Band of brothers: Soccer is a family affair for Hammond team

Hammond soccer is a family affair.

Don’t believe it? How many other high school programs in South Carolina can say they feature four sets of brothers? If that’s not enough, take into consideration 11 current players have a mother or father who attended Hammond.

That’s a pretty fair number of players who probably have heard the stories of what it means to be a Hammond student from their parents.

“The number of kids that have parents that are Hammond alumni is very cool,” Hammond coach Adrian Pinasco said. “The kids want to represent their school and parents. They work very hard representing themselves and the history of this school.”

Senior Ross Moore and freshman John Bailey Moore grew up hearing stories about the heyday of Hammond soccer. Their father, Martin Moore, played on four state championship teams at Hammond before he graduated in 1988.

The brothers are glad to be carrying on the family legacy.

“It means a lot to carry on the tradition,” John Bailey Moore said as the Skyhawks prepared for Wednesday’s SCISA Class 3A semifinal contest against Porter-Gaud. “It’s amazing how many details he can remember. It makes me want to make the most of my time here.”

The fact that Hammond hasn’t won a state championship in boys soccer since 1990 doesn’t sit well with the current roster. Most people think of football when discussing Hammond athletics. The players understand for that to change, they have to win state championships instead of making deep runs in the playoffs.

Junior Isaac Mikell, whose dad Jenkins Mikell graduated in 1985 and played soccer for Hammond, believes the Skyhawks are on the brink of breaking through.

“Why can’t soccer win a state championship?” he asked. “My dad was on state championship teams, and he talks all the time about how special that was to experience. All of our teams at Hammond have the opportunity to be the best.”

There is a friendly rivalry as well. The current players have heard the war stories. But they want to be able to equal, or top, what their parents accomplished.

Sophomore Sumpter Clarke hears the stories from his dad, Edward Clarke, a 1988 graduate. He said the biggest thing for him is to one-up his dad.

“From a personal standpoint, I want to top what he did,” Sumpter Clarke said. “We have a fun time going back and forth. He’s always telling me they were better than us, but you can tell he’s proud of whatever we do on the soccer field.”

Pinasco played professional soccer in Argentina. He has coached on the collegiate level and when he came to Hammond 12 years ago, he had a win-at-all-costs mentality.

That has changed over the years.

“It’s about the culture and what it means to be a part of the Hammond family,” Pinasco said. “These kids are true Hammond products because their parents went here and they’ve been in the school since they started.”

This story was originally published May 9, 2017 at 10:43 PM with the headline "Band of brothers: Soccer is a family affair for Hammond team."