“Fed Hock is back!” Lancers score most points since 2013
By: Andrew Woods
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STEWART, Ohio (WOUB) — 2025 is the beginning of a new era for the Federal Hocking Lancers (1-0). This season, Fed Hock has a new head coach and will play in the TVC-Hocking for the first time since 2019. The Lancers began this new era with a statement win. Despite a slow start, Fed Hock racked up their highest point total since 2013 on their way to routing Green (0-1) 58-26.
Green got the ball first, but a fumble on a bad snap gave Federal Hocking the ball. Although the Lancers could not score off the turnover, a deep punt pushed Green back. That punt proved important when another errant snap ended up in the end zone for a Federal Hocking safety.
Throughout the first half, both Fed Hock and Green squandered scoring opportunities. The Bobcats had two chances deep in Lancer territory, but a failed fourth down and a fumble kept Green off the board. Meanwhile, Fed Hock had multiple promising plays, including a long touchdown run, called back due to penalties.
Late in the second half, Green took advantage of a Fed Hock mistake. Green freshman Kaleb Mutters intercepted a pass from Fed Hock quarterback Brody Rutter and returned it for a touchdown to put the Bobcats on the board. However, Rutter continued to fight. He led a drive down the field, capping it off with a 4-yard run to put Fed Hock back in the lead before halftime.
Fed Hock had two touchdowns called back due to penalties during the first half. Lancers head coach Dominic Branch said his players knew they had to clean up the penalties in the second half. He said the players knew they were “beating themselves” and were not “playing to their full potential.”
The Lancers made another mistake as soon as the third quarter began. On the first play of the quarter, Luke Kimbler, another Green freshman, scored a pick-six, the Bobcats’ second of the game. However, Green’s next drive stalled deep in their own territory, which gave Fed Hock a chance to score. Rutter said that after the pick-six, the Lancers knew they had to execute well on the next drive. He said, “We knew we had to score. We had to get our blocks, we had to run the right routes and hit the right holes.” Federal Hocking was able to score on that drive with a Gabe Bray touchdown run.
After Bray scored, Fed Hock and Green began to trade touchdowns. Green responded to Bray’s score with a 48-yard Mason Neal receiving touchdown, which Rutter responded to with a short touchdown. Neal struck again with another touchdown catch to make the score 26-24 Green, then Bray worked some magic.
Bray struck first on offense, running down the field for a long touchdown to put the Lancers in the lead. Then, as soon as Green got the ball back, Bray grabbed a pick six to put Federal Hocking up by 10 at the end of the third quarter.
Bray was a scoring machine for Fed Hock, scoring four touchdowns. Those touchdowns included two on offense, one on defense, and one on special teams thanks to a late punt return. After the game, Bray credited his teammates for his success. He said that he was “glad that the line was doing their assignments” and that everybody was “getting their blocks.”
Federal Hocking extended their lead in the fourth quarter. Just as the quarter began, the Lancers blocked a Green punt which Evan Hill returned for a touchdown. The Lancers’ momentum continued through the fourth quarter with a punt return touchdown and a long Braeden Hill score to close out the game.
Lancers head coach Dominic Branch recorded his first win in his head coaching debut. After the game, Branch credited his players for the win. He said that he likes “seeing the guys do their thing” and that he took the game as a win for them. Branch also talked about the culture he and his players are building at Federal Hocking. He said that to win, his players must want to win even more than he does because Branch “can’t get out and play for them.”
Federal Hocking recorded their highest points total since 2013, when the Lancers beat Hannan (WV) 60-0. Bray said that making such a big statement so early was important and that the Lancers “have to show them what Fed Hock’s about, show them who we are” and “show them that the Lancers are back.”
Next week, Federal Hocking will return to TVC-Hocking football for the first time in six years when they host Belpre (0-1) August 29. Green also has a home game next week. The Bobcats will play Southeastern (1-0) August 28.