Hammond's rain-slicked and fog-covered field was the scene of a battle of ball control Friday evening. The No. 13 Golden Bears, who protected the ball, defeated No. 8 River Hill, which did not, 12-9.
River Hill (2-2) turned the ball over six times — four fumbles and two interceptions — and had three drives end inside the Hammond's (4-0) 5-yard line.
The game saw the return of River Hill's all-county running back Aaron Wells, who sustained a knee injury in a Week 1 win over Reservoir, and wasn't expected back until October.
Wells' return seemed to give the Hawks offense some much-needed punch after last week's 14-0 shutout at the hands of Atholton, a game in which they gained less than 50 yards of offense.
River Hill was moving the ball with authority on the game's opening drive, but on third-and-goal from the 12, quarterback Austin Altman's pass was intercepted by Akili Moore, who ran the length of the field for a touchdown.
"When I was running I heard someone yelling 'Catch him Aaron! Catch him!' And I know Aaron Wells is a fast kid but I know I'm fast, so I just went to my second gear," said Moore, who picked off another pass later in the half.
River Hill's next four drives ended in a fumble, a punt, an interception and a fumble at Hammond's 1-yard line less than three minutes before halftime.
Hammond scored midway through the third quarter on an 8-yard pass from sophomore quarterback Tyler Martin to Charles Holly to go ahead 12-0 after a missed two-point conversion.
On River Hill's ensuing possession, Wells finally converted in the red zone to score from 8 yards out.
River Hill again fumbled the ball away in Hammond territory to start the fourth quarter, but the Hawks finally got a break when Hammond fumbled the ball back — its only turnover of the game — two plays later.
The Hawks' next drive ended on Hammond's 1-yard line after a failed attempt on fourth down.
With less than three minutes to go, Hammond purposely ran out of the side of the end zone to give River Hill a safety, and the ball back around midfield with 2:30 left.
Three plays later, River Hill's sixth and final turnover — a fumbled pitch from Altman to Wells recovered by Jared Turner — finally cost them the game.
It was the first time that River Hill coach Brian Van Deusen remembers his team losing twice in a row since his first year as coach in 2000.
"You can't beat a good team with six turnovers," Van Deusen said. "We couldn't make the most of our opportunities ... we've got to keep battling. We're going through some adversity right now."
Last year, River Hill beat Hammond, 27-6, in the season opener. Hammond did not lose again until Nov. 19 at McDonough in the Class 2A South regional championship game. River Hill lost a month later to Atholton, but both teams finished the regular season 9-1 to share the county title.
RH (2-2) 0 0 7 2 - 9
H (4-0) 6 0 6 0 – 12
First quarter
H: Moore 100 interception return (kick failed), 6:47.
Third quarter
H: Holly 8 pass from Martin (run failed), 4:28.
RH: Wells 8 run (Grove kick), 2:31.
Fourth quarter
RH: Safety, 2:48.