Lamont Hamilton of Racine St. Catherine’s hauls in his third touchdown catch of the game early in the third quarter, giving the Angels a 20-0 lead en route to a 26-22 victory over Baldwin-Woodville in the WIAA Division 4 state championship game Thursday, Nov. 21, at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison. (Photos by Larry Hanson)
Junior Lamont Hamilton provided the electricity needed to put Racine St. Catherine’s in position to win the WIAA Division 4 state football championship Nov. 21 at Camp Randall Stadium.
But the Angels needed a little bit of grit to hang on to a 26-22 victory over Baldwin-Woodville to earn the school’s second state championship.
Senior defensive back Issac Cantu picked off Blackhawks quarterback Gavin Sell at the St. Catherine’s 4-yard line with 28 seconds to go to seal the victory.
“I’m amazed,” St. Catherine’s Coach Dan Miller said. “That was such a physical, tough game. I’m so proud of the boys and how hard they fought.”
That ensured Hamilton’s historic day didn’t go to waste.
Hamilton ended up breaking three Division 4 records in the game: receiving yards (155 — on four catches), receiving touchdowns (three, of 59, 23 and 49 yards) and longest kick return (83 yards). Hamilton also led the Angels’ rushing attack with 33 yards on eight carries and completed a 28-yard pass.
“He’s a special athlete,” Miller said. “I think today he truly showed he is a phenomenal football player and an exceptional athlete — offensively, defensively, special teams. He’s one of the best players in the state.”
Hamilton lit the fuse for the Angels’ explosive offense on their first possession of the second quarter.
In a game that was scoreless at the time after both teams had long first-quarter drives stall out, Miller made the decision on the second play of the second quarter to go for it on fourth-and-1 from the St. Catherine’s 11-yard line. Hamilton took the Wildcat snap and burst 8 yards up the middle to give his team the first down.
On the next play, Hamilton ran 20 yards up the left side to get the Angels out of danger. Two plays later, Hamilton beat the Baldwin-Woodville defense for a 59-yard touchdown reception from junior quarterback Eddie Vinson Jr.
“I knew I had to turn it up a notch and get the team going.,” Hamilton said. “When the offense comes around, everybody looks at me to keep the spark going, so I felt that was my job to lead the offense.”
Hamilton put the Angels up 14-0 with 5 seconds left in the first half when he caught a 23-yard touchdown pass from Vinson.
The Blackhawks fumbled on their first snap of the third quarter (one of four Baldwin-Woodville turnovers in the game), and the Angels cashed in three plays later when Vinson found Hamilton up the right sideline for a 49-yard scoring toss that gave the Angels a 20-0 edge.
After Baldwin-Woodville got on the board with a long scoring drive, Hamilton returned the ensuing kickoff 83 yards to give the Angels a 26-8 margin with 6:33 left in the third quarter.
They would need all of that cushion by the time the game ended.
Baldwin-Woodville, which held the ball for 17:18 of the 24 minutes in the second half, sandwiched two long scoring drives around a St. Catherine’s possession that lasted just 1:03 late in the third quarter. By the time the Blackhawks got within 26-22, there was 10:01 still showing on the clock.
While the Angels gained just 13 net yards on their next possession, they had managed to run seven plays, take 4:12 off the clock and most importantly, give the defense a breather before the last drive of the game.
“That took off a chunk,” Miller said. “They had to move a little quicker. They still had three timeouts, so we were still a little worried there. Our defense is one of the best in the state. They’ve proven it statistically. They proved it today because they played with the heart of a champion.”
The Blackhawks’ last-gasp effort would go 64 yards in 17 plays before Cantu’s game-sealing interception.
Just like the Angels’ first state championship in 2018, this one came down to the wire.
In that contest, St. Catherine’s scored their lone touchdown in an 8-7 victory over St. Croix Central with just 12 seconds and converted the make-or-break two-point conversion.
“I would have liked it to be a little different,” Miller said. “A defensive stand like that — we relied on our defense (all season).”
Miller credited the work of second year defensive coordinator Jose Ramirez, who played for Miller and had his career end in the 2014 state semifinals. Miller said Ramirez came to him two years ago and said he would bring Miller another gold ball if he was allowed to run the defense.
Promise kept.
