Hamilton County Reporter

Hamilton Southeastern had a great first game on both sides of the ball, and that led the Royals to a 24-0 victory at Lawrence Central on Friday.

It was the first time Southeastern had shut out a team since 2017. First-year coach Michael Kelly praised his defensive linemen and his defensive backs, with the linemen doing “a tremendous job” with the defensive pressure and the backs getting into the zones.

Giovanni Ragland had five tackles, while Jake Karwowski and Louden Sundling both made
four stops.

“I thought overall our defense played outstanding,” said Kelly.

The offense did pretty well, too. The Royals scored their first two touchdowns with one-yard punches into the end zone.

Jace Alexander got the ball in during the first quarter, then Blaine Wertz made his score in the second quarter.

Southeastern got one more touchdown in the third period, when John McCall found Will Gerig for a six-yard scoring pass. Alex Geroulis kicked the extra point on all three TDs, then added a 23-yard field goal in the third period as well.

“Our offensive line did a nice job,” said Kelly. He also was pleased with the running and passing during the game.

“Jace and Blaine both did a great job,” said Kelly. “John did a nice job delivering
the football when his number was called.”

Southeastern will play its first home game of the season next Friday, welcoming North Central for a 7 p.m. kickoff.