The South Hamilton Hawks football team opened their 2023 season on Friday night, when they welcomed rivals South Hardin to Bill Taylor Field at South Hamilton High School in Jewell. South Hamilton defeated South Hardin in Jewell last season by a score of 44-13.
It was a slow start for the 4th-rated Hawks, as both sides traded 3 and outs throughout the first quarter, before South Hamilton mounted a drive that got them into the endzone with a Noah Gunderson 7-yard touchdown run that would make it 6-0 after the failed 2-point conversion attempt with 11:38 to go in the 2nd quarter. After a South Hamilton fumble late in the 2nd quarter, South Hardin struck big with a Peyton Welch 46-yard pass to Sam Benson. A few plays later on 4th down, the Tigers went up top as Peyton Welch connected with Traven Wheeler for a 22-yard touchdown pass to put South Hardin up 7-6 at the halftime break.
South Hamilton would come out of the halftime break ready to go, marching the field and taking nearly half the quarter as Landen Gruefe scampered 22 yards for a touchdown to put South Hamilton up 14-7 with 7:36 left in the 3rd. The Hawks would again find a way to punch the ball in at the start of the 4th quarter, as Nick Severseike took a 1st-and-20 handoff 41 yards for a touchdown to give South Hamilton a 20-7 lead early in the 4th. South Hardin would then go on the move again as Peyton Welch hit Ethan Klendworth for a 41-yard pass deep into South Hamilton territory, before Jaxon Drury punched in a 1-yard touchdown run to put the Tigers up to make the score 20-14 with just over 6 minutes left in the game. It would be the last time the Tigers would see the football in the game, as the South Hamilton wishbone attack drained the remaining time off the clock to preserve the 20-14 victory.
Nick Severseike had the top offensive day for the Hawks, carrying 14 times for 114 yards and a touchdown, while South Hardin’s Peyton Welch went 9/14 with 163 yards and a touchdown through the air.
South Hamilton returns to action on Friday, when they host West Marshall at Bill Taylor Field. South Hardin returns to action on Friday, when they host county-rivals Iowa Falls-Alden.