By Ed Piper, Jr.
Strong safety Nick Hammel had a breakout game for La Jolla in the 24-21 Blastoff loss to Hilltop.
From the opening series, the 6'2", 190-pounder made an impact. On Alex Tejeda's second completed pass to David Corona--two names, among others, that would be announced all night and would plague the Vikings--Hammel recovered the fumble.
On Hilltop's third possession, the Lancers leading 7-0, Hammel made a stop on wide receiver Gus Ferreira on La Jolla's 48 after a pass complete for four yards on first down.
Hammel really made his presence known on the same series, sacking the agile Tejeda as the Lancers went for it on fourth-and-four from the Viking 47.
This came right after teammate Aldahi Enciso just about intercepted Tejeda on third down, but dropped it before he came to earth (or turf).
Nick's dad, working the chain gang on the enemy sideline, was enjoying his son's spectacular play. "Last game there just weren't the opportunities," he said between downs. "This time there are."
Late in the second quarter, the game tied 7-7, Hammel went explosive. On first-and-10 from Hilltop's 24, Tejeda cut loose with a pass. Hammel, from his strong safety position, eyed the angle and intercepted the pass, running in for the TD and a 14-7 lead after Kenny Hayden's PAT.
He could have said, "I'm back," a short time later when he threw running back Angel Pineda for a loss of nine yards on another first down, this one from the Hilltop 19. The half sounded a short time later.
It was great to see the level-headed Hammel, one of La Jolla's many talented returning seniors, enjoy a spectacular game on defense.
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