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5000 Clubside Road
Lyndhurst, Ohio 44124-2595
440.423.4446
12465 County Line Road, P.O. Box 8002
Gates Mills, Ohio 44040-8002
440.423.4446
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Hawken football. Those two words are sure to stir some of your fondest memories of Hawken. This section is dedicated to some of those gridiron moments that bring a smile, maybe spark a laugh. You can share those with us by clicking here and we'll add them to this space.
Hawken vs. Warren Champion
1985/86 Season
I attended my first Hawken night game as a 9 year old. I remember standing outside the Warren Champion locker-room. As the Warren players entered the field I remember telling my classmate Scott Walton that "these guys are huge, we are going to get killed." The Hawken 1985 team was loaded, the best Hawken team I ever saw and their 10-0 record at the end of the season showed their flawlessness. The Hawks' had Artie Haynes in the backfield, McDuffie and Slesh at receivers, Brandt at QB, quickness and speed on defense. But it was not a big team from a size perspective. The Hawks' 165lb offensive linemen were giving up 75 pounds per man to the Champion lineman. This is where Coach Walton's teams shined. The Hawks spread the field against the bigger Warren squad — running counters, traps, and sprint-out passes. The disciplined Hawks frustrated the good Warren team and won the game going away in the fourth quarter. The images of the huge Warren players dejected coming off the field wondering how they lost to the small "prep school" boys from Gates Mills is still fresh in my head. Friday Night Lights.
Hawken vs. Wellsville
1986/87 Season
After going 10-0 and failing to make the playoffs because of a lack of computer points, Hawken Athletic Director Tom Bryan and Coach Walton needed to find a good team to play who would help boost Hawken's chances of making the playoffs. When the schedule came out I saw a game against a school called Wellsville, a friday night game. I quickly looked at my Rand McNally Road Atlas and noticed that Wellsville was on the West Virginia border. I remember embarrassingly asking my dad if we were "going to drive or fly to the game." Wellsville was your typically blue collar hard working Ohio steel town. But the Friday Night Lights experience was like nothing I had experienced. The whole town showed up for the game. The stadium was rocking, the band was playing, and the entire student-body was ready for the Hawks. As promised, Wellsville was a good football team. The game went back and forth, until the Hawks took control in the 4th quarter. As the game wound down, the Wellsville QB chucked a desperation pass into the back of the endzone. The ball was intercepted by OJ McDuffie. Coach Walton and Coach Moses were relieved and everyone expected OJ to take a knee...game over. Not this night, not under the lights. McDuffie took the ball at the back of the endzone and darted 108 yards up the sideline. The interception return still stands as record in the state of Ohio. The magic of Friday Night Lights.
Hawken vs. Columbus Academy
1992-1993
Typically the game against University School is the game that is circled every year when the schedule comes out. Not this year. My junior year we had an excellent team and we knew we were going to beat US, which we ended up doing handily. The game that got everyone's attention was game #6, a Friday Night game against the Vikings in Columbus. We had not played Columbus Academy since the heartbreak of the state championship game. This game meant a lot to the players on the state runner-up team and we could all tell the game meant a lot to Coach Walton. There was a lot of extra focus and attention to detail that week in practice. Nobody wanted to lose this game!! I remember leaving the locker-room and knowing there was no way we were going to lose this game. The intensity was unlike anything I had ever seen in my 13 years of following Hawken Football. It was your typical Academy team, well-coached, well-disciplined, and talented. Their program frankly mirrored the Hawken program. We won the game in a real close, hard-fought battle. I remember the jubilation of the win. I remember the smiles of Coach Walton and Coach Moses. Everyone wanted to win the game for coaches and the alumni. The 2.5 hour ride up I-77 was filled with Orangutan's and a stop at McDonalds where we met up with the student-body. For good measure we beat Columbus Academy my senior year also...but the Friday Night Light memory was special.
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I have numerous Hawken Football memories but the one that is most memorable was a Thursday afternoon game against Painesville Harvey in 1984.
Both teams entered the game undefeated (at least I know we were) and the PD was calling it one of the "big games of the week." I distinctly remember seeing their team before the game and noticing how huge they were (specifically the Hamlin brothers). I'm certain we were all wondering if we would be able to play with them. I think this uncertainty stayed with us throughout the game even though we were only down by 3 (3-0) going into the 4th quarter.
Late in the game, we put together a nice little drive with a sprint pass to Jon Hardacre and a few other pass plays - perfect throws from Ben Henkel. Then it happened...I think we were on their 40 or so, with a few minutes to play and another sprint pass was called (to the right). I was lined up as the wide-out on the left side (closest to the home sideline) and I remember watching the ball sail towards Jon Hardacre on the opposite sideline as I made my way across the field. I remember watching Jon catch the pass in stride and then weaving through a few defenders making his way towards the goal line - Jon was running smooth, but not fast. As I made my way a little closer to the action, I realized there was really nothing I could other than to enjoy the moment - I was too far behind to help block. So instead I prepared myself for the hopeful celebration - if only Jon could get across the goal line.....
A few more steps, one more defender to drag along for the ride...and he made it! I distinctly remember celebrating/dancing in the end zone like we'd just won the super bowl - on film I looked ridiculous. Harvey did get the ball, but the victory was sealed a few plays later when we recovered a fumble with little time left on the clock.
The final: Hawken 6 - Harvey 3.
I also remember that Jon Hardacre intercepted a pass earlier that game on our goal line.
Hawken vs. Richmond Heights
Late in the 1983 season we played at Richmond Heights - this was back when Richmond Heights had good teams. It was a crisp fall day - sunny but cool. I know we were undefeated (a tie against Warrensville, but the rest were wins) and they may have been as well. My brother, Dereck was the quarterback and I had the pleasure of taking turns and running in the offense plays to the huddle with Michael Weil (we played off wide out). I also played some defense (corner back) during that game because their quarterback, Jeff Mayfield who once attended Hawken, was a good passer/scrambler.
The game was a great contest - everything the PD thought it would be. Late in the game we were losing by less than a TD (I'm totally guessing but I think the score was something like 14-20). With about 11 seconds left on the clock, it was Michael's turn to run in once last play - Coach Walton called "off end post". I was actually nervous for Michael as he made his way to the huddle. The snap...good protection, good pass, great catch - TD with seconds (I think enough for a kick-off only, but maybe none) on the clock. Funny that the following day the PD said the TD pass from Dereck Slesh was caught by "Sam" Weil. Even funnier that Michael and Meredith Weil named one of their sons "Sam Weil."
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The 2000 season ended with a tough second round playoff loss to St.Peter Chanel. We lost a huge senior class loaded with one of the biggest offensive lines and more talented skill players the school had ever fielded. We went from an average of about 240 lbs on the offensive line in 2000 to about 180 lbs. in 2001.
My senior class, however, was loaded with solid talent. There were not any superstars or go to guys per se. We all knew our responsibility and worked as a unit throughout the season. We started off the season 3-0, including a convincing win over U.S. 27-13. We then fell to Wickliffe 50-43 in triple overtime and followed up the next week with an unexpected but season changing loss to Orange 31-28. Practice that next week was very intense and we ended up going undefeated the rest of the season and won the Valley Division of the CVC finishing 8-2.
Our playoff chances, however, had diminished due to the losses suffered earlier in the season. The night before our final game against Newbury I had all the seniors over plus Matt Koren (junior RB who we took basically adopted as one of the seniors) where we anxiously awaited the final results of Black River and Windham's final game. We had been told earlier that day in practice that if both Black River and Windham had lost that Friday night and we won the following day, there might be a slight possibility of sneaking into the last spot in the playoffs by a few tenths of a point. It turns out both teams lost that night, and when we walked into school the next morning to prepare for our final game Coach Walton told us that now Gilmour had to beat Independence for our playoff spot to be secure.
Late in the 3rd quarter as we were putting away Newbury, Richie Hawwa jogged over to the huddle and instead of telling us the play, he told us we had made the playoffs by a few tenths of a percentage point.  One of the highlights of that week before we faced Chanel was the idea to shave the seniors heads for the big game. Of course I was whining about shaving my hair, but I and the other ten seniors bent over the garbage can in the bathroom in between classes and looked as if we were about to go off to basic training for the Army. By the end of the school day, every single player freshman through senior had voluntarily lined up to have their head shaved for Friday night's game at Chanel. Although we looked pretty insane, the fact that every player knew what this meant to us seniors really made it special. That next week we practiced into the twilight and eventually suffered the same result as the year before. Chanel went on to win the Division V state playoffs that year but the ups and downs that we experienced throughout our senior season will always be memorable. |
1985, Game #9 @ WRA: The Hawks were trying to preserve an undefeated season. We were leading 22-14 with about one minute to go in the game when WRA used a favorable call from the officials to score a touchdown to pull within 22-20. Artie Haynes, our star running back/defensive end, cam up big on the two point conversion attempt. WRA tried to sweep towards Artie's side of the defense where he was waiting for them, kept his outside leverage and blew up the play for a loss. Artie had a little "dance" that he did on the field, kind of spinning and pumping his arms, which was extra special that day to see.
1984, Game #8 @ US: After Coach Walton had spent all week putting in a new play, and telling us that we were going to run it on the first play from scrimmage, he had us believing that we could not help but be successful. When the time came, the Preppers were thoroughly confused by the new formation that we had installed. Ben Henkel, the senior captain/quarterback, quickly called the snap count and hit Kevin Slesh, who had lined up as a tight end, for an 80 yard TD. Even though we lost the game, 34-20, to a solid University school team, featuring future NFL player Judd Garrett, I was impressed with how the game started. We had been running the same play all week in practice and then to see it work has stuck with me in my coaching. |
My highlight spans three seasons, and actually starts with a lowlight. It begins December 5th, 1987. The opponent: Columbus Academy. The location: the Horseshoe at Ohio State. The event: the State Championship. The unfortunate result: Columbus Academy wins 21-0.
I did not play that night, as I was but a pudgy 7th grader who had just started organized football a few months earlier. While any of those that did play would have been hard-pressed to even know my name at the time, I certainly knew theirs, and in following them during this playoff run, I felt like part of the team. During that magical season, the heroics of names like McDuffie, Teague, Henkel, and Kickel had surpassed even those of Kosar, Slaughter, Mack, and Byner in the hearts and minds of not just me, but many of my classmates and future teammates. So their pain that night was our pain, and we had every intention of avenging that loss.
Although the ultimate goal of winning a state title proved elusive, as fate would have it, Columbus Academy found their way onto our schedule our Junior and Senior Year. While the familiarity of University School bred an intense rivalry, the historical significance of the Columbus Academy series made for the two most memorable games of my career.
Our Junior year, the week leading up to the game at Columbus Academy was filled with analysis of tape from the '87 State Title Game. Although it was evident that there was little strategy that could be derived from a four-year-old tape, we fed off the emotion of that loss. In the waning moments of the game, after a long pass to set up a first and goal, the few moments leading up to the inevitable game clinching touchdown were some of the sweetest in memory. I could barely help but stare as Cowsette plunged into the end-zone, despite the fact that I was the "decoy" on the play. We went on to win 10 games that year as Regional runner-ups, but few moments were as poignant as this one, as we righted what we believed to be a four-year-old wrong.
The following year, a year marked by huge expectations but marred by countless key injuries, we again found ourselves facing a formidable Columbus Academy team, this time ranked third in the state. Although our dreams of a playoff run were extinguished the previous week in an overtime loss at U.S., the Columbus Academy game served as redemption for our season as well as seasons past. Thoughts of the 1987 season were always with us: during off-season conditioning, during the last few 40's of an August two-a-day, and now against one of the best teams in the state. Once again, we played inspired football. Once again, we found ourselves victorious. |
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