By Michael Rupp
The Royals drew a tough matchup for Homecoming this year, facing off against conference opponent HMS. The Hawks came to Marcus with a 3-1 record, losing only to the Falcons of West Sioux. HMS is ranked 10th in class A football according to Varsity Bound, and for good reason. The heavy running offense led by Junior Quarterback Kooper Ebel ran for 8 touchdowns and threw none. It was a heavy load for Senior Running Back Connor Dodd who ran the ball 10 times for 126 yards and 3 touchdowns. Ebel also found the endzone 3 times on 9 carries for 134 yards.
The Royals did get something to cheer for in the 3rd quarter. Junior Quarterback KC Nicks escaped the pocket and ran 53 yards to get the Royals on the board. Nicks also found Sophomore Kyler Bork 31 yards downfield for a touchdown.
The Royals would see a couple different faces at Quarterback. Junior Nicks got the start, but Sophomore Jonah Petersen got a few snaps in the second quarter, but went down with an injury after only attempting 2 passes. Petersen is expected to be out for 2 weeks at least, joining a large Royals inactive list.
Freshman Quarterback Michael Peterson led the JV offense out for the Royals in the 4th quarter. The Freshman completed 2/4 of his passes for 17 yards.
This loss brings the Royals to 0-4 on the season. They will look to turn things around with opponents Alta-Aurelia, Gehlen Catholic, and Sidney still on the schedule.

FB Schedule:

Date: Opponent: Result:

8/27/21 vs. Cherokee Braves L 27-20
9/3/21 vs. Hinton Blackhawks L 7-6
9/10/21 @ Akron-Westfield Westerners L 33-14
9/17/21 vs. HMS Hawks (Homecoming) L 66-14
9/24/21 @ South O’Brien Wolverines
10/1/21 @ Alta-Aurelia Warriors
10/8/21 vs. Gehlen Catholic Jays
(Senior Night)
10/15/21 @ Sidney Cowboys Playoffs TBD