Football Preview: Zionsville Eagles vs. Hamilton Southeastern Royals
Zionsville hasn't had much luck against Hamilton Southeastern recently, but that could start to change on Friday. The Zionsville Eagles will venture away from home to take on the Hamilton Southeastern Royals at 7:00 p.m. Zionsville will be strutting in after a win while Hamilton Southeastern will be coming in after a loss.
Zionsville is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Indiana's top teams: Noblesville, who was ranked 21st in their home state at the time (Zionsville was ranked 11th). Zionsville came out on top against Noblesville by a score of 35-28 on Friday. 35 seems to be a good number for the Eagles as the squad scooped up a victory with the same number of points in their previous game.
Sam Manna was his usual excellent self, rushing for 140 yards and two touchdowns. With that strong performance, he is now averaging an impressive 107.5 rushing yards per game. Speaking of playmakers, who could forget Nolan Teising, who went all the way with a kickoff return for a touchdown.
Zionsville's defense was in the mix too, especially the secondary: they snagged two passes before it was all said and done. The picks came courtesy of Brady Jung and Max Phenicie. Hank Phenicie was another major factor on D, forcing a fumble and making 16 total tackles.
Meanwhile, Hamilton Southeastern fought the good fight in their overtime match against Westfield on Friday but wound up with a less-than-desirable result. They fell 21-14 to the Shamrocks. The contest marked the Royals' lowest-scoring game so far this season.
Hamilton Southeastern's defeat shouldn't obscure the performances of Kendrick Pennybaker, who picked up 110 receiving yards and a touchdown, and Chandler Weston, who threw for 128 yards and a touchdown. Pennybaker was no stranger to the big play, lighting up the secondary with a catch that went for 52 yards.
Zionsville now has a winning record of 3-2. As for Hamilton Southeastern, this is the second loss in a row for them and also nudges their season record down to 3-2.
Zionsville came up short against Hamilton Southeastern in their previous matchup back in September of 2023, falling 34-24. Can Zionsville avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
