On the next stop of our Gridiron Football Spring Tour, we got the chance to see the Hammond Tornadoes scrimmage the Franklinton Demons. Both teams have high expectations heading into the 2025 season as the Tornadoes are coming off a playoff appearance in Division I (Non-Select) while the Franklinton Demons came just a couple of plays short of winning the Division II (Non-Select) State Championship. Here are a couple of tidbits about how both teams did in the scrimmage.
Hammond Tornadoes:
After a slow start in giving up a touchdown on the first drive of the scripted part of the scrimmage, the Hammond Tornadoes defense was on fire the rest of the day against a talented Franklinton offense. The Tornadoes certainly created havoc on the defensive side of the football with consistent pressure on the Demons’ quarterback and persistent speed sideline to sideline.
The front seven is going to be something to watch out for Dorsett Buckels’ crew. Johnathan Jackson, Solar Tynes, and Aydan Self were definitely of note, but #4 Elontae Beauchamp was bringing it on every play. Numerous occasions, if he didn’t sack the quarterback, he put the pressure on to throw the ball quicker than what he would have wanted. He also forced two turnovers, one of them was a sack fumble and the other he forced to be an interception from Javion Thomas. Coach Buckels knows he has something in the upcoming junior, but he was plenty pleased of how his defense performed in the spring game.
“The only one that we had coming back is Elontae Beauchamp, who started last year. He is the leader of the defense. He brings that type of energy that you want to see in a coach and he definitely has the “It” factor. The thing about it is he still has two years with us. We are going to continue to watch him grow on and off the field. We are excited about it. We knew he was going to make some noise, but we wanted to see about the other young men. They stepped up to the challenge as well and that is all that we can ask for.”
Hammond Head Coach Dorsett Buckels
Offensively, the Tornadoes played good complimentary football outscoring the Demons 20-0 in the live 15 minute quarter. Quarterback Terin Jones made plays with his arm and his legs. He also showed a good rapport with Israel Luckett, who had multiple catches including a touchdown. The other touchdown pass that Jones completed to was the 6’4 wide receiver Tyler Landry, who caught a pass off a deflection in the end zone.
Coach Buckels was also extremely happy about the running game. Quadrez Louis was bouncing off tacklers and was running hard North/South while Zalen Bennett proved to be a good change of pace back that definitely hurt defenses on the outside. Bennett scored a touchdown while Reginald “Donut” Monroe also scored a touchdown off a pop pass. Monroe has the ability to be the gadget guy and usually good things happen when he touches the football.
“Overall, we had some guys on the offensive line that never played offensive line before. Just seeing them grow up as time went on is something I am happy with. I am excited about this group. We are not the biggest, but we are working hard and we are continuing to work hard.”
Hammond Head Coach Dorsett Buckels
The spring was a nice step forward for the program and they are going to continue that trajectory over the summer.
“The next step is to get healthy. We have a couple of guys with nicks and bruises. It was a tough spring practice. We made it through and we saw some good things with backups right now. I told them that if you are a backup player now, it doesn’t mean you will be a backup in the fall. It’s open season for everybody. Nobody has a starting spot. They got to continue to work and get better. Like they say, may the best man win!”
Hammond Head Coach Dorsett Buckels
Franklinton Demons:
The Franklinton Demons had a magical run last year going all the way to the Superdome and coming up just a couple of plays short of a state championship against Cecilia. In one of the most incredible turnarounds you will see, head coach Nick Saltaformaggio is trying to build on that success and show everybody that last year was not a fluke.
It certainly helps to return your signal caller that got them to that point and that is Jacob Crain. Crain, who has been having a good spring, and has even been invited to play in the 2025 Gridiron Football All-American Bowl Game.
Crain did start off hot by leading the Demons right down the field for a touchdown. Crain and DaMikies McClain were by far the most consistent pieces of the offense through spring. Both players had good chemistry and were clicking when Crain had time to throw.
The Demons have to replace Gridiron Football All-American offensive lineman Beau Webb, running back Sy Austin, and a couple of other key guys. It showed as least in spring as Crain was pressured throughout the spring game. After scoring on the first drive on a Jayden Burkhalter touchdown, the Demons were held out of the end zone.
Defensively, the Demons had some moments including two interceptions from Chakyn McClain and JW Magee, but Coach Saltaformaggio is not going to like the big plays that were given up during the scrimmage. Having to replace a veteran team, Coach knows he has four key guys to build around and that they can continue to use the time during the summer to develop.
“I felt like we have two good players on the defensive line in Samuel Braddy and Nikolas Schilling and obviously, Jacob and DaMikies McClain are excellent players. We are losing guys that all played for us last year. We were state runner-ups last year so we expect to be good. The biggest concern is that we are not very physical at all. We got to find a way to find that physicality. We do have some good players. It didn’t look like it today. We just have to find a way to get stronger over the summer and get some of our guys that weren’t playing today. It’s spring football. You hope to build from it.”
Franklinton Head Coach Nick Saltaformaggio
Even though it was not what Coach Salt and the Demons expected, there were a few positives to take away from the spring game.
“I really liked the play of Braddy and Christon Ellis. I also like the play of Jacob and DaMikies. Both of those guys really played hard and both of those guys understand that they have been through the ringer. I like the fact that our young kids played a lot and did well for a while. I think that we got some clay to work with. We don’t have bad clay. We just have to mold it.”
Franklinton Head Coach Nick Saltaformaggio
If there is a coach that can do it, it is certainly Nick Saltaformaggio, who has sent three different schools to the state championship game. The Demons will be working to get stronger in the offseason while working on the fundamentals.
Check out the photos taken by Alex Allison!
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