INDIANAPOLIS — Cloudy skies and cold rain were emblematic of Eastern Hancock’s Friday night, as they lost by a score of 33-6 to Heritage Christian.
The rain was coming down hard from the opening kickoff and didn’t relent at any point in the first half.
The Royals committed four turnovers in the half, but Eastern Hancock head coach Doug Armstrong said the rain wasn’t the reason.
“We’re a decent team that can’t keep from turning the ball over,” Armstrong said. “Weather has nothing to do with it.”
A three-and-out on Eastern Hancock’s first possession of the game was a sign of what was to come.
Heritage Christian followed the defensive stop with a 14-play drive resulting in a field goal. The Eagles converted four first downs on the drive, equaling their entire game total of a week ago.
The very next play from scrimmage was an Eastern Hancock fumble by Avery Willis, giving Heritage Christian a short field.
It took the Eagles only four plays to convert, on a 4-yard touchdown run by Nate Thompson.
The Royals’ 10-point deficit would hold through the end of the first quarter.
The second quarter would flip the script, with Eastern Hancock able to move the ball and Heritage Christian maintaining a stagnant offense.
The Royals, however, squandered every scoring chance that they got in the half.
A fumble in the red zone, a punt in enemy territory, and a fumbled snap on fourth and short all prevented Eastern Hancock from getting on the board in the quarter.
Heritage Christian put another touchdown up in the second quarter, bringing the halftime score to 17-0.
The Royals began the second half with a bit of optimism, though.
A nine-play drive resulted in Eastern Hancock’s first score of the game. Victor Olivo and Houston Swan combined for 39 yards during the drive, which ended with a Swan 6-yard touchdown run.
Turnovers killed Eastern Hancock for the remainder of the game.
Zach Arnold had a particularly rough day on special teams.
He turned the ball over on two consecutive punt returns, the first of which resulted in a safety. Multiple other returns were mishandled as well but didn’t result in turnovers.
Armstrong stuck with Arnold as his returner, even through the mistakes. He said that he needed to get through it.
“He’s a young player that needs the reps, needs the experience, and he needs to be better coached by me,” Armstrong said.
Arnold was not alone turning the ball over, with two other Eastern Hancock turnovers coming in the second half, bringing the grand total for the game to eight.
The safety, paired with two additional Heritage Christian touchdowns, brought the final score to 33-6.
Eastern Hancock falls to 2-2, with a game at Knightstown set for next week.
