×

Hawks kick off 1A playoff action

NICK SEVERSEIKE of South Hamilton breaks free as Landon Sogard blocks last Friday. (DFJ photo by Claire Hewitt)

JEWELL — Thanks to a big win on Senior Night last week, the South Hamilton football team gets another chance to compete in front of the home crowd.

The Hawks will host Sioux Central in a Class 1A opening round game here Friday night at 7 p.m.

South Hamilton (4-4 overall) has won four of its last five around a loss to Woodward-Granger in district play. They were runner-ups to the Hawks thanks to convincing wins over Grand View Christian, Ogden, Nodaway Valley and West Central Valley.

In those four games, South Hamilton averaged 43.5 points, including a season-high 56 last Friday. Kolby Hodnefield rushed for 189 yards, Nick Severseike had 178, and Ashton Williams finished with 157, as the Hawks ran 44 times for 582 yards with seven touchdowns, averaging over 13 yards per carry.

Severseike, a senior all-stater, leads the team with 651 yards and is tied with Williams at seven TDs. Hodnefield, a junior, has 559 yards and Williams, also a senior, has rushed for 514.

Hodnefield and Williams are the leading tackles on defense. Titus Herrick, a junior, has two sacks. South Hamilton has forced 14 turnovers, with Braden Young scoring a touchdown on a fumble recovery and Hodnefield returning a kick back for six.

The Hawks went 8-2 last year and reached the second round of the playoffs. They also went 8-2 in 2022, again advancing to the second round, and have qualified for the postseason five straight seasons.

Sioux Central (5-3) finished third behind Manson Northwest Webster and Emmetsburg in its district, winning its last two to earn a playoff bid. The Rebels are led by Kinnick Fahrenkrog, a senior who has rushed for almost 1,000 yards with 17 touchdowns.

Quarterback Owen Mills has 781 yards on the ground and 246 in the air with 11 combined scores. Fahrenkrog and Mills have had a hand in all 26 offensive touchdowns for Sioux Central this year.

Starting at $3.46/week.

Subscribe Today