South Hamilton fends off Denver in 1A First Round, 24-8

The South Hamilton Hawks football team opened their Class 1A Playoff run on Friday night, as they hosted the Denver Cyclones at Bill Taylor Field in Jewell. South Hamilton entered Friday with a record of 7-1 and 5-0 in the district, while Denver entered at 5-3 and 2-3 in district play.

Both teams traded punts to begin the night, but Denver was the first ones to mount a drive. The Cyclones got inside the South Hamilton 10, but a pass to Cyclones fullback Evan Dorn was fumbled out of the endzone for a touchback giving the ball back to South Hamilton. The Hawks would march the ball into Denver territory, but the drive ended on a fumble, giving the ball back to the Cyclones. Denver eventually found itself back inside goal-to-go territory, at the South Hamilton 5, but a Cyclone fumble near the goal line gave South Hamilton the ball back. The Hawks would put together a 99-yard drive, most of the yardage coming on a reverse to Braden Young that went 53 yards for a touchdown and put South Hamilton up 6-0 at the halftime break.

The Hawks started with the ball in the 2nd half, but a Kolby Hodnefield fumble gave the ball back to Denver. However, the Cyclones would cough up the ball on their next drive, with South Hamilton recovering at the Denver 45 yard-line. The Hawks would capitalize on the ensuing drive, with a 6-yard touchdown run by quarterback Tjerdan Johnson to give the Hawks a 12-0 lead late in the 3rd quarter. South Hamilton’s defense continued to suffocate Denver, as Preston Van De Pol picked off a Jaxon Sanderson pass to give the Hawks the ball on the Cyclones side of the 50 once more. The Hawks marched the ball down the field once more, and once more it was Tjerdan Johnson keeping for an 8-yard touchdown run to put South Hamilton up 18-0. Johnson would then come up with a big play on defense, intercepting another Jaxon Sanderson pass, giving the ball back to his ground and pound offense. The Hawks would convert off the turnover, thanks to a 23-yard touchdown run by Nick Severseike to give South Hamilton a 24-0 lead with 6:31 to go in the game. Denver would get a late touchdown courtesy of a Jaxon Sanderson QB sneak to bring the final to 24-8.

Nick Severseike finished the game as the Hawks leading rusher with 105 yards and a touchdown on 17 carries, while Kolby Hodnefield had 81 yards on 12 carries. Tjerdan Johnson had 28 rushing yards and 2 touchdowns, as well as 5.5 tackles and an interception on defense.

South Hamilton advances to the Class 1A Round of 16 for the 2nd consecutive season, and will face Columbus Catholic at Bill Taylor Field on Friday night at 7 PM.