Football Recap: Hamilton Southeastern Falls Short Against Ranked Zionsville

Hamilton Southeastern faced Zionsville in a battle between two of the state's top teams on Friday. The Royals took a 35-29 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Eagles. The Royals were given a dose of their own medicine in this game as the Eagles apparently hadn't forgotten their loss the last time these teams played back in September of 2024.

Hamilton Southeastern's defeat shouldn't obscure the performances of Kendrick Pennybaker, who picked up 265 receiving yards and two scores, and Deaken Johnson, who threw for 312 yards and a pair of touchdowns while picking up 11.1 yards per attempt. Pennybaker's longest reception was for an incredible 70 yards.

Special teams also played a big role in the game for Hamilton Southeastern, adding 11 points to the final score. All came from Luke Marchionni: he went 3-for-3 kicking field goals for nine points, and 2-for-2 kicking extra points for an additional two.

Zionsville got their win on the backs of several key players, but it was Sam Manna out in front who rushed for 151 yards and two TDs. Manna has become a key player for the Eagles: the team is 2-1 when he posts at least 80 rushing yards, but 1-2 otherwise. Another player making a difference was Eli Showalter, who threw for 158 yards and three touchdowns.

Hamilton Southeastern is on a three-game losing streak that has dropped them down to 3-3. As for Zionsville, the victory also got them back to even at 3-3.

Looking ahead, Hamilton Southeastern will square off against Noblesville at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. The Royals will be up against the Millers' rather soft defense (which has allowed 28.33 points per matchup), so fans could be in store for a big offensive performance. As for Zionsville, they will head out on the road to face off against Brownsburg at 7:00 p.m. on Friday.