The South Hamilton Hawks football team enters non-district play looking to bounce back from their upset-loss to long-time rivals Roland-Story on Friday night by a score of 29-20. The 9th-ranked Hawks will have a chance to rebound to start district play, as they take on a West Central Valley team who had close losses to Red Oak and Panorama and picked up a close win over a Shenandoah team that was unable to finish their season in 2022.
South Hamilton will look to play clean, discipline football against the Wildcats, after turnovers and penalties doomed the Hawks in their first loss to Roland-Story since 2016. The Hawks will also try to find ways to get more explosive plays, after Roland-Story was able to cap the Hawks offense to just 5.6 yards per carry, while forcing 3 turnovers. Leading rusher Nick Severseike currently leads the Hawks with 366 yards and 4 touchdowns on the ground, while Noah Gunderson follows suit with 185 yards and 2 touchdowns on the ground. Gunderson also leads the team in tackles with 14, while Owen Renaud continues to lead the charge of the defensive line with 2.5 sacks and 3.5 tackles for loss after the 3 non-district games.
The talented South Hamilton front 8 will have a chance to get back on track this week against the Wildcats, as West Central Valley only averages 4.1 yards per carry coming into Friday night’s matchup. Owen Duns has tallied 2 tackles for loss, while Titus Herrick and Kaden Schwandt have added a tackle for loss each in the Hawks first 3 games. Linebackers in the aforementioned Gunderson, as well as Ashton Williams and Kolby Hodnefield have all crossed the double-digit tackle threshold as well.
2022 was a landmark year for the West Central Valley program, as they qualified for the playoffs for the first time in a decade. Unfortunately for the Wildcats, the end of the playoff run brought the departure of many of their top players from a season ago. The Wildcats do return quarterback Nate Gerling, who is 13-for-22 for 185 yards and 3 interceptions on the season, but has run for a pair of touchdowns. The running back room is one by committee, with Jathan Edgington, Trenton Naragon and Jordon Robinson all with double-digit carries, while Naragon and Robinson have 2 touchdowns each. Through the air, Gerling’s favorite target has been senior Landon Osberg, who has 9 catches for 106 yards on the season.
Defensively, the Wildcats have had a more unit-heavy start to the season rather than standout individuals. Defensive end Marshall Dickson leads the team in tackles for loss with 6, while 6 WCV defenders are sitting at either 10 or 11 tackles through the first 3 games. The secondary has been off to a solid start in 2023, with Jathan Edgington, Trenton Naragon and Landon Osberg all recording interceptions for the Wildcats.
Kickoff is slated for 7 PM at West Central Valley High School in Stuart on Friday night.