Eastern Hancock is 2-8 against Lapel since October of 2018 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Friday. The Royals will host the Bulldogs at 7:00 p.m. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Eastern Hancock is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Friday. They blew past Union County 72-0. The final result isn't all that surprising considering the Royals' considerable advantage in MaxPreps' Indiana football rankings (they are ranked 120th, while the Patriots are ranked 296th).
Gavin Shultz
| 10/24/25 @ Union County | 5 |
| 09/19/25 vs Knightstown | 3 |
| 08/29/25 vs North Decatur | 5 |
Eastern Hancock's victory was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Gavin Shultz, who rushed for 98 yards and two touchdowns. What's more, Shultz posted five receiving yards, the most he's had since back in August. Another signal caller making a difference was Elijah Edon, who threw for 181 yards and three TDs while completing 77.8% of his passes.
Eastern Hancock didn't let much get past them through the air: they limited Union County to a completion percentage of just 25%. That dominant aerial defense primarily came from four players: Hayden Adams, Luke Manship, Evan Wheeler, and Taylor Conley, who each logged one passes deflected. Eastern Hancock has been improving in that area: they had allowed a completion percentage of 0.63 earlier this season, but they've only allowed one of 0.63 in their last three games.
Eastern Hancock's defense didn't let Cason Hornung, get away unscathed either: they got into the backfield for four sacks. That dominant display was truly a team effort as four different players picked up one apiece. Manship got in on the action too, converting a pick into a touchdown.
Meanwhile, Lapel strolled into their game on Friday with a perfect record and they left with the same. They breezed past Winchester Community to the tune of 32-0. The Bulldogs pushed the score to 26-0 by the end of the third, a deficit the Golden Falcons had little chance of recovering from.
Eastern Hancock better keep an eye on Devin Craig. He was instrumental in Lapel's win, throwing for 302 yards and four touchdowns while picking up 11.6 yards per attempt.
Lapel didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Deacon Spitz and Jayden Lindsey. Lindsey has been hot recently, having also posted five or more total tackles the last four times he's played.
Eastern Hancock's win bumped their record up to 6-4. As for Lapel, their victory bumped their record up to 10-0.
Friday's matchup will pit two of the most dominant signal callers against one another: Edon and Craig. Edon just won't slow down this season and has thrown 27 touchdowns while averaging 190.3 passing yards per game. Craig has been a dominant force too and has thrown 30 touchdowns while averaging 223.6 passing yards per game.
Eastern Hancock and Lapel were neck-and-neck when the teams last played last Friday, but Eastern Hancock came up empty-handed after a 21-20 loss. Will the Royals have more luck at home instead of on the road? Come back here after the game to get an analysis of the match and other football content.
