Injuries force HCHS to use five quarterbacks
Playing in the 36th annual Hall of Fame Bowl, Henderson County’s season opener against Pulaski County was anything but ordinary. The Colonels trotted out five different quarterbacks, saw several starters cramp up and ultimately fell 44-21 in the program’s first-ever meeting with the Pulaski County Maroons.
The Colonels were hoping to start the John Elliott era on a high note. But from the opening snap, Pulaski’s experience showed, with much of last year’s eight-win team back on the field.
Maroons running back Winston Ford took the second play of the game 77 yards for a touchdown, setting the tone for what would become a long night for Henderson’s defense.
Moments later, a botched punt from the back of the end zone gave Pulaski a safety and an early 9-0 lead.
Things got worse two drives later when junior starting quarterback Brody Belt left the game after an ankle injury. From that point forward, the Colonels were forced to piece together drives with a rotating cast of quarterbacks.
Still, Henderson County showed resilience in the second quarter. After junior linebacker Jack Ryan Reusch pounced on a Pulaski fumble, senior backup quarterback Hayden Turner found senior Zarian Rideout for a 19-yard touchdown to pull the Colonels within 9-7.
Reusch soon added his first of two interceptions to keep momentum alive, but Henderson’s offense stalled, and then turned over after a botched snap and a fumble. Pulaski capitalized with a short-field touchdown run by Kasen Brock before halftime to push the lead to 16-7.
As injuries piled up, Henderson’s depth was tested after cramps kept Turner from returning at quarterback.
Next man up was freshman Paxden Beck, who had a short stint at quarterback.
Pulaski took advantage of the quarterback shuffle, piling on points in the third quarter.
A botched jet sweep handoff was returned for a Pulaski touchdown early in the quarter, and then a blocked punt set up another short scoring drive. After the scoop-and-score and two rushing touchdowns, the Maroons stretched their advantage to 37-7.
As the scoreboard continued to light up in favor of the visitors, Henderson turned to wide receiver Avant Baxter to play quarterback in a wildcat formation.
The senior provided a spark, ripping off a 26-yard run. He then connected with Hezekiah Harris for a 33-yard strike and capped the drive with a 2-yard touchdown run, giving the home crowd something to cheer about.
“Honestly, I didn’t know what to think, but I was ready for it,” Baxter said after being thrust into the role unexpectedly. “My team needed me at the time, so I took the snaps and took off.”
Pulaski answered with another touchdown through the air, but Henderson struck back immediately on special teams.
Senior Kingston Shidler delivered one of the night’s biggest highlights, taking the ensuing kickoff 87 yards for a touchdown after slipping past a defender with a sharp juke. His return trimmed the margin to 44-21.
The Colonels competed until the last whistle, this time with junior Payton Sheffer behind center for the final drive until the clock ran out.
Baxter finished as Henderson’s Most Outstanding Player, totaling 35 rushing yards on 8 carries, plus a 33-yard pass and touchdown despite not being a quarterback by trade. Baxter was also a key factor on defense.
Pulaski’s Ford, who opened the game with his long touchdown run, earned MOP honors for the Maroons.
Statistically, Pulaski controlled the game with 354 total yards compared to Henderson’s 125. The Maroons rushed for 221 yards, while the Colonels managed just 46. Henderson quarterbacks combined to go 6-for-11 through the air for 79 yards.
“They were who we thought they were,” Elliott said after the game. “We had watched film on them, and they’d been very successful. They were an eight-win team and had a lot of kids back.”
The Colonels (0-1) now enter an early-season bye week, offering a chance to heal before their next matchup.
“We’re going to reassess our situation,” Elliott said. “Obviously, we had five or six kids injured tonight, so we’ll see how they’re doing. We’ve got film at 6:45 Monday morning, and we’re going to practice Monday after school to get better.”
They’ll look to regroup before Henry Clay comes to town on Sept. 5 at 6 p.m.
Pulaski Co. 44, Henderson Co. 21
Pulaski Co. Henderson Co.
12 First Downs 8
37-221 Rushes-Yards 37-46
9-15-2 Comp-Att-Int 6-11-0
133 Passing Yards 79
354 Total Yards 125
3-1 Fumbles-Lost 6-3
13-111 Penalties-Yards 4-25
2-39.5 Punts-Avg. 5-23.0
Pulaski Co. 9 7 21 7 — 44
Henderson Co. 0 7 0 14 — 21
PC – Winston Ford 77 run (Bryson Mounce kick)
PC – Safety
HC – Zarian Rideout 19 pass from Hayden Turner (Miles Pryor kick)
PC – Kasen Brock 9 run (Mounce kick)
PC – Will Adams 30 fumble return (Mounce kick)
PC – Kaden Carrier 1 run (Mounce kick)
PC – Bryan Ford 1 run (Mounce kick)
HC – Avant Baxter 2 run (Pryor kick)
PC – Brock 29 pass from Zak Anderson (Mounce kick)
HC – Kingston Shidler 85 kickoff return (Pryor kick)
Individual Statistics
Rushing
Pulaski Co. – Winston Ford 2-82, Kaden Carrier 7-72, Kasen Brock 15-65, Chase Crawford 1-10, Bryan Ford 6-9, Parker Burton 1-2, Will Hornsby 2-0, Conner Lewis 1-0, Zak Anderson 3-(-19).
Henderson Co. – Avant Baxter 8-35, Kieran Cole 2-21, Kingston Shidler 11-14, Boone Thompson 3-7, Hayden Turner 5-6, Brody Belt 2-1, Jack Ryan Reusch 1-0, Paxden Beck 1-(-4), Team 4-(-34).
Passing
Pulaski Co. – Anderson 9-15-2 133.
Henderson Co. – Turner 3-4-0 39, Baxter 1-1-0 33, Belt 2-4-0 7, Beck 0-2-0.
Receiving
Pulaski Co. – W. Ford 4-43, Brock 3-44, Boone Godby 1-34, Toby Wright 1-12.
Henderson Co. – Christian Haygan 2-21, Hezekiah Harris 1-33, Zarian Rideout 1-19, Baxter 1-4, Shidler 1-2.
Box score courtesy of Kevin Patton
