Still, he was moderately impressed.

After dropping a 20-6 decision to South Hardin last Friday, South Hamilton took the field on Monday for its first practice after a loss in 697 days.

Repeat: 697 days.

So how does that work? Well, the Hawks won their last three games of the 2019 season and then their first eight games in 2020. The only loss came in the last game, which means no practice follows it. Then they began 2021 with a win over Roland-Story.

Austin Busch watches from the sideline last Friday. The South Hamilton senior fullback and linebacker has been kept off the field due to injury so far this season. DFJ photo/Angela Hewitt

And that’s how you get close to two years without feeling the burn of a loss during practice.

“That’s kind of crazy to think about and I would definitely take that again,” Klemp said. “But, honestly, it’s been a really good week of practice. The kids took last Friday as a report on where we need to get better and they’ve done that.”

That’s good because South Hamilton (1-1) will face its toughest challenge to date this season tonight when it travels to State Center to take on West Marshall (1-1) at 7 p.m. The Trojans are also coming off a loss — a 35-12 beating at the hands of No. 8-ranked (Class 3A) Nevada — but don’t be fooled. This was a 2A state quarterfinalist a season ago and many of the key components on that team return.

Translation: West Marshall is good.

“They’re a very athletic team across the board,” Klemp said. “I’m really impressed with them and I think it will be a heck of a match-up.”

It all starts with junior quarterback Peyton Hart, who accounted for more than 1,500 yards of offense and 21 touchdowns under center last season. So far in 2021, he’s completed 8 of 15 passes for 175 yards, and rushed for another 193 yards.

Running back Preston Pope, a senior, is no slouch either. The owner of 1,842 yards and 24 TDs in 2020, he’s put up 193 yards and three scores on the ground through two weeks this season.

“They will spread it out formation wise and they have a running back and quarterback that really run the ball very well,” Klemp said. “I’m really impressed with (Pope) … he’s capable of throwing the ball and he’s a very tough kid that likes to run the ball.”

Playing assignment football on defense will be key for South Hamilton, Klemp said. The Hawks have been fairly stingy defensively through two weeks, but this will be its toughest test.

“We’ve got our keys for each position group and now it’s a matter of going out and performing,” Klemp said.

After a Week 1 offensive onslaught against Roland-Story, South Hamilton struggled to move the ball against South Hardin seven days ago. Halfback Landen Skartvedt has accrued 316 yards and averages 8.5 yards per carry, but the rest of the offense has amassed just 183 yards. And all 499 of the team’s yards have come on the ground.

Klemp thinks last week’s struggles boiled down to a young team that is still learning as it goes.

“Having gone through that will pay us dividends,” Klemp said. “Seeing those stunts and things like that, I think we can learn and grow from it.”

TONIGHT

S. Hamilton (1-1) at W. Marshall (1-1)

Where: State Center.

Kickoff: 7 p.m.

Last Meeting: West Marshall won 15-12 on Sept. 4, 2015.