Roncalli running back Luke Hansen couldn’t quite match last week’s record-setting performance — but thanks to its airtight defense, that wasn’t necessary.
The Class 4A No. 2 Royals stymied visiting Franklin Central all night long on Friday, limiting the visitors to just 76 total yards and four first downs on the way to a 17-0 victory.
“Our defense was lights out,”Roncalli coach Eric Quintana said.
Both team’s defenses did the job through the first half, which saw neither team put any points up on the board. The Royals (2-0) were able to make some adjustments in the third quarter and begin putting some drives together.
Though he fell short of his 335-yard output from Week 1, Hansen still carried his fair share of the workload, running the ball 37 times for 182 yards and both Roncalli touchdowns.
Levi Wisler added a 25-yard field goal in between Hansen’s two TD runs.
Judson Lawrie paced the Royals’ defense with eight tackles, while Luke Swartz had six stops and 1.5 sacks.
With the win, Roncalli can now look ahead to its annual rivalry clash with Class 3A No. 1 Bishop Chatard.
“It’s a big game, and everyone knows it’s a big game,” said Quintana, a former Chatard assistant.. “It’s a little different, but it’s the same goals; we’re going to go, and we’re going to play the game and we’re going to be the toughest team on the field.”
