Hanover Central High School

by Kevin Driscoll (Lowell, IN) Tommy Bonner tossed a school-record six touchdown passes, leading Hanover Central to a 48-21 win over Lowell. The Wildcats (3-1, 2-0 NCC) registered 503 yards of offense, spoiling the fun for home fans who were celebrating the opening of a brand new “Inferno” football stadium. The stadium is part of a multi-million dollar facelift for all Lowell High School outdoor athletic facilities. Lowell’s historic “smash mouth,” run-first offense had some push early on, and despite Hanover scoring four 1st quarter touchdowns, the game didn’t feel like a blowout. Setup by a steady ground-and-pound running game, Red Devil QB Brody Kalwinski found open receiver Zak Scharnke for two first half scores (44 yards, 38 yards). But it was the three-headed Wildcat offensive monster consisting of seniors Bonner, Caiden Verrett, and Rocco Bartolomeo that never allowed the visiting Hanover fans to sweat. Bonner threw three TD passes to Bartolomeo (59 yards, 16 yards, 8 yards). Bonner finished 18-for-23 with 296 passing yards. Bartolomeo had seven catches for 181 yards. Verrett was a force, as well, scoring four TDs. All three of his catches went for touchdowns (6 yards, 31 yards, 4 yards), and he added an electric 78 yard touchdown run early on when the game was still in doubt. Lowell put up 306 yards of offense, but showed it could not keep up with the high-powered Wildcat offensive attack. Dylan Bowen led the defense with nine tackles, an interception, and a fumble recovery. Nathan Conlon had eight tackles, including a TFL. Jacob Hiland had seven tackles and a TFL, and Luke Kopec and Lincoln Zerby had seven tackles each. Hanover travels to Kankakee Valley next Friday, September 20, making their first-ever trip to the school. Hanover beat the Kougars 47-7 in their first-ever meeting last season. + + + + + Stats courtesy Adam Noel, Hanover Central football statistician