surely a sight to see. If only fans could have been there.