HSE Fans Take Their Tailgating Spirit to Lucas Oil Stadium

Hamilton Southeastern High School fans took their tailgate and body paint to the new Lucas Oil Stadium Saturday night as they rooted on the Royals, who played against the Avon Orioles for their first game of the season (Marsh Indiana Invitational). Many dedicated students tailgated in the parking lot, playing corn hole toss and painting up their bodies as they waited to get a front row seat in the student section.

Lucas Oil Stadium celebrated its first two nights of operation with high school football games. HSE was one of these lucky schools to have the chance to play in the brand new Colts venue with the largest retractable roof — one of only three in the NFL. They got to admire race cars on the north end of the stadium, and they could see a huge, white horseshoe made from strategic painting of the stadium seats. Directly above the horseshoe lies a colossal window with views of Indy’s skyscrapers.

 

 

 

 

 

Just standing in the stadium was excitement enough, but HSE fans would experience a double dosage. Suspense filled the entire stadium throughout the game but especially during the last few seconds.

It was third down with one yard to go and only three seconds left on the clock. Avon was up 27-23 when suddenly, the Royals had possession of the ball. The quarterback, Jordan Hoffman, threw a pass to fullback JT Macy, who was graciously waiting in the end zone, wide open. After the pass was completed, the fans cheered with excitement, and the entire Royals football team jumped up and down as they rushed towards Macy to congratulate him. HSE won with a score of 29-27.

“It was the best game I have ever seen,” said Ryan Striebel, a senior at HSE High School and a member of the Blue Crew Fan Club. “This game was definitely a great way to start the season.”

HSE High School Hires New Varsity Baseball Coach

A whole lot of excitement was hovering over at least one baseball diamond this week. Hamilton Southeastern High School has recently hired a new varsity baseball coach, Scott Johnson.

The Royals Baseball program hosted a camp for boys in grades 9-12 last week. This camp was designed to not only allow the opportunity to meet the Royals’ new coach, but also to allow Coach Johnson to implement some of the physical and mental demands of the game that will be expected by the Varsity, Junior Varsity and Freshmen teams next spring.

“Now guys, we need to shave 75 more seconds off the time it takes to remove the tarps and prep our field. Every second counts. This may not seem like a lot of time to you, but it is to me,” says Johnson, who comes from Angola, Ind. (northeast corner of the state).

Johnson coached at Angola High School for 14 years, 13 of which were Varsity. He brings a record of 227 and 146. He won three consecutive championships, three sectionals and one regional during his tenure.

Johnson’s coaching style appears to be layered. Like a hard shell on the outside, Johnson resembles a drill sergeant taking total command of his troops. But on the inside, there’s a resilient mixture including the science of teaching baseball, the art of building confidence and the craft of getting the kids to truly want to listen to him.

“My main goal for the future of Southeastern Baseball is to make sure we play the game the right way. This means doing the ‘little things’ correctly, from wearing the hat properly to hustling on and off the field to showing respect for the game, our team family and the opponents,” says Johnson, who will teach freshmen English at HSE. Johnson strives to set a good example for his students and players. His Christian beliefs influence the way he teaches and coaches. “Without my Lord’s guidance, I wouldn’t have made the move to HSE. Now I’m excited about the possibilities!”

His emotion is contagious. Next spring, the excitement will hover once again over HSE High School as three teams (Varsity, JV and Freshmen) show up in uniform with respect and a genuine work ethic, bringing their batting bags and an eagerness to listen, learn, hustle, and oh yes, “play ball.”