THE REPORTER
Hamilton Southeastern rolled to a Hoosier Crossroads Conference opening victory Friday, beating Avon 42-23 in a home game.
The Royals zoomed through the first half to take a 28-3 lead and scored two touchdowns in each of the first three quarters. Jalen Alexander rushed for a 70-yard score early in the first, then Donovan Hamilton took a 63-yard pass from Chandler Weston into the end zone with 3:52 left in the quarter.
The Orioles got on the board in the second period with a field goal, but Southeastern blitzed them for two touchdowns in the final minute before halftime. Alexander made a two-yard run to score with 56 seconds left, then moments later, Hamilton collected a blocked punt and took it 67 yards to score.
Jalen Alexander scored two touchdowns and
totaled 164 yards rushing. (Julie Brown)
“We played really well,” said HSE coach Michael Kelly. “Played a really efficient game. Donovan Hamilton was kind of a freak for us.”
The Royals put the game to bed with two more touchdowns in the third period. AZ Wallace punched the ball in from the one, and Callen Okerson teamed with Weston for an eight-yard pass play touchdown. Avon scored twice in the fourth quarter, but Southeastern had the game in hand by them.
“The defense played really well,” said Kelly.
Alexander totaled 164 yards rushing, with Weston completing six of nine pass attempts for 121 yards. Hamilton turned his three receptions into 94 yards.
The Royals are 3-0 and travel to Fishers next Friday for the Mudsock game, a game that Kelly said is “always a big week for our kids.”
“We got to make sure we have a good week, make sure we prepare the right way so we can play our best on Friday,” said Kelly.
HAMILTON SOUTHEASTERN 42, AVON 23
Score by Quarters
Avon 0 3 6 14 – 23
Southeastern 14 14 14 0 – 42
Team Stats AVON HSE
First Downs 21 15
Rushes-Yards 48-209 35-212
Yards Passing 114 121
Comp-Att-Int-TD 9-21-0-2 6-9-0-2
Fumbles-Lost 0-0 0-0
Penalties-Yards 5-45 5-35
Punts-Average 6-29.8 4-43.3
Southeastern Scoring
First Quarter
10:26 – Jalen Alexander 70-yard run (Hugo Belmonte kick)
3:52 – Donovan Hamilton 63-yard reception from Chandler Weston (Belmonte kick)
Second Quarter
0:56 – Alexander 2-yard run (Belmonte kick)
0:11 – Hamilton 67-yard punt return (Belmonte kick)
Third Quarter
5:03 – AZ Wallace 1-yard run (Belmonte kick)
1:40 – Callen Okerson 8-yard reception from Weston (Belmonte kick)
Southeastern individual stats
Rushing: Alexander 14-164, Brennan Baker 6-26, Wallace 6-20, Kian Kelly 1-8, Weston 3-6, Anthony Harris 2-2, Alex Billman 2-minus 14, team 1-0.
Passing: Weston 6-9-121.
Receiving: Hamilton 3-94, Dylan James 1-11, Liam Boyd 1-8, Okerson 1-8.