Hawks, forever!

Hawk pride was more than just a calling card Friday night. It was more than just the colors purple and gold splashed across the field. 
It was written all over the faces of more than 100 former football heroes, back for one last game on the same grass blessed over the decades with blood, sweat and tears. 
It was in the smiles, hugs, handshakes, tears and war stories recollected as the current Hawks team lived out its own version of success. 
Everyone was back home. It looked and felt like a late October playoff game. At least one person from every Hampton team from 1963 to the current roster was represented under the lights. 
Retro Hampton uniforms scattered the field. Wives were wearing their husband’s old jersey as if the Homecoming dance was on tap. Kids were playing their own version of Hampton football behind the end zone, dreaming of their shot one day. 
It was a night to honor the ones who came back; remember those who are no longer with us; celebrate the boys who are currently repping the colors. 
The Hampton football program has quite the history lesson. Back around the time before and during the second world war, the team was shut down after a catastrophic injury to a player.
Hampton football was nonexistent until 1962 when students circulated a petition around the community to bring back the football program. In what has been the case since, the community responded, and football in Hampton returned, starting with the 1963 season.
Who was a freshman on that team? The voice of Hamilton County and more specifically, the voice of Hampton football for well over half that time, Deryl Hilligas (1963-66).
In the last 30-some years as the voice of the Hawks high atop the crows nest, Hilligas believes he’s only missed two home games. Two! 
Hilligas was a freshman on that 1963 team and played all four years before graduating in 1967, calling that time a learning experience because none of them had played any football.
The 1970s was arguably the most successful decade for the Hawks with both the 1972 and 1973 teams going undefeated. Back in a time without playoffs to determine a state champion, Hampton was chosen as state champs by the Lincoln Journal Star.
Jim Connick, the coach of that 1973 team, was there Friday night and led everyone, past and current Hawks, onto the field one last time. Jerry Eickhoff, legendary basketball and football coach flanked on the other side. 
Truly, an incredible sight. The moment was overflowing with passion, pride and devotion to what’s made Hampton sports what it is. 
Dean Klute (1972-75) played in those early years and said one of his favorite recollections was all the car horns honking after scoring touchdowns that surrounded the field.
He shared stories about getting off two team buses with 44-some teammates, doing pregame calisthenics and yelling, “blood makes the grass grow.”
Hampton tough. 
Later on in the decade, the 1976 and 1977 teams were the first in Hampton history to play in state championship games, which are still the only two that have done so since.
The 1976 team that played Wheatland also ended up playing in the first-ever state final that went to overtime, losing 38-32 in double OT. The first game of that playoff run included a win over Decatur, 30-2. 
Over the course of the 1980s and 1990s, the Hawks made the playoffs three times with Hampton winning its most recent district title in 1993. That team was downed by Humphrey St. Francis in the opening round of the postseason.
There were some disappointments, too, like the 1989 team that finished the year 7-1, was in the top five of the final rankings but missed the playoffs. The team’s only loss that year was to Polk-Hordville, having outscored opponents 415-121. 
That 1989 team included Ryan Bamesberger (1986-89) who said, poetically, some of his best memories in purple came in defeat, whether that was all the battles with Polk-Hordville right up the road or McCool Junction, a playoff overtime loss in 1988. 
Grant Dose (1990-93) followed behind, having three head coaches during his four years on the team. He mentioned one of his biggest wins came his freshman season, the year the Hawks only won once. 
The 2000s was Hampton’s best in terms of playoff qualification, making the postseason in 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010.
Carson Klute (2006-09) was a mainstay on those playoff teams and was part of three playoff wins, one of those coming over Giltner and the first Hawk playoff win in 30 years.
It’s always Giltner. The rivalry will never die. 
Then comes Hampton’s most recent success, under coach Jereme Jones. The Hawks have made the playoffs each of the last three seasons and has secured a spot in 2025, too.
Yet, one thing is missing. A playoff win. Hasn’t happened since 2009. Hopefully, that’s on tabs for Halloween. 
Before Friday’s last home game, alumni players and coaches gathered in the gym to watch a 20-minute video packaged by Hampton’s journalism class, which is also now available on YouTube. This is my complete endorsement to go watch it, maybe more than once, called ‘Hampton Football Alumni -- The Final Flight’.
In it, one of the questions for those interviewed was what it meant for them to be a Hawk. The responses were just as you expect.
“Being a Hampton Hawk is deep in my heart because once a Hawk, always a Hawk,” Hilligas said. “My community means a lot to me.”
“This school is very important to me,” Bamesberger said. 
“Hampton is an amazing place,” Jones said. “When we had our new jerseys made two years ago, I wanted to make sure we had Hampton on the chest because we take a lot of pride representing the community.
“I’ve been at consolidated schools and schools by themselves,” Jones added. “There’s something special on Friday night about a team that represents a school and community.”
“Being a Hampton Hawk, to me, means you’re tied into something bigger than yourself,” Carson Klute said. “It’s not just about when you graduated or your individual teammates, it ties you into something and people that are bigger than yourself.
You come from a past that impacts you, whether you recognize it in the moment or not.” 
Nobody has seen more Hampton football games in the past 60 years than Hilligas. His favorite memory? The Hawks’ incredible ranked win over Pawnee City just a month ago. 
That right there was enough to bring tears to coach Jones’ eyes.
“He’s probably seen half the games played on this field,” Jones said. “The fact his favorite moment was one of this group’s games is something special.”
Hampton rolled Friday night, giving the scoreboard plenty to talk about in a 73-20 win over Ansley-Litchfield. 
Klute, who was a player, head coach and now athletic director for Hampton, hung around the field a bit longer than everyone else Friday. 
“Just taking it all in,” he said.
It was up to him to kill the lights. He clearly didn’t want that responsibility. If it was the last time for a Hampton varsity football game at home, the Hawks went out winners -- on and off the field.
Many small towns in Nebraska have faced similar challenges over time. It’s a difficult reality, but one that doesn’t have to be a death sentence. 
Sometimes, a proper goodbye is all that’s needed. 
The roster size changed quite a bit in 60-plus years. What didn’t change was the large ‘Hampton’ script across the chest.
Next year, the name on the front of the jersey will change. What won’t is the passion, pride and determination in the young men who wear them. 
Hawks forever!
RICHARD RHODEN can be reached at sports@hamilton.net.