Late game heroics and a breakout performance on the ground would seal the victory for Henderson County tonight at Colonel Stadium. The Colonels improved to .500 on the season (1-1) after their 19-16 win over visiting Henry Clay (0-3). The Blue Devils hopes were dashed on their final drive when Henderson senior LB Zarian Rideout intercepted Cooper Dickerson’s pass with less than two minutes to go in the 4th quarter.
In front of a raucous home crowd, Henderson County got off to a hot start despite an opening drive safety for Henry Clay. The Colonels’ first-half success came courtesy of junior RB Kingston Shidler. The tailback accounted for 121 of Henderson’s 173 rushing yards on 16 carries, and scored twice in the first quarter. With his success in mind, QB play was still a question for Henderson coming into tonight. Senior Avant Baxter got the starting nod, and did most of his damage on the ground with 58 yards on 10 carries. Junior Brody Belt, who was injured in Henderson’s Week 1 loss (ankle sprain), also saw the field completing 4-of-12 passes for 31 yards.
The Colonels seemed to have the upper hand early on Henry Clay, at one point leading 16-2, but the Blue Devils would storm back with 14 unanswered points to tie the game at halftime. Backup QB Cooper Dickerson would provide a spark, completing 11-of-22 passes for 73 yards and one TD. The initial score saw Dickerson connect with Chaii Paris for a receiving touchdown, with TE/H-Back Henry Morgan, adding the other score on the ground.
The only scoring in the second half came in the third quarter off the right foot of Colonel’s kicker Miles Pryor. The dagger was a 30 yard, go-ahead field goal. Henderson County would finish the night with 204 yards of total offense. In the loss, Henry Clay finished with 127 yards of total offense.
With the first victory of the John Elliott era under their belt, Henderson County now faces their first true road test next Friday in Fort Branch, IN against Gibson Southern. The Titans are 2-1 on the young season, picking up a victory Friday night on the road against Mount Vernon. The Colonels will have their work cut out for them, with Gibson Southern’s calling card being their offense. The Titans are scoring nearly 33 points-per-game through three contests. Kickoff from Jack Jewell Memorial Field is set for 7 PM on Friday, September 12th.
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