Week 3 Preview: (1A) #6 South Hamilton at Roland-Story

The South Hamilton Hawks and Roland-Story Norsemen will renew their long-standing rivalry on Friday night at Gilbert High School. The game was moved to Gilbert as finishing touches are made to the newly-renovated Kerry Van Winkle Field. South Hamilton is coming off a 48-13 win over West Marshall, while Roland-Story is coming off a 42-7 loss to (3A) #8 Nevada. Roland-Story leads the all-time series 28-22, but South Hamilton has won the last 4 meetings, with the last Norsemen win coming in 2016.

South Hamilton enters with the top rushing attack in Class 1A through the first two games, and the they are the top rushing attack by a wide margin. The Hawks have amassed 802 yards on the ground, while the next closest team is Wilton with 532 yards as a team. Junior Nick Severseike has led the Hawks wishbone attack with 297 yards and 3 touchdowns, averaging 13.5 yards per carry. Fullback Noah Gunderson has carried his fair share of the load with 150 yards and 2 touchdowns, while the 2-back has been a rotation of Kolby Hodnefield, Prestin Van De Pol and Landon Greufe. Ashton Williams has also made noise as backup fullback through the first couple of games, running behind one of the top offensive lines in Class 1A. Defensively, Noah Gunderson has led the way with 11.5 tackles, while defensive end Owen Renaud is off to a stellar start with 5.5 tackles, 2 sack and 3 tackles for loss. One surprising tidbit is that the Hawks have yet to force a turnover, after forcing double-digit fumbles and interceptions in 2022.

Roland-Story enters Friday trying to regroup following their 42-7 loss to (3A) #8 Nevada, and in a rivalry game in which they lost in overtime a season ago. Sam Knoll has settled in through the first two games at quarterback, but is trying to shake off a 5-for-15, 2 interception performance against the Cubs. Hesston Johnson made the move from quarterback to running back in the offseason, and has excelled, rushing for 243 yards and 4 touchdowns in the first two weeks. Backup Jake Berggren has been a serviceable back up as well, rushing for over 100 yards and 2 touchdowns as Johnson’s backup. The strength of the Norsemen defense has been the linebackers through 2 weeks, as Charlie Watts has amassed 14 tackles and a tackle for loss, while Hesston Johnson has 13.5 tackles and 2 tackles for loss. Sophomore safety Cody Long has also quietly put together a strong start with 14 tackles and .5 a tackle for loss. Up front, the defensive line has had a knack for making plays, with Tristan Peterson, Thomas Tjaden and Roland Yates all tallying TFL’s, while Yates has the Norsemen’s lone sack.

Kickoff is slated for 7 PM on Friday at Gilbert High School and the game can be heard on 95.7 KQWC or online at kqradio.com.