“They were who we thought they were,” said Henderson County head coach John Elliott in reference to Pulaski County following the Colonels 44-21 loss to the Maroons in the Week 1 Hall of Fame Game. It was no secret that Travis Burns’ Maroons were a force to be reckoned with on the ground, and tonight further proved that point. Pulaski rushed for 155 yards and four touchdowns on the ground, behind an offensive line that includes multiple players with several Division-I offers. But, the Maroons weren’t perfect on the evening, as the Colonels defense would force three turnovers, and kept Pulaski in check in late down situations, as the Maroons went 0-for-4 on third and fourth down combined. Colonels senior linebacker, Jack Ryan Reusch spearheaded the defense, hauling in two interceptions and recovering one fumble.
Despite the defense’s best efforts, Henderson’s offense was handcuffed by several injuries at the quarterback position. The first of which came early in the first quarter when starting signal-caller, junior Brody Belt exited the game with a high-ankle sprain. Belt’s exit would lead the Colonels to turn their backup, two-way star, kick/punt returner Hayden Turner. Turner would find success early, finding Zarian Rideout for a 19-yard touchdown in the 2nd quarter. Turner would finish the night 3-for-3 for 49 yards and the lone score, but the senior would also exit the game with full-body cramps, leading the Colonels to eventually turn to senior Avant Baxter. Baxter, normally a receiver and defensive back, took his first snaps ever at quarterback in tonight’s contest, and saw relative success rushing for one touchdown in the fourth quarter helping him earn Henderson’s Most Outstanding Player. The Colonels had five players take snaps tonight, with freshman Paxden Beck and junior Peyton Sheffer both seeing the field as well. The Colonels third and final score of the evening would come courtesy of junior Kingston Shidler’s 87-yard kickoff return for a touchdown midway through the fourth quarter.
As a team, the Colonels finished with 61 total yards of offense (12 rushing, 49 passing). As for the opposition, Pulaski County totaled 197 yards, with quarterback Zak Anderson completing 4-of-9 passes for 42 yards and one interception. Running backs Kasen Beck, Kaden Carter, Bryan Ford and Winston Ford combined for 176 rushing yards and 4 touchdowns, all on 16 carries. Winston Ford would earn Most Outstanding Player for Pulaski with his 90-yard, one touchdown performance. Defensive back Will Adams would also add a 29 yard scoop-and-score in the 3rd quarter.
Now 0-1 on the young season, the Colonels enter a bye-week with hopes of getting fully healthy and fully prepared for their next game. Henderson County will next see the field on Friday, September 5th at Colonel Stadium against Lexington’s Henry Clay. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m.
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