FRANCESVILLE — There was potential for a letdown after last week’s victory over rival Knightstown, but the Eastern Hancock Royals shed the threat between the tackles on Friday night.
Senior running back Jacob Johnson rushed for 170 yards on 11 carries and three touchdowns, and junior Zach Arnold added several chuck-yardage runs and another touchdown to lead the Class 2A No. 12 Royals past Class A West Central 35-0.
The road-weary Royals (4-2) bulldozed for 257 total rushing yards on 28 attempts to average 9.17 yards per carry against the host Trojans (1-5).
Arnold’s longest run measured 20 yards for a touchdown, which put the game away, 35-0, and initiated the IHSAA’s “mercy rule” running clock with 6 minutes, 11 seconds remaining in the third quarter.
“It was a lot of fun out there. We had a bunch of big holes and we hit them hard,” Arnold said. “But, it was hard (to stay focused) at first. We came off a big rivalry week, and we thought this might be a cakewalk, and we didn’t have our minds in the right place at first.”
Johnson made certain the Royals moved in the right direction once the game kicked off.
On his first run, the 5-foot-11, 180-pound rusher eluded a pair of tacklers for a 13-yard gain. He kept the trend going throughout the first three quarters, posting substantial runs that reached 15, 18, 20 and 27 yards — twice.
The Royals amassed 14 first downs rushing and 20 overall while converting their first six third-down conversion attempts. The starters were 3 for 3 on fourth down and 6-of-10 on third in the game.
“We really wanted to focus on our running game and getting all of our backs involved. We had a good line in establishing that,” Eastern Hancock head coach Doug Armstrong said.
“(Johnson is) a strong runner. He’s a good weight room kid and that’s made him strong. He really likes contact on both sides of the ball, and he’s a good compliment to Arnold. They’re two totally different runners.”
Johnson slid past the Trojans defenders with relative ease, scoring the game’s first touchdown on a 1-yard run to cap an eight-play drive on Eastern Hancock’s initial series.
He added a 10-yard touchdown run on the Royals’ next offensive possession after breaking off a 27-yard play on third-and-2 from West Central’s 37 in the first quarter.
Quarterback Houston Swan put the Royals ahead 21-0 with a 36-yard touchdown pass to Cole Rainbolt early in the second quarter.
Rainbolt finished with 80 yards on seven receptions, and Swan completed 14-of-19 pass attempts for 156 yards and one touchdown.
“Balance is very important. That means we’ll have many options to go to (in sectional), many things to turn to and that will be wide open for us to win,” Arnold said.
The Royals defense provided the necessary punch, forcing seven punts and two turnover on downs. The Trojans netted eight first downs — a pair with EH’s starters rotated out — and were 3 for 12 on third down.
“We have to be very focused. We have two big conference games coming up. We have to win (the Mid-Eastern Conference) in back-to-back years,” Arnold said. “It’s going to be a good stretch for us.”
Johnson scored his third touchdown on a 12-yard run to increase the lead 28-0 with 9:02 left on the clock in the third quarter. Arnold, who rushed for 58 yards on four carries, showcased all of them during a four-play drive.
The only actual setback came on special teams with a lost fumble on West Central’s first punt in the opening quarter. The turnover put the Trojans on their own 48, but the Royals’ defense held them at Eastern Hancock’s 45 to induce another punt.
“To play perfect is not human. You have the human element and we try to live with those as much as you can,” Armstrong said. “One fumble for the game, sometimes those happen.”
The margin for error will be slimmer the next two weeks with an MEC matchup at Class A No,. 13 Monroe Central next Friday and then against league rival 2A Shenandoah at home on Oct. 9.
The Royals conclude the regular-season at home against 2A No. 12 Lapel.
“It was a big game last week, and we have some big games coming up. This was kind of an emotionally and mentally tough game for the kids because they’re still celebrating their win over their rival, and we have huge conference games in the next weeks,” Armstrong said. “They did a good job of focusing on the task at hand.”
[sc:pullout-title pullout-title=”Scoreline” ][sc:pullout-text-begin]
Eastern Hancock 35, West Central 0
EH (4-2);14;7;14;0;-;35
WC (1-5);0;0;0;0;-;0
Scoring Summary
1st Quarter
EH – Jacob Johnson 1 yd run (2pt failed), 10:20
EH – Johnson 10 yd run (2pt good), 4:16
2nd Quarter
EH – Cole Rainbolt 36 yd pass from Houston Swan (J.P. Fuchs kick),10:36
3rd Quarter
EH – Johnson 12 yd run (Fuchs kick), 9:02
EH – Zach Arnold 20 yd run (Fuchs kick), 6:11
[sc:pullout-text-end]
