Leaving Pump Road on Thursday night you would have thought the Hawks had won a playoff game. Fans were leaving shouting out of car windows, yelling into the night sky. Outside the visiting locker room you could hear the team celebrating inside just as much if not more than they did when the clock showed zero. As the team left the field, Coach Rogers was there to meet every last Hawk headed to the locker room with an emphatic hand shake, slap or even chest bump.

Simply put, we underrated the revenge card. Yes, this was just the Hawks third game of the season but it was one they wanted badly. Remember, the Hawks were in complete control in the first half last season before Godwin came back and won 24-21, on the Hawks field no less. That game was fresh in the mind of all who took the field and a point of emphasis all week long. Beat Godwin, it was that simple and the Hawks made it look simple.

Sure, the Hawks fell behind early, the Eagles drew first blood but the Hawks drew blood often. The Hawks were relentless on offense be it air or ground but most commanding from the ground where they would just chomp off yards little by little, eating clock and keeping the Godwin defense on the field. Four of the Hawks six touchdowns came on the ground; TJ Wingfield with two and Nolan Crist & Malachi Madden with 1 each.

Up 21-7 entering the third quarter the Hawks took off over 8 minutes on their first possession of the second half! The Hawks were aided as well by special team plays , both involving Jose Guadalupe, Jr. who recovered a loose ball on a Godwin return following the Hawks first score of the night that ultimately led to another Hawks score.

Following the Hawks second score of the night, they elected for an onside kick and who recovered it but Jose once again. The Hawks could not capitalize on that play but it was just another example of how determined the Hawks were to take the W on this night.

Godwin had the ball twice in the first quarter and came away with 7 points although one could argue it should have been more. A big time pass on 3rd & 9 at their own 32 was brought back due to a hold. Ball at the Hawks 20, Sam Settar stuttered just a bit in his footwork, long enough for Patrick Liptrap and Evan Strath to get to him for a loss of 9 yards. The Eagles never recovered. Another hold on 3rd & 18 was declined and the Eagles would not convert on fourth down.

The Eagles did not have to wait long for another opportunity. The Hawks had the ball at their own 41 when the exchange was fumbled and Godwin had the recovery. 1st & 10 at the Hawks 40 Sam Settar sent the pigskin thru the air and hit Willy Edwards on his way to the end zone for a 40-yard score. The Eagles struck first and had a 7-0 lead.

Whereas the first quarter belonged to the Eagles, the second quarter was all Hawks.

The Hawks continued a drive that had started at their own 20 and through a series of runs, passes and offsides call against Godwin they were able to march down the field but scoring was anther story. A Nolan Crist touchdown from the 15 was called back due to an illegal block in the back. Three plays later the speedy and elusive Malachi Madden sprinted 7 yards along the home sideline for the first TD of the night for the Hawks.

On the ensuing kick return, the Eagles Willy Edwards who scored the only Godwin TD of the night fumbled and the Hawks Jose Guadalupe Jr. was there for the recovery. Hawks ball again at the Godwin 31 and in a little over four minutes the Hawks were back in the end zone on a quarterback keeper.

Things continued to spiral for the Eagles when the Hawks went for the onside kick and recovered with none other than Jose Guadalupe, Jr. coming up with the ball. The Hawks could not capitalize off this one, they could not convert a 3rd & 6 and settled for a field goal that fell short with 1:44 to go in the half.

What if I told you the Hawks would have another shot before halftime? Godwin went 3 & out after a Michael Shelton, Jr. sack and with less than a minute to go in the half, at the Eagles 40 the Hawks Nolan Crist & Malachi Madden struck gold on a 40-yard shot to the end zone.

The Hawks trailed 7-0 at the beginning of the second quarter, they led 21-7 at the end.

Would you believe that both teams had just one possession in the third quarter?

The Hawks put together a time consuming drive that took a little more than 8 minutes off the clock and stretched 60 yards to the end zone. The Hawks during this drive overcame a penalty that set them back five yards and a sack from Mina Gaid of Nolan Crist. The Hawks just kept coming... kept pounding, the Eagles just could not get the stop they needed and with 3:42 to go in the quarter TJ Wingfield, Jr. scored his 1st of 2 TD's on this night from one yard out.

By the time we got to the fourth quarter the Godwin Eagles had pushed the ball out to the Hanover 38 from their own 35. Evan Strath and JJ Parker held the Eagles to no gain and on third down the Eagles went to the air only to see it fall incomplete. A punt fake saw nothing gained either as that pass suffered the same fate and the Hawks had the ball with a short field to work with.

It took the Hawks just 5 plays and 63 yards to hit the end zone for a fifth time. Owen Long found himself open in space shaking a defender and going the distance 55 yards for another Hawks TD. 35-7 Hawks and there was still over 7 minutes left in the game.

After Stone Gravitt caught a big time pass (35 yards) from Sam Settar to spark the Eagles, the Hawks defense rose to the occasion as if to say, "not so fast". The Hawks defense went backward instead of forward with JJ Parker and Patrick Liptrap coming away with tackles for a loss. The Eagles would go for it on 4th & 18 but the pass would go just thru the fingertips of Konstantino Kovanes.

Give credit where credit is due, with things not going their way the Eagles never gave up and that nevermore evident than when Tyler Webb and the entire Eagle defense swarmed on JJ Parker on 2nd & 4 at the Eagles 41. Try as they might though, the Hawks could not be denied, the run game too powerful and on 1st & 10 from the 37 TJ Wingfield, Jr. had a lot of hands on him but his legs kept moving and he broke free for a 37-yard score. An exclamation point on a dominant night both in ball control and on defense.

Godwin had a 7-0 lead at the end of the first quarter but was shutout the rest of the way while the Hawks could not be stopped scoring 42 unanswered.

What a trio the Hawks have on offense with Nolan Crist, TJ Wingfield, Jr. and Malachi Madden. These three combined for nearly 300 yards of offense alone.

Nolan Crist made plays all night long by way of the arm or the legs with 110 yards completing 7 of 11 plus 2 TD's thru the air. Crist added another touchdown on the ground where he rushed for 72 yards on 13 carries.

Malachi Madden was the first to the end zone for the Hawks and had two second quarter TD's. Madden caught four of Crist passes for 69 yards and a TD while he also rushed for 12 yards and a score there.

How about TJ Wingfield, Jr. part of the ground assault eclipsing the century mark rushing and scoring twice for the Hawks in the second half off of 17 carries.

Let's give some love to the defense as well.

Patrick Liptrap had by my count eight tackles and Jose Guadalupe, Jr. recovered a fumble on a Godwin return and an onside kick.

Hanover is 3-0 for the second time in three years.

42 points by Hanover is the most against Godwin since 2021 when they put 51 on the Eagles.

7 points is the fewest the Hawks have allowed Godwin since their first meeting in 2017.

35 points is the largest margin of victory for either team in the series.

Hanover improves to 3-1 on the road in this series.