By RICHIE HALL
Reporter Sports Editor
A theme has developed for the Hamilton Southeastern football team this summer: Next man up.
It wouldn’t be the first time a sports team has used that phrase, but it will be accurate for the Royals once the 2017 season begins in a few weeks.
The Royals attended a one-day camp at the University of Saint Francis on June 29, and will travel to another single-day camp at Taylor University on Saturday. After that, Southeastern coach Scott May said, “we have been working on our own to get ready for the season.”
May calls his offense “young/new,” although there are a few key players returning on that side of the ball.
“We have a lot of seniors that have worked for their time and now they will get a shot,” said May.
One of those seniors will be a standout: Running back Jackson Sweeney. As a junior, Sweeney was easily HSE’s overall rushing leader, gaining 874 yards on 160 carries, as well as scoring seven touchdowns. Another running back returning is junior Lance Stephens, who got some solid playing time with 89 yards on 29 carries.
On the receiving end, tight end Nick Mutchner is a key returner as a senior. Mutchner had 30 catches last season for 382 yards.
Southeastern’s defense looks to be very experienced as well, with May saying that “if we played tomorrow we would have 10 or 11 senior starters.”
One of the big returns will be senior inside linebacker Johnny May, who is the leading returner in terms of total tackles. May had 110 stops last season, 71 solo and 39 assists. May was also the overall leader in sacks, with 4.5.
Senior defensive end Madison Norris brings back 67 tackles (42 solo, 25 assists), while two more seniors, offensive linebacker Jack Boyd and defensive back Isaiah Phillips also saw some playing time last season.
“I really like this group,” said May. He noted that Southeastern’s junior varsity team went undefeated with many of those players.
The Royals’ schedule is slightly different this season, and the changes will be seen right away. Southeastern will travel to Kokomo for its opener, with the Wildkats replacing Carmel. Week 2 remains the same, with HSE hosting North Central for the season’s first game at Reynolds Royals Stadium.
After that is the Hoosier Crossroads Conference season, which will be interrupted in Week 8. Southeastern will host Brebeuf Jesuit that week; for the past two years HSE had hosted out-of-state teams. The Royals will follow that with a trip to Brownsburg on Week 9 to finish the HCC and regular seasons.
Hamilton Southeastern’s Jackson Sweeney is a key returner for the Royals football team this season. Last year, as a junior, Sweeney was the leading rusher with 874 yards and seven touchdowns in 160 carries. (Brian Reddick/File photo)