Football Preview: Hamilton Southeastern Royals vs. Zionsville Eagles
Hamilton Southeastern is 9-1 against Zionsville since September of 2014, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Friday. The Hamilton Southeastern Royals will look to defend their home field against the Zionsville Eagles at 7:00 p.m.
Hamilton Southeastern is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Indiana's top teams: Westfield, who was ranked second in their home state at the time (Hamilton Southeastern was ranked ninth). Hamilton Southeastern took a 21-14 hit to the loss column at the hands of Westfield on Friday. The defeat was just more heartbreak for the Royals who fell 24-21 when the teams previously met back in September of 2023.
Despite the loss, Hamilton Southeastern had strong showings from 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, cutting upfield on a catch that went for 52 yards.
Meanwhile, Zionsville won against Franklin Central two weeks ago with 35 points and they decided to stick to that point total again on Friday. Zionsville came out on top against Noblesville by a score of 35-28. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Eagles.
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.
Hamilton Southeastern's defeat dropped their record down to 3-2. As for Zionsville, they pushed their record up to 3-2 with the win, which was their third straight at home.
Hamilton Southeastern beat Zionsville 34-24 in their previous meeting back in September of 2023. Will Hamilton Southeastern repeat their success, or does Zionsville have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
