By RICHIE HALL
Reporter Sports Editor
Last year’s Hamilton Southeastern football team had many seniors in a starting line-up, which is relatively normal for a team from a large school.
So, this year’s Royals group will have some new faces on the field when it travels to Kokomo on Friday. But the Southeastern program is one that tends to re-load, not rebuild. The Royals are ready for another successful season.
HSE coach Scott May said he has seen improvements “in a lot of areas” as the practices have progressed, and knows that his team has “a lot of room to get better.” While there are many new faces, there will be some experienced players on the field as well.
A big return is senior Jackson Sweeney, who will be the tailback for the Royals. Sweeney was by far Southeastern’s leading rusher last season, with 874 yards and seven touchdowns. Sweeney will not play in the opener; Lance Stephens is next in line at tailback.
Senior Nick Mutchner returns in the tight end position. He made 30 catches last year; one of them for a touchdown. This year’s quarterback is Cody Huppenthal, a senior.
Three familiar names return for the Royals on defense. Both the tackles are back, seniors Will Hedrick and Madison Norris. Johnny May, also a senior, has moved to the inside linebacker spot.
Southeastern opens at Kokomo, a team that has improved greatly over the past few seasons. The Wildkats have won back-to-back sectional championships, and a regional in 2015. May said while the Royals haven’t played Kokomo in a few years, he knows it will be a solid team.
“They run an offense that we don’t see so getting ready for that has been a challenge, but I like our defense a lot and think they will be ready for the challenge,” said May. “Our offense is getting better daily. We have some new faces out there that are working hard and I think it will pay off.”
