Springs Valley Community High School

Every time the Springs Valley football team has taken the field this season, it’s done so behind two people, two seniors — Ezra Mills and Jake Hammond. There’s a reason for that. Being in the front of the line — by definition — makes them leaders, but they were leaders before they ever stepped foot in the line to lead the Blackhawks onto the field at Eastern (Pekin) three weeks ago. They’re at the front of the line because of what they’ve done in the weeks, months, and years leading up to these moments. For Hammond, these opportunities are something that he’s been patiently waiting for a long time. “It’s great. I’ve been wanting to do this my whole entire life. It’s what I’ve always wanted,” Hammond said. “It feels good to finally be here and be ready to do it.” When Springs Valley coach Jason Lowe and his staff were figuring out what they were going to do to reload along the offensive and defensive lines, they knew that Hammond had to step up if they were going to have any sort of success. He’d be entering his third season as a starter at center and a contributor all along the defensive line, meaning he’d be one of a few players who would walk into the summer program knowing what he was doing. They needed him to take on a leadership role and mentor the younger players who’d be replacing former teammates like Travis Bell and Mason Chaplin, he took to it quickly, and thanks in no small part to that, the lines have continued to be a strength for the Blackhawks in 2022. “It was huge for us. Jake has been a mainstay on our offensive and defensive lines for a very long time at multiple levels. Having him right between guys like Jonas (Hammond) and Tristen (Edwards) is huge as Jake has a good grasp of the offense and can help those guys out,” Lowe said. “It's the same with Teagun (Rominger). When we decided to ‘convert’ Teagun to a tackle, Jake was the one that we went to to take him under his wing and get him ready.” And the coaching staff knew that it would get what it needed out of Hammond because they’d been around him as long as they had. Long before he was leading the Blackhawks out onto the field, he was at the other end of the line. For nearly a decade before he entered high school and joined the team’s roster, he was its ball boy. His father, Mark, had coached the Blackhawks from 2004 to 2009 and then again from 2017 to 2020 and because of that, he grew up around the varsity program. “Jake loves Springs Valley Football and has for a very long time. We talked about this when we went to camp as a team. It's not easy being the head coach's child, let alone the head coach's son and being a part of the program. However, I don't know that you'll find many kids that have handled that as well as Jake,” Lowe said. “Jake has been on our sidelines for a very long time and he's always brought something. His love for our program is easy to see in the way he shows up for everything and gives us everything he has.” Hammond’s love for Springs Valley football paid off in a big way last season, when as a junior he was a part of the Blackhawks’ most successful season in his lifetime. It was incredibly meaningful to him to be a part of that, especially since he knows that it could’ve gone a different way in different circumstances. “I was just hoping to have a great season like that. There were years that I was with the team and I wasn’t playing that they had high expectations and just couldn’t meet those,” Hammond said. “It just felt great to be a part of (a team that did) and hopefully we can do it again this year.” On Friday evening, Jake and his teammates will try to do something that only one other Springs Valley team has done since 2007 — beat county rival Paoli. The Blackhawks didn’t get a chance to play the Rams last year and, because of that, they’re chomping at the bit to get onto the field. When they do finally make it there, they’ll be following Hammond and Mills and Lowe will be watching from the sideline, marveling at the growth he’s seen from the former ball boy who’s now one of his team captains. “I've watched Jake come through our program since he was in the 3rd grade. Jake loves this program and he shows that in the way he leads others,” Lowe said. “As a coach that's been around as long as I have it's awesome to see the young man that Jake has grown into. He's the kind of person that we’ll talk about in our program for a very long time.”