KNIGHTSTOWN — Eastern Hancock’s football team still isn’t healthy, got less healthy Friday, but got something that helps ease the pain in its matchup with longtime rival Knightstown.
Without Hancock County’s top rusher [Mark Kube, averaging 124 yards per game with four touchdowns] and top receiver [Hayden Jackson, averaging 98 yards per game with five touchdowns], the Royals found a way to retain the prize and put another blue nail in the Plowshare and Anvil Trophy at Don Willard Field in Knightstown.
Down 20-14 after the first quarter against a Panthers team off to their best start since 2005, the Royals outscored their rivals 21-6 in the second quarter and led the Panthers the rest of the way for a 51-40 victory.
Knightstown got within three, 43-40, in the fourth quarter, but the Royals offensive line and running game made sure, after a 3-yard touchdown run by Evan Wheeler, they would pound it out, run clock and have a two-score lead the rest of the way.
The Royals needed a win, and while the Panthers, in the past, have been a quick answer to any Eastern woes, this was a different Knightstown club.
Under second-year head coach Trent Taylor, a former assistant at Greenfield-Central, the Panthers came in 4-0, the best start since late coach Don Willard led Knightstown to the 2005 state championship game.
Eastern Hancock started the year ranked No. 3 in Class 2A, but after a one-point loss in Week 3 to Centerville, the Royals have been playing without their injured running back and receiver. On Friday, standout tight end Kayden Ruble left the game and did not return.
The Royals came in on a two-game losing streak.
“Our kids continue to battle and fight,” Eastern Hancock coach Pat Echeverria said. “We’re down two pretty good players and lost another one tonight, hopefully he’s okay for next week, but I was really happy with how the kids stepped in and our offensive line absolutely carried us tonight to get this win.”
The Royals final 17 offensive plays were runs.
After Knightstown cut the Eastern lead to 43-40, on a 2-yard touchdown pass from Bryor Carmichael to Gage Broady, the Royals went 45 yards in nine plays and took 5:03 off the clock, finishing with Wheeler’s third touchdown run of the game.
Knightstown got to the Eastern 9, but the Royals defense stopped the Panthers on downs.
With 3:24 left in the game, quarterback Elijah Edon and Wheeler followed the guys up front to run out the clock.
“People were making their blocks, Luke Manship came in and stepped in for Ruble [at tight end] and did a great job blocking and we mixed it up enough with our quarterback, and Edon got outside and did a great job running. We made just enough plays to keep the score in our favor and up two scores.”
Seniors Ethan Carter [tackle] and Joe Hollenbaugh [guard], juniors Carson Smith [tackle] and Christian Whisman [center] and sophomore Brayden Hester [guard] handled the dirty work up front.
“You have to be physically and mentally strong,” Hollenbaugh said of how the line helped the backs eat up yards and clock.
“That’s what we want. We want the game to come down to us,” Carter said of the second-half running game. “We want to run the ball and we want to milk clock. We want them have to beat us.”
Knightstown (4-1) got off to a great start.
After Eastern Hancock failed on a fourth-down conversion on the game’s opening drive, the Panthers needed just four plays to go 38 yards and take an 8-0 lead. Carmichael connected with Jordan Thorpe on a 15-yard scoring play and Jameson Crawford ran in the two-point conversion.
Edon and the Eastern offense got six back quickly.
The first of Edon’s three first-half touchdown passes went to Garrett Shaw for 53 yards. The two-point conversion failed.
Knightstown responded with a 43-yard touchdown run from Crawford, but before the first quarter ended, Wheeler scored on a 10-yard run to tie the game at 14-14.
The first of three Carmichael-to-Broady connections, a 14-yarder, gave Knightstown the lead back to 20-14 with still 2:17 left in the opening quarter.
Edon, who came in averaging 251.5 passing yards per game, went to work in the second quarter.
A 6-yard pass to Ruble set up a 5-yard touchdown run by Wheeler. John Rodriguez-LeMasters kicked the PAT to give Eastern a 21-20 lead.
The Royals never lost the lead, but the Panthers made sure they earned the victory.
An Edon to Ruble 21-yard scoring play gave Eastern a 27-20 lead with 3:51 to go until halftime. Earlier in the series, Edon and Ruble hooked up for a 32-yard play.
Leading 27-26 after a Knightstown score, Edon showed how to run a two-minute offense.
Getting plenty of protection from the guys up front, Edon went 6-for-8 for 77 yards and a touchdown in the final minutes.
The Royals got the ball with 2:03 left on the clock and Edon’s 28-yarder to Austin Brown came with only 3.1 seconds remaining.
Wheeler, unofficially, had 30 carries for 185 yards. Edon was 12-for-22 for 211 yards and also rushed for 80 yards.
“I think the last two weeks, we haven’t run the ball the way we normally do,” Echeverria said. “I don’t think [the offensive line] liked that and wanted to show we could run the ball without Mark. That’s a big deal that our run game was back and rolling. Last week our passing game is what carried us. If we can do both of those together on one night …”
“Eastern Hancock, in my opinion, is a top 10 2A team, regardless of the injuries and I know they have some to some good ones,” Taylor said. “We know Elijah is a good quarterback, athlete, and we needed to do some things to slow him down. In the end … from the competitive standpoint, we wanted to win the game. In the big picture standpoint, you get a top 10 2A team to come in and you compete for four rounds, that shows us where we can be at the most important time of year and that’s the sectional.”
Eastern Hancock (3-2) has its Homecoming next Friday against another strong Class 1A team, No. 10 Milan (3-2).
Knightstown returns to action with a home game against Cambridge City Lincoln (1-4).
–
Eastern Hancock 51, Knightstown 40
Eastern Hancock (3-2);14;21;8;8-;51
Knightstown (4-1);20;6;8;6;-;40
Scoring Summary
1st Quarter
K – Jordan Thorpe 15 pass from Bryor Carmichael (Jameson Crawford run), 8:12
EH – Garrett Shaw 53 pass from Elijah Edon (run failed), 7:32
K – Crawford 43 run (pass failed), 6:15
EH – Evan Wheeler 10 run (Kayden Ruble pass from Edon), 4:56
K – Gage Broady 14 pass from Carmichael (run failed), 2:17
2nd Quarter
EH – Wheeler 5 run (John Rodriguez-LeMasters kick), 11:29
EH – Ruble 21 pass from Edon (PAT blocked), 3:51
K – Brantt Ellis 39 pass from Carmichael (run failed), 2:11
EH – Austin Brown 28 pass from Edon (Wheeler run), :03.1
3rd Quarter
EH – Edon 6 run (Luke Manship pass from Edon), 8:21
K – Broady 9 pass from Carmichael (Ellis run), 4:17
4th Quarter
K – Broady 2 pass from Carmichael (pass failed), 10:35
EH – Wheeler 3 run (Wheeler run), 5:32
