Eastern Hancock hasn't had much luck against Lapel recently, but that could start to change on Friday. The Royals will face off against the Bulldogs at 7:00 p.m. Each of these teams will be fighting to keep a win streak alive as Eastern Hancock comes in on four and Lapel on eight.
On Friday, Eastern Hancock beat Shenandoah 14-6. Those 14 points were actually the fewest the Royals have put up all season, but given the result they're probably not too concerned.
Mark Kube produced another solid performance rushing for 130 yards and one score. His rushing production has been exceptional recently as that marked his fourth straight game with at least 107 rushing yards.
Brennon Trueblood
| 08/22/25 @ Greencastle | 3 |
| 08/29/25 vs North Decatur | 4 |
| 09/05/25 @ Centerville | 7 |
| 09/26/25 @ Park Tudor | 8 |
| 10/03/25 vs Milan | 8 |
Eastern Hancock's defense stepped up as well, laying out Jarrett Helman 12 times. The heavy lifting was done by Evan Wheeler and Brennon Trueblood, who racked up 6.5 sacks between them. Trueblood also set a new season-high mark in total tackles with ten.
Meanwhile, everything came up roses for Lapel against Jay County on Friday as the team secured a 42-14 victory. The Bulldogs' offense checked out after the first half but had enough points banked to take the game anyway.
A big part of Lapel's win came down to the chemistry between Devin Craig and his top target Jaxon Cripe. Craig threw for 229 yards and a pair of TDs while completing 72.2% of his passes while Cripe picked up 98 receiving yards and two touchdowns. What's more, Craig racked up 151.4 passer rating, the most he's had since back in October of 2024.
Eastern Hancock's record is now 5-3. As for Lapel, their record now sits at 8-0.
Friday's matchup will pit two of the most dominant signal callers against one another: Elijah Edon and Craig. Edon just won't slow down this season and has thrown 22 touchdowns (and and only 4 pick) while averaging 186.9 passing yards per game. Craig has been a dominant force too and has thrown 23 touchdowns while averaging 209.4 passing yards per game.
Eastern Hancock ended up a good deal behind Lapel in their previous meeting back in October of 2024, losing 35-18. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Craig, who rushed for 52 yards and one score on only five carries, and also threw for 145 yards on 13 of 20 attempts. Now that the Royals know the damage he can cause, will they be able to stop him this time? There's only one way to find out.
