Loveless and Harris have been Class 6A’s top receiving duo behind Belt’s breakout season
Henderson County football has traditionally been a program that wants to establish the run.
That has been especially true at quarterback. Between Skip Patterson, Ben Dalton and Trajdon Davis, the Colonels have leaned heavily on quarterbacks who could make plays with their legs in recent years.
Brody Belt can run it, too. In fact, he leads Henderson County with 279 rushing yards and six touchdowns this season.
But this year, Belt has been doing a lot more slinging than running the ball.
Through six games, the senior quarterback has thrown for 1,086 yards, 16 touchdowns and just one interception while averaging 181 yards through the air per game.
Belt’s 1,086 passing yards already have him heading towards the 2,000-yard mark, a number a Henderson County quarterback hasn’t reached since Former UK Wildcat Will Fidler threw for 2,288 yards and 25 touchdowns as a senior at HCHS in 2005.
The change wasn’t necessarily the plan entering the season.
Henderson returned a talented backfield and expected to lean on the combination of Jack Dalton, Kingston Shidler and Anzerion Marigny. Injuries quickly changed that, forcing the Colonels to rely more heavily on a passing attack that offensive coordinator Andy Proctor already believed had plenty of potential.
“We went from having a three-headed monster to a no-headed monster,” Proctor said. “You find out real quick what you’re made of.”
The Colonels have responded by putting the ball in Belt’s hands and allowing him to take advantage of a receiving corps led by senior Hezekiah “Hezzi” Harris and sophomore Jackson Loveless.
It has also shown just how far Belt has come.
In his first full season as Henderson’s starting quarterback last year, Belt threw for 1,495 yards, 15 touchdowns and eight interceptions in 13 games. Through six games this season, he has already surpassed last year’s touchdown total and is just 409 yards short of his 2025 yardage.
Proctor called Belt one of the most improved players he has coached in his 15 years.
“The biggest thing that changed for me was confidence,” Belt said. “Just getting the reps and having the mentality to go out there and compete. Rep by rep, you become better.”
That growth has been especially noticeable before the snap. Belt credited Proctor with teaching him how to read defenses and understand what to look for before the play begins.
“Coach Proctor has coached me very well. He’s one of the biggest reasons why I am so improved,” Belt said. “He’s taught me how to read defenses and what to look at pre-snap.”
Proctor said Belt has reached the point where he understands not only the play call, but why it is being called and how a defense is likely to react. The result has been a quarterback who has thrown a nearly perfect 16 touchdowns against just one interception.
Belt has also benefited from the emergence of one of the area’s most productive receiving duos.
Loveless has caught 28 passes for 488 yards and seven touchdowns, while Harris has 18 catches for 297 yards and seven scores. Their seven receiving touchdowns each are tied for second in all of Class 6A.
Together, the two have accounted for 785 receiving yards and 14 of Henderson’s 16 passing touchdowns.
Loveless’ emergence was one of the biggest developments of the offseason.
He was called up late last season and saw time primarily at cornerback during Henderson’s playoff run. Proctor said Loveless began to show his potential offensively during 7-on-7 work over the summer and quickly developed chemistry with Belt.
In his first varsity start at wide receiver, Loveless caught seven passes for 167 yards and two touchdowns in the season opener, including a school-record 95-yard touchdown reception.
“To be honest, I knew what I was capable of coming into the season,” Loveless said. “I was grateful to be starting as a sophomore, but after that first game, I knew I could make a big impact on the team and put up some numbers.”
Proctor said Loveless’ route running and understanding of the offense allow Henderson to move him around and use him in different formations.
As Loveless has emerged, Harris has continued his own development.
Harris finished last season with 28 receptions for 432 yards and four touchdowns. He already has seven touchdowns this season and has taken on an expanded role that requires him to play both outside and in the slot.
“I feel like I’ve gotten more opportunities this year,” Harris said. “I’ve gotten the ball in my hands and been able to make more plays.”
Proctor described Harris as Henderson’s “plug-and-play guy,” capable of moving to another position when another receiver leaves the field.
Harris said learning the H receiver position was an adjustment after primarily playing X last season, but he has become comfortable moving between the two.
“It gets a little confusing sometimes going back and forth, but it’s not as hard as I thought it would be,” Harris said.
Having both Harris and Loveless on the field has also created problems for opposing defenses.
Proctor called the two a “yin and yang,” with both capable of moving around the formation and making plays at different levels of the field. As defenses have started paying more attention to Loveless, it has created opportunities for Harris — and vice versa.
“It’s hard to guard two people at once,” Belt said. “There are definitely times when I’ve looked at Jackson’s side and it’s not the right side to throw to. You look at Hezzi and it’s one-on-one, and you’re going there every day. And vice versa.”
Harris sees it the same way.
“If they double one, they can’t double the other,” Harris said. “If they don’t shade him, I’m probably open.”
The relationship between the three has continued to grow throughout the season.
Loveless credited Harris with helping him adjust to varsity football while the receivers have continued getting more comfortable with Belt each week.
“A lot of the connection between us comes from getting more in sync every day at practice,” Loveless said. “Hezzi introduced me to the way varsity football is at County, and being able to step up early and play with them has been great.”
The pass-heavy offense may not have been what Henderson expected entering the year, but six games in, there is little reason to change what is working.
“I didn’t think we were going to pass it as much as we do,” Harris said. “But it’s working, so I hope we keep doing it.”
The Colonels will look to keep it rolling Friday at home against George Rogers Clark. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.
