By RICHIE HALL
FISHERS – If a team wants to win the big game, it sometimes needs to make big plays.
Hamilton Southeastern made more than a few big plays during its Mudsock football game with Fishers Friday at the Tigers’ TCU Field. The Royals stepped it up on both sides of the ball, and the end result was a convincing 42-13 victory.
The game was played in front of a sold-out, enthusiastic crowd of around 8,000 people and was yet another reminder of just how big the Mudsock rivalry is. At the same time, HSE coach Michael Kelly was pleased that his team was able to stay focused in the midst of the atmosphere.
“We talked all week long about ‘do your jobs,’” said Kelly. “It’s not about who we play, it’s how we play. At the beginning of the game, I think we were focused on who we were playing and then we settled in and focused on how we were playing.”
Southeastern won on the strength of its running game, which totaled 441 yards. All six of the Royals’ touchdowns were scored on the ground. The defense stepped up with three interceptions. And HSE wasn’t afraid to take chances, either, making three fourth-down conversions in the first half.
“In this kind of environment, you got to take away any chance that’s there,” said Royals coach Michael Kelly. “And I’m pretty confident in our offensive line. I think we got a great offensive line that can get those tough yards. I felt confident that we could get those, so I figured we’d roll the dice and just see what happens.”
Southeastern wasted no time getting on the board, scoring on its first drive. A 34-yard pass from Ty Bradle to Dylan Conner set the Royals up at the six-yard line, and Owen Jones ran the ball in from there for the first touchdown, which would be the only TD of the first quarter. Alex Geroulis made the extra-point kick, the first of his six extra-point kicks during the game.
At the beginning of the second period, Southeastern got a turnover on downs, giving it the ball on the Royals’ 41. But on the first play of that drive, Dominic Oliverio forced a fumble, and Curtis Kearschner recovered it, then sprinted 35 yards into the end zone. Tate Talbot’s extra-point kick tied the game up at 7-7.
The Royals snapped back in a hurry, dominating the other 11 minutes of the second quarter. Sam Jacobs rushed 83 yards for a touchdown on the first play of HSE’s next drive.
The Southeastern defense then stepped up, with Peyton Daniels intercepting a Tigers pass. The Royals had the ball again, and Wertz soon had them in the end zone on a 35-yard rush. Southeastern wouldn’t let up, as Cole Earlewine picked off a Fishers pass on the Tigers’ next drive. That led to another quick touchdown score, with Jones jogging in from 39 yards.
The Royals thus led 28-7 at halftime. Fishers cut into that led in the third quarter, when Colin McPeek caught a seven-yard touchdown pass from Lucas Minns.
But the Tigers would get no closer, as HSE added two more touchdowns in the fourth. Bradle took the ball in from two yards during the first minute of the quarter, then Wertz made another 35-yard run to the end zone late in the period.
Wertz finished the game with 215 yards rushing, while Jacobs gained 103 yards and Jones totaled 96 yards. Griffen Haas led the Royals’ defense with eight tackles (six solo and two assists).
“They were more physical than us, and that’s a big difference in the game,” said Tigers coach Curt Funk.
Fishers was held to 52 yards rushing, although Minns had a solid passing game, going 11-for-20 and totaling 132 yards. Oliverio made seven tackles.
“You got to catch a break in games like this,” said Funk. “The ball just didn’t bounce our way in some situations. In games like this, you can’t turn the ball over and we just had too many turnovers.”
Southeastern improved to 4-0 with the win, continuing its best start since the 2008 season. This was also a Hoosier Crossroads Conference game, and the Royals are now 2-0 in league play. As for the Tigers, it was their first loss of the year, dropping them to 3-1 and 1-1 in the conference.
Southeastern hosts Westfield in another big rivalry game next week, while Fishers will play at Brownsburg.
HAMILTON SOUTHEASTERN 42, FISHERS 13
Score by Quarters
Southeastern 7 21 0 14 – 42
Fishers 0 7 6 0 – 14
Team Stats HSE FHS
First Downs 18 11
By Rush 17 4
By Pass 1 6
By Penalty 0 1
Rushes-Yards 43-441 26-52
Yards Passing 49 146
Comp-Att-Int-TD 5-12-1-0 13-22-3-1
Fumbles-Lost 1-1 2-1
Penalties-Yards 2-26 2-6
Punts-Average 2-19.0 2-34.5
Scoring
First Quarter
HSE, 8:04 – Blaine Wertz 6-yard run (Alex Geroulis kick)
Second Quarter
FHS, 11:10 – Curtis Kearschner 24-yard fumble recovery (Tate Talbot kick)
HSE, 10:53 – Sam Jacobs 86-yard run (Geroulis kick)
HSE, 9:03 – Wertz 35-yard run (Geroulis kick)
HSE, 7:15 – Owen Jones 39-yard run (Geroulis kick)
Third Quarter
FHS, 3:26 – Colin McPeek 7-yard pass from Lucas Minns (kick blocked)
Fourth Quarter
HSE, 11:38 – Ty Bradle 2-yard run (Geroulis kick)
HSE, 1:36 – Wertz 35-yard run (Geroulis kick)
Southeastern individual stats
Rushing: Wertz 22-215, Jacobs 4-103, Jones 13-96, Bradle 2-26, Jack Wafford 2-1.
Passing: Bradle 3-8-41, Jacobs 2-3-8, Noah Wolf 0-1-0.
Receiving: Dylan Conner 1-34, Wertz 1-8, Will Gerig 1-4, Jones 1-3, Clayton Wilke 1-0.
Fishers individual stats
Rushing: Dunn 16-19, Khobie Martin 2-18, Luke Valerio 4-10, Minns 2-6, Dominic Oliverio 2-minus 1.
Passing: Minns 11-20-132, Dunn 1-1-20, Oliverio, 1-1-minus 6.
Receiving: Aidan Zimmer 8-114, McPeek 2-11, Jeffrey Simmons 1-20, Valerio 1-7, Dunn 1-minus 6.