Hamilton Southeastern had a great first game on both sides of the ball, and that led the Royals to a 24-0 victory at Lawrence Central on Friday.
It was the first time Southeastern had shut out a team since 2017. First-year coach Michael Kelly praised his defensive linemen and his defensive backs, with the linemen doing “a tremendous job” with the defensive pressure and the backs getting into the zones. Giovanni Ragland had five tackles, while Jake Karwowski and Louden Sundling both made four stops.
“I thought overall our defense played outstanding,” said Kelly.
The offense did pretty well, too. The Royals scored their first two touchdowns with one-yard punches into the end zone. Jace Alexander got the ball in during the first quarter, then Blaine Wertz made his score in the second quarter.
Southeastern got one more touchdown in the third period, when John McCall found Will Gerig for a six-yard scoring pass. Alex Geroulis kicked the extra point on all three TDs, then added a 23-yard field goal in the third period as well.
“Our offensive line did a nice job,” said Kelly. He also was pleased with the running and passing during the game.
“Jace and Blaine both did a great job,” said Kelly. “John did a nice job delivering the football when his number was called.”
Southeastern will play its first home game of the season next Friday, welcoming North Central for a 7 p.m. kickoff.
HAMILTON SOUTHEASTERN 24, LAWRENCE CENTRAL 0
Score by Quarters
Southeastern 7 7 10 0 – 24
Lawrence Cen. 0 0 0 0 – 0
Southeastern Team Totals
Rushes-Yards 45-162
Yards Passing 138
Comp-Att-Int-TD 17-24-0-1
Southeastern Scoring
First Quarter
Jace Alexander 1-yard run (Alex Geroulis kick)
Second Quarter
Blaine Wertz 1-yard run (Geroulis kick)
Third Quarter
Will Gerig 6-yard pass from John McCall (Geroulis kick)
Geroulis 23-yard field goal
Southeastern individual stats
Rushing: Wertz 12-65, Alexander 17-52, McCall 10-39, Dagan Fowley 4-12, Sam Jacobs 1-minus 4, Martice Taylor 1-minus 2.
Passing: McCall 17-22-138, Jacobs 0-2-0.
Receiving: Gerig 4-26, Taylor 3-30, Jack Wafford 2-32, Stephen Syndor 2-21, Clayton Wilke 2-13, Alexander 2-minus 1, Dylan Conner 1-11, Wertz 1-6.