Davon Hemingway bobbles a pass in the second half before taking control of the football and running it into the end zone for his second touchdown against Burlington Township High School at Burlington on Oct 10, 2015. Burlington won the game 43-14. (Photo by Martin Griff.)
Just two years ago, the Lawrence High School football team was a favorite to win the Central Jersey Group III state title. The squad was 10-0 heading into the 2013 final versus Hopewell, and though the Cardinals lost 31-14, the game ended arguably the most successful campaign in the school’s history.
It was an effort made possible by then-head coach Rob Radice, as well as players like running back Semei Mitchell, a 1,000-yard rusher that year.
By the next season, though, Radice resigned, and Mitchell and his classmates graduated.
Former football assistant and track and field head coach Nate Jones stepped in for Radice and was faced with a tall task: rebuilding a former state title contender on top of a foundation of underclassmen and a few seniors who would be first-time varsity players.
Though the young team went 3-7 last season and started this year 0-5, Jones has something solid to build on, starting with offensive juggernaut Davon Hemingway.
The 6-foot-2 sophomore had scored 10 of the team’s 12 touchdowns—e receiving and three rushing—has caught nine passes for 263 yards, and rushed for 118 yards on 21 attempts.
“He’s got a tremendous amount of speed and a good nose for the football,” Jones said. “He has a good nose for the end zone. He’s been working out really well for us this season. He did all the summer stuff we do, all the stuff we do throughout the year, and it’s paying off right now. Hopefully, everyone’s seeing this, so the rest of them will be motivated, as well.”
Three of Hemingway’s scores came on opening day, a 41-18 loss at Ewing. While he said the hat trick was exciting, his mind was on the squad.
“It was an adrenaline rush,” he said. “But you’re just hoping to show up and help the team come back and get that first win.”
Hemingway started playing Pop Warner football at age five. He was initially a lineman, but as he grew taller and faster, he switched positions and became an offensive asset three years into his career.
Jones, who coached under Radice for seven years before taking the reigns last season, said he recognized Hemingway’s skills, but he didn’t quite anticipate the season the sophomore is having.
“I knew he was very talented,” Jones said. “I expected him to be a nice piece of the puzzle, but I didn’t expect him to have all but one of our touchdowns. I thought it would be spread out a little more. We have a lot of good weapons out there. We have a lot of good skill kids, so I didn’t think he would have such a large percentage of our touchdowns.”
One of those weapons is junior tight end and defensive end Dan Toatley, coming off a season where he made over 60 tackles, including 12 in one game, and netted nearly 200 receiving yards in six games. Jones and Hemingway also listed Tommy Tanner, Tanner Andamczyk, Shemar Williams and Brandon West as other key contributors.
Jones said he has seen improvement in Hemingway and the squad as a whole with each week, but consistency is the key to getting win No. 1, he added. The offense and defense have been bright spots at different times, and the week they come together will be the week the team pulls out a W. Jones said officials and his peers have expressed similar sentiments to him.
“I’m seeing the progress, and most importantly, whether it’s another coach or an official, they all keep saying how impressed they are with our kids, with their effort and how they’re having fun out there playing the game, even though we’re not coming away with the result we want ultimately, which is a win. But the guys are enjoying the game and playing hard, so we’re happy with that.”
It bodes well for the future, he added. Once his players have a year or two playing at the varsity level under their belts, he’s confident they’ll be able to keep up with their opponents—and more.
“Obviously, just a few years ago, we were playing for a state title, and then the whole group graduated,” Jones said. “It’s just that the name of the game in football is experience. The more experience you have, the better you are. This year, these guys are getting a lot of experience.”
Jones added that the combination of increased enrollment in Lawrence Junior Cardinals football, a solid freshman team and a core of this year’s team set to return next year is the perfect recipe for a good season.
For now, though, he hopes that Hemingway’s success will resonate with the rest of the squad.
“In my head I’m just like, ‘I hope it’s a sparkplug to get them hyped and ready to push for the next play,’” Hemingway said. “I want to help us win. I just want to go out and help the team as much as I can.”
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