During their junior year at Seymour High School, Owen Kruse, Evan Royer and Jack Pennington visited Hanover College to meet with the football staff and check out the football facilities as part of Junior Day.

The Owls liked the way they were greeted and what they saw from the Hanover football program.

Thursday night, Kruse, Royer and Pennington signed to play football at Hanover beginning this fall.

Seymour head football coach Tyson Moore said he believes that all three players will fit in nicely at Hanover.

“It’s one of those things that playing any sport at the next level is not an easy thing to do, regardless of what level of college athletics,” Moore said. “For these three young men to all wanting to go play with each-other at Hanover really shows the commitment and the effort that they put in for four years, and it’s paid off. I actually believe that they’ll be able to compete at a high level.”

The three helped the Owls win the Hoosier Hills Conference title in 2022 and beat Columbus East in a sectional game last fall.

Last fall Royer was named Seymour’s Defensive Player of the Year, Kruse was named Offensive Player of the Year and Pennington was named Most Outstanding Player after earning Special Team Player of the Year in 2022.

Kruse was named to the HHC all-conference first team and to the Indiana Football Coaches Association 5A all-state team.

He says he is ready to go block for the Hanover backs like he did for the Owls.

He played left tackle the past two years and said, “In pass blocking, you’re playing off the defensive lineman. In run blocking you need to be more the aggressor.

Kruse said he liked the family atmosphere with the Seymour program.

“I liked the comrade between teammates. Probably about half the people (at the signing) were teammates or people I played with,” he said. “It just felt like home. It was between Hanover and Franklin, and the difference was I just felt more comfortable with the coaching staff, and just being on campus felt more like home.”

He said after hearing Royer and Pennington were going there, that was another reason he chose Hannover.

Kruse said Hanover runs an ‘air-raid’ offense like our offense was this year, a lot of passing. I’ve always been a Seymour Owl,” Kruse said. “I’ve been playing football since third grade, and it has always been the thing to do.”

Royer played defense throughout his career with the Owls

“I’m looking forward to playing in the defensive line,” he said. “I love the Hanover campus, I like the coaches, and I liked the players when I met them. It seems like a good fit.”

Royer said he will miss the Friday nights in the fall being with his Seymour teammates.

“I loved playing for the team and playing for Coach Moore. It was a great atmosphere to play at. I started playing football in fifth grade,” he said.

Royer said the Seymour practices were very competitive with a lot of hard hitting.

“We hit people every day except Fridays. I just enjoy hitting people and making tackles,” he said.

Pennington was a two-time all-HHC and IFCA all-state player. He holds the game, season and career reception records at Seymour, the career receiving yards mark and the season and career receiving touchdowns records.

“I enjoyed the opportunities that came with it, the friendships I made, the brotherhood behind the entire team,” Pennington said.

“Our senior class has been together six years now. We’ve been so connected throughout each-other.”

He said he enjoyed playing on the turf at Bulleit Stadium.

“Turf is so much better,” Pennington said. “It gives you more grip, and the environment with our fans, and student section and having everybody up in the stands that I know and love cheering me on was amazing.”

He said he and the team started off kind of slow during his freshman year, but they got better during his career.

Pennington said he decided on Hanover halfway through the season last fall.

“I felt like it would be the best fit for me with their playing style,” he said. “When we went there for junior day we all had an amazing time. I love (Kruse and Royer) those guys.”

Moore said, “I’ve had many conversations with their head football coach (Matt Theobald) at Hanover, and even their position coaches and one of the last times they came in before they decided to commit, their entire staff came, and they have a lot of respect for these three and have a lot of belief in them.”

Chase Burton, who was a member of the Seymour football coaching staff in 2020, is the quarterback coach at Hanover and the player said they are looking forward to reuniting with him.

Penning said he is especially looking forward to working with Burton.

“Their head coach said they are three guys that they believe can contribute and get into the mix right away,” Moore said, “Regardless if it happens or not, the big thing is that they are getting an opportunity to play somewhere beyond the high school level.

“It’s a great opportunity for them. I’m proud of all three of them. They are three young men that were big, big pieces to our success the last few years and even having a big part of that (2022) conference championship.

“They have a huge opportunity ahead of them and with their work ethic I think they’ll make the most of it.”