Golden Eagled win Junior KASSAA football crown in a heartstopper

Jeff Green | Dec 01, 2021

At one point, near the end of the KASSAA (Kingston Area Secondary School Athletic Association) Junior AAA football final at the Caraco field in Kingston, the Sydenham Golden Eagles long time coach Karl Hammer was at a loss.

“We have come so close to winning in the finals and semi-finals so often, and then lost, that I was thinking I need to leave, I’m a jinx on the team. ‘that’s it, I said to myself, I’m stepping aside” he said the day after the Golden Eagles held on for a 16-15 victory over their arch rivals from Lasalle High School in Kingston.

The Golden Eagles made the KASSAA final the last time it was played in 2019, and lost 32-29 to Holy Cross, a team they had beat in the regular season. And the year before, in the 2018 semi-final, they were leading by two touchdowns with a minute to go, and ended up losing.

In this game, a familiar pattern seemed to be setting in on the helpless Golden Eagles team and coaching staff.

The Golden Eagles got off to a fast start, and were leading 16-0 at one point.

“The sun then went behind a cloud. It got really cold and it seemed to change the tone of the game. Lasalle came on. We couldn’t stop them and could not mount any offense. It was not a great feeling.”

The turning point came when the Golden Eagles punter, Logan Hammer (a cousin of coach Karl) had the ball slip out of his hands and Lasalle recovered it and then scored.

Near the end of the game, while leading 16-13, the Golden Eagles surrendered a safety in order to improve their field position. But then Lasalle began running the ball relentlessly down the field as the clock was ticking down.

“Our defensive coach Jason Wimmer was trying to figure our what to tell our defense in order to stop them, but nothing was working. They were gaining 6 or 10 yards each time they ran the ball.”

Then, with the ball on the Golden Eagles 10-yard line and a minute to go in the game, Lasalle decided to pass.

The pass was intercepted, by Logan Hammer.

The Golden Eagles ran out the clock and won the game. The next morning, Karl Hammer still couldn’t believe it.

“I’m feeling tired but euphoric,” he said. “The players are so happy, and relieved as well.”

It is the first time the Junior Golden Eagles have won the KASSAA AAA championship in over 20 years, Hammer said. Sydenham, like Lasalle, is a AA school in terms of size, but they choose to compete in the AAA division with the larger Kingston High Schools.

Hammer said that the win culminated an interesting season for the team. Because there was no football season in 2020, he felt that establishing the culture of the team became an issue for the first time in his coaching career.

“Usually the grade 10 players are there to train the younger players and show them , that you have to show up every day for practice, that we start when it is too hot and end when it is too cold, all of that. They had to learn all of that again, but it all worked out. We have some really strong players for next year. Great players for the senior team.”

Hammer said that the coaching team at SHS deserves a lot of credit. They are a mix of current and former SHS teachers and other community members, most of whom played for the Golden Eagles when they were much younger.

The include: Jason Wimmer, Rob McDougall, Steve Mclegan, and Shawn Reid.

“And we pulled former long time Golden Eagles coach Ron Dickey out of retirement this year. He coached most of us as kids. His wisdom and experience was really valuable” said Hammer. “I’m really not the X and O guy on the staff. I’m more about the family feeling. I just make sure the kids are warm on the sidelines, and to give them a hug, whether we win or lose.”

The player of the game went to Dylan Redmond, one of the few two way players on the team. He plays Defensive End and Fullback.

And Golden Eagle Kallista Andrews might be the first girl to play on a championship boys football team in KASSAA.

With the win, the team will be looking forward to football next year, when some will be defending the championship and others will be moving on the senior ranks.

As for coach Hammer. He said he will be coaching again, his jinx now broken thanks to his young cousin