The South Hamilton Hawks football team returns to action on Friday night, as they make the trip into Pocahontas County to take on the Pocahontas Area Indians in Class 1A, District 2 action at the Pocahontas Football Complex. South Hamilton enters at 0-5, while Pocahontas Area enters at 1-4. Friday’s meeting is the 5th all-time meeting between the 2 programs, as South Hamilton leads the all-time series 3-1, while winning the most recent meeting in 2019 28-26 in overtime.
Pocahontas Area enters Friday’s game at 1-4, with their lone victory a 7-6 nailbiter against Alta-Aurelia, while losing non-district games to Sioux Central and Lawton-Bronson, then losing their first two district games to Emmetsburg and Manson-Northwest Webster. The Indians offense is led by sophomore quarterback Blake Bunda, who’s thrown for 649 yards and 4 touchdowns, but with 8 interceptions, while also rushing for 180 yards. Bunda’s favorite target has been running back Karson Welander, who’s caught 23 passes for 263 yards and 2 touchdowns, while Christian Valenzuela has 10 receptions for 152 yards and a touchdown. The Indians leading rusher has been senior Logan Shiflett, who has 202 yards and a touchdown on 36 carries, while Karson Welander has 123 yards and a touchdown on 22 carries. The Indians possess a veteran offensive line, chalked full of veterans such as Adam Marsh, Kellen Kinkade, Kaden Fulkerth and Sawyer Krips.
Defensively, the Indians front seven has stood out early in the year. Sophomore Adam Marsh leads the Pocahontas defense with 40.5 tackles, 3 TFL and 3 sacks after being the Indians leading tackler as a freshman. Fellow linebacker Karson Welander has 29.5 tackles, a TFL and a sack, as Kellen Kincade has added 20 tackles. The defensive line has been led by senior Kaden Fulkerth, who’s tallied 25.5 tackles, while Sawyer Krips and Bailey Hoover have added 12 tackles each. The defensive backfield has played well, as Jack Gerdes, Christian Valenzuela and Collin Dreith all have interceptions, as Logan Shiflett has a unit-high 32.5 tackles.
South Hamilton is still in search of their first win and is trying to finally put together a full 48-minute performance. The Hawks rushing attack has gotten better as the season has gone on, with Maddux Becker establishing at fullback and Wyatt Gelder among the state’s leaders in rushing in 1A. The Hawk defense will look to turn a corner after a tough performance against East Sac County.
Kickoff is slated for 7 PM on Friday Night from the Pocahontas Area Football Complex.