The South Hamilton Hawks football team returns to action on Friday night, as they host the South Central Calhoun Titans in the Hawks Class 1A, District 2 opener at Bill Taylor Field in Jewell. Friday’s meeting is the 11th all-time meeting between the two programs, dating back to the days of Southern Cal, as South Central Calhoun leads the all-time series 9-1, as South Hamilton defeated the Titans for the first time in program history in a 62-8 thrashing back in 2022.
South Central Calhoun is off to a 1-2 start in 2025, winning a close one in their season-opener over Earlham by a score of 20-14, before falling to Ridge View 28-6 and IKM-Manning 49-22. The Titans offense has been a balanced attack to start the season, as is the norm under Bryan Case. Sophomore Cade Higgins leads the Titans offense, throwing for 247 yards and a touchdown, but has not been a big threat in the rushing game. Higgins favorite target has been junior Garrett Krause, who’s caught 7 passes for 61 yards, as senior Charlie Nattress has caught 5 passes for 55 yards and a touchdown. The Titans rushing attack is led by sophomore fullback Cooper Nattress, who’s rushed for 106 yards and 3 touchdowns, while Luke Patterson has rushed for 95 yards and a touchdown. The Titans do have a veteran offensive line, led by seniors Wyatt Mernka, Jace Pedersen and Quinn Roller.
Defensively, the back two units of the Titans defense have played very well to start the season. Linebacker Charlie Nattress has a team-high 23.5 tackles with 1.5 sacks and TFL, as fellow linebacker Evan Myers has 15 tackles with a sack and a TFL. Cooper Nattress, while quiet, has been effective when he’s around the ball with 7 tackles, 3 TFL and a sack, while Coltley Timmerman has 15 tackles and an interception. The Titans secondary is led by junior Garrett Krause, who leads the unit with 17 tackles, while sophomore Halas Steig has 14.5 tackles. Luke Patterson has added 9.5 tackles as well. South Central Calhoun’s defensive line has been led by senior Jace Pedersen, who’s got a unit-high 10 tackles with 3.5 TFL and sacks, as Marshall Bundt has added 9.5 tackles.
South Hamilton will try and rebound from their 0-3 start and a 54-6 loss to Southeast Valley. The Hawks had opportunities to keep things close with the Jaguars in the first half before things slipped away, as the backfield chemistry appears to be getting stronger. The Hawks defense will need to keep the Titans in front of them to slow things down.
Kickoff is slated for 7 PM on Friday Night from Bill Taylor Field.