Cumberland’s Hayes fueled three Division I squads
CUMBERLAND – Each of Jack Hayes’ three coaches during his four-year tenure at Cumberland High admitted being both surprised and thrilled that their standout had been selected The Call’s Athlete of the Year (sponsored by Olly’s Pizzeria), probably because they didn’t know such a prestigious laurel existed.
Yet head football coach Josh Lima, legendary wrestling mentor Steve Gordon and lacrosse chief Scott Carpenter all knew the reasons why.
The latter told a most-revealing – and lengthy – story about the 2017 CHS graduate’s immense character, dedication, talent and drive, and it occurred just a couple of months ago, during a home Division I lacrosse clash opposite La Salle at Tucker Field on April 11.
“It was the third game of the (regular) season, and he went down hard in the first quarter, but got up and came to the sideline; I instantly knew something was wrong,” Carpenter recalled. “His left arm was hanging by his side, so I put my hand under his shoulder pad and could feel his AC joint was out of whack; his shoulder was separated.
“Jack kept saying, ‘Coach, I’ll be OK! Put me back in!’ but I told him, ‘You’re all done.’ I took him over to his parents, who were in the stands, and they immediately brought him to the emergency room to be checked out. He missed the remainder of the season – that is, until Senior Night.
“Despite all that, not only did he attend every practice and every game, but he became an assistant coach of sorts,” he continued. “He literally would work one-on-one with other attackers – actually, all the guys – and helped them understand our system, our plays. He’d help them with mid-game adjustments.
“He truly acted as an assistant coach. He not only played the role of a tri-captain, but also a teacher throughout the games.
“What impresses me most about Jack Hayes? He’s got an infectious personality. He’s able to captivate everybody. He can lighten the mood when we’re behind, then scare the heck out of players with his competitive ferocity the next minute.
“Still, for me to be singled out is amazing. There are a lot of really great athletes out there in so many sports, so to be the one selected is crazy.”
– Cumberland’s Jack Hayes
“Whether it was in practice or in games, the guys went to war with him, so when Jack spoke, people listened … We had one game down at Portsmouth (a 10-5 defeat on May 16), and we had, like, 11 or 12 penalties. We hadn’t played up to the level we expected, so Jack asked me, ‘Coach, can I speak to the team first?’ I said, ‘Absolutely.’
“For at least five minutes, he talked about the kind of team culture we had built the previous two years, and how disappointed he was that we broke from that. He talked about the foundation that he himself helped develop.
“Both the JV and varsity teams looked at him; they all had been on a knee, and he had everyone’s attention – and then some. It was a great moment. For me as a coach, it was so gratifying and touching. I said to myself, ‘This kid gets it.’ He beats the drum to the same beat I do. I’m so proud of the man he’s become.”
To explain what Hayes has meant to the Clippers’ athletic program, you’d need eight Sports Illustrateds and would fill them all.
In Hayes’ senior year alone, he captained the football, wrestling and lacrosse contingents. On the gridiron, as a tailback, he rushed for 890 yards and eight touchdowns on a scant 134 handles, good for a stellar 6.6 gain per handle, and gathered 12 receptions for 154 yards and three more touchdowns.
And, as a defensive end, he mustered a team-high 55 tackles with a sack. The team may have missed the playoffs with a 3-5 mark in D-I (4-7 overall), but his attitude, Lima explained, will remain with his program for years.
When that campaign closed, he immediately began working out with his matmen. By the time that season ended, Hayes not only claimed the state crown in the 170-pound weight division, but was a key cog in the Clippers’ winning for Gordon a fifth state championship. He also earned for himself first-team All-State accolades. (He, by the way, has received two All-Division honors in football and lacrosse in his career).
“He only played in about two-and-ahalf games for me,” Carpenter said, “but he still had five goals and six assists. He was declared OK for Senior Night against Hendricken, and we lost, 16-13, but he (recorded) two goals and three assists, despite playing at about 70 percent.”
During his junior campaign, Hayes led the Clippers in scoring with 62 tallies and 46 feeds (108 points) to nail down the No. 2 spot on the state’s scoring list. The spring before, he notched 58 goals and 36 assists (94 points).
Both years, he helped his school to the state Division II finals, snaring the crown as an 11th-grader with a thrilling 12-10 triumph over Westerly at Brown’s Stevenson Field.
“He was originally a middie as a freshman, but I switched him to attack his sophomore year,” Carpenter offered. “It was because of Jack’s terrific stick skills. No matter how many (opponents’) sticks were hitting him, or bodies he was plowing through, he was able to maintain possession. He’d provide for us some amazing scoring opportunities.
“He’s so tenacious and shifty; he just has that ‘It’ factor,” he added. “He could blow past you, bull through you, then finish. He has a motor that doesn’t quit.” Lima offered more. “He was a hard-nosed runner, a kid that ran downhill; he’d hit a hole in a flash and bowl people over,” he said. “He was really tough to take down at the second level because he ran so hard. Defensively, again, his skill set was the same. He’d play fast, physical and furious. That was his biggest asset. He made it look easy, getting to the ball carrier or the QB.
“His most memorable game? That’s simple. It was last Thanksgiving at Tucker Field,” he continued. “We beat Woonsocket, 34-28, in OT, and he ran the ball with authority. He rushed for 188 yards and two TDs, had 29 yards receiving for another and also threw a pass to Zach St. Jean. He ended that day with 261 total yards.
“Incredible! We’ll definitely miss him,” he offered. “We don’t have a guy who can contribute so much on both sides of the ball like he did. You can’t replace him unless you’re really lucky, like we were four years ago when he got to Cumberland.”
When Gordon discovered Hayes’ newest accolade, he exclaimed, “That’s great! He’s so deserving.
“What makes him so special is he’s so versatile. First, he was probably the best overall athlete on his football and lacrosse teams, and he’s an All-Stater on the mat.
“Second, this year, he was so focused,” he continued. “Last season, he had a really bad state tournament, got upset in the semis then lost in the wrestlebacks. We expected him to place very high, if not win it. It was extremely disappointing to him.
“He nevertheless devoted himself to this season, and nobody – I mean nobody – was going to stop him. You know, in the state meet, nobody scored a point on him. He pinned his first three opponents, then beat Mount Hope’s Devon Lancaster, 4-0, but it wasn’t that close.”
Gordon went on to offer these facts: Hayes finished fifth at the New England Championships, 14-1 during dual meets and 40-4 overall.
“He’s just a natural athlete, lightning-quick and agile, and skills and techniques come really easy to him,” he stated. “You show him something, and he immediately gets it. At that point, he works on it and perfects it. His balance is superior, which is very important for a wrestler. He was a great athlete and great leader of our team.”