Green Hornets 70-LB Select Football Team Falls to Old Mill, 13-12

By Colin Murphy

The 70-lb Green Hornets select football team came out hungry for the first game of the season against Old Mill at Kinder Park on September 4, and they kicked off their year with strong effort before narrowly falling to the Patriots by a score of 13-12. Head Coach Craig Hammel was proud of the effort his boys gave and saw many encouraging signs in the slim defeat.

“The offensive line did really well firing off the ball, and the backs knew what hole to hit and got to the edge really well,” said Hammel. “[The outlook for the year] is very positive.”

Indeed, it required solid execution for the 70-pounders to remain neck-and-neck with a skilled and fast Old Mill team. While the Green Hornets had several standout performers, the entire roster of Jacob Burfoot, Aaron Cook, Seamus Patenaude, Colton Adams, Gavin Iley, Declan Fox, Logan Meighan, RJ Breeden, Matthew Vincent, Ayden Hammel, Brayden Flynn, Brooks Harris, Jeremiah Angel, Gavin Buczynsky, Ryan Stauder, Joe Joe MacSorley, Ryan Laughlin, Ben Darley, Kevin Bredeck, and Jack Jack Denault played well in the closely-fought battle.

The center/quarterback duo of Brooks Harris and Ayden Hammel executed every snap cleanly, fumbling not a single time in the game—a remarkable feat at this level of football and a testament to the Green Hornets’ focus and preparation. Hammel and Declan Fox recorded the team’s two touchdowns, while Matthew Vincent recorded two sacks and Joe Joe MacSorley had a fumble recovery. A questionable holding call in the game’s final seconds erased Ayden Hammel’s would-be winning touchdown, but the Hornets nonetheless continued to make progress towards becoming complete football players and teammates.

Asked about his team’s greatest strength, coach Hammel was most proud of how the boys leaned on throughout the contest. “Teamwork, teamwork, teamwork,” said Hammel. “They all work hard together, they carry each other, and they fight for each other.”

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