Fishers traveled to Hamilton Southeastern for the 2026 Mudsock game and fell to the Royals, 49–35. After slipping into an early 21–0 deficit, the Tigers fought throughout the night behind freshman quarterback Roman Wessel, who threw for 316 yards and four touchdowns. Keegan Gates led the receiving corps with five catches for 105 yards and a score. Hamilton Southeastern opened the game with a long strike from Deaken Johnson to Carson Hall for 42 yards, but the Tigers defense responded with a tackle for loss by Keagan Lett and a sack from Mikey Feliciano to force a field‑goal attempt that missed left. Fishers converted an early third down but eventually punted — and the Royals blocked it, setting up short field position. Johnson rolled left and ran in the game’s first touchdown. The Tigers were forced to punt again, and Southeastern blocked their second kick of the night, returning it for a touchdown. Early in the second quarter, Johnson connected with Clark Bucher for a 44‑yard touchdown to make it 21–0. Fishers refused to fold. Wessel hit Gates for a 67‑yard gain to spark a scoring drive capped by a short Jayden Bonds run. Southeastern answered to push the lead to 28–7. On the next Tigers possession, Wessel found Darian Girton for 28 yards and Max Hopkins for 22, but the drive stalled and Fishers turned it over deep in Royals territory. Two plays later, Jordan Kinder intercepted Johnson and returned it to the 8‑yard line. Wessel hit Hayden Skelton on a slant to cut the deficit to 28–14 with under two minutes left. The Royals, however, used the remaining time efficiently and scored with under 10 seconds left, taking a 35–14 lead into halftime. Fishers opened the second half with momentum thanks to a strong return by Jayden Bogan to midfield. The Tigers converted two third downs before Wessel found Gates for a 4‑yard touchdown, trimming the lead to 35–21. Southeastern responded immediately as Johnson hit Bennett Foster along the sideline for another score. Fishers’ next drive stalled, leading to a punt. Early in the fourth quarter, Cam Kern powered up the middle for a touchdown to extend the Royals’ lead to 49–21. Fishers answered with a long drive capped by Wessel’s 24‑yard touchdown pass to a wide‑open Hopkins, making it 49–28 with just over six minutes remaining. The Tigers defense forced a punt, and the offense marched down the field again, finishing with a 16‑yard touchdown from Wessel to Donovan Proll to pull within 49–35 with just over two minutes left. Southeastern converted a short third down on the ensuing possession, allowing them to run out the clock and secure the Mudsock victory.