The Henderson County Colonels gave their home crowd a gritty performance Friday night, outlasting the Lexington Henry Clay Blue Devils 19–16 in a defensive game marked by timely plays and a heavy dose of ground-and-pound football.
It was the first-ever meeting between the two programs, and Colonels’ first contest against a Lexington opponent since 1994. A packed crowd filled Colonel Stadium, and the jitters showed immediately. Henderson’s opening possession stalled with a muffed snap that turned into a safety, giving Henry Clay a quick 2–0 lead.
But the Colonels never wavered. After recovering from a pair of fumbles in their first two drives, HCHS responded with an emphatic answer. Senior fill-in quarterback Avant Baxter, the night’s starter, settled into a rhythm out of the wildcat formation, while junior running back Kingston Shidler powered his way through the Blue Devils’ defensive front. Shidler capped the Colonels’ second drive with a 33-yard touchdown run, and just like that, Henderson had reclaimed control.
“We were counting on Kingston to do what he did tonight,” HCHS head coach John Elliott said afterward. “It’s a credit to him and the offensive line. The coaching staff put this plan together, and it worked out well.”
After Henry Clay’s offense sputtered on its second possession, the Colonels leaned on special teams to tilt the field. Junior kicker and punter Miles Pryor pinned the Blue Devils inside their own 1-yard line with a perfect punt.
The field position proved costly for Henry Clay, as a botched long snap on the punt attempt sailed through the end zone for the second safety of the night.
Suddenly, the Colonels were up 9–2.
The momentum kept rolling on the next possession. After a lengthy punt return, Shidler ripped off a 37-yard touchdown run to extend the Colonel lead to 16–2 late in the first quarter.
Henry Clay senior quarterback Aiden Huston started the game, but the Blue Devils turned to sophomore Landon Dickerson under center before long.
Dickerson completed 11 passes for 73 yards, including a 19-yard touchdown strike to junior wideout Chaii Paris midway through the second quarter to pull within 16–9.
Later in the half, 6-feet-4, 200-pound fullback Henry Morgan bulldozed into the end zone from three yards out to even the score at 16–16, where the score remained going into halftime.
The second half opened with the Colonels’ defense setting the tone. On Henry Clay’s first snap after the break, senior linebacker Cooper Bridgeman broke through for a thunderous sack that drove the Blue Devils back eight yards. The play foreshadowed a half dominated by Henderson’s defensive front.
Senior defensive lineman Jack Logan and Alec Thomas clogged the middle all night, tallying three tackles apiece and splitting a sack, according to The Hendersonian.
Star linebacker Jack Ryan Reusch, playing through a broken left hand wrapped in a club, contributed 5 tackles. Myron Wright anchored the unit with a team-high 5.5 tackles and half of a sack.
“Coach Elliott’s leadership and Coach Schnur stepping in as our defensive coordinator have been awesome. We knew they were going to be heavy on the run. We were ready for it,” Logan said.
The Colonels were certainly ready. Henderson held Henry Clay to just 39 rushing yards on 25 carries.
While the defense held strong, the Colonels leaned on Shidler’s legs to reestablish their offensive rhythm. Midway through the third quarter, he broke free for several chunk gains before cramping up and exiting the game until late in the fourth quarter.
He finished the night with 17 carries for 131 yards and two touchdowns in just his second varsity start for the Colonels.
“Just keep running. Run through people,” Shidler said of his mentality.
When Shidler left the game temporarily in the third quarter, sophomore running back Anzerion Marigny stepped in admirably, posting back-to-back gains of 9 and 14 yards on the drive that set up Pryor’s 29-yard field goal.
The kick pushed Henderson back in front, 19–16, with just 10 seconds left in the third quarter.
Both teams traded empty possessions in the fourth quarter, with Henderson relying on Marigny and senior Hayden Turner to carry the rushing load while Belt managed the passing game. The Colonels had a chance to extend their lead when Pryor attempted a 44-yard field goal, but the kick came up just short.
Late in the game, the Blue Devils could not move the sticks. But pinned at their own 15-yard line on fourth down, Dickerson connected with Henry Morgan on a desperate 30-yard heave that momentarily stunned the home crowd.
But Henderson’s defense toughed it out. With 1:38 left, senior linebacker Zarian Rideout sealed the game with a clutch interception, erupting the Colonels’ sideline and stadium into celebration.
The box score told the story of Henderson’s identity Friday night. The Colonels rushed 47 times for 170 yards, compared to Henry Clay’s 39 yards on 25 attempts.
Through the air, Belt completed 4 of 11 passes for 31 yards, with Christian Haygan (2 catches, 14 yards), Hezekiah Harris (1 catch, 11 yards), and Tucker Siewert (1 catch, 6 yards) providing support from the wide receiver position.
Overall, Henderson outgained Henry Clay 201–128, with 85% of Henderson’s yards coming on the ground.
In the end, it wasn’t the cleanest performance; Henderson’s offense committed several fumbles and miscues. Still, the Colonels showed resilience in closing out the game.
“I thought the defensive staff did an excellent job developing a game plan,” Elliott said. “Then also tonight during the game, they did an outstanding job of making their calls and adjustments.”
Henderson moved to 1–1 on the season, while Henry Clay dropped to 0–3.
The Colonels now turn their attention to next week at Gibson Southern, the 4th-ranked team in Indiana Class 3A, according to USA TODAY. Kickoff will be 7 p.m.
Box Score
Henderson Co. 19, Henry Clay 16
Henry Clay Henderson Co.
7 First Downs 11
25-38 Rushes-Yards 47-170
12-30-1 Comp-Att-Int 4-13-0
89 Passing Yards 31
127 Total Yards 201
1-0 Fumbles-Lost 6-1
7-65 Penalties-Yards 9-67
7-30.3 Punts-Avg. 4-27.3
Henry Clay 2 14 0 0 — 16
Henderson Co. 16 0 3 0 — 19
Scoring
Clay – Safety
Hend – Kingston Shidler 33 run (Miles Pryor kick) 4 plays, 64 yards
Hend – Safety
Hend – Shidler 37 run (Pryor kick), 1 play, 37 yards
Clay – Chaii Paris 19 pass from Cooper Dickerson (Ethan Cooper kick)
Clay – Henry Morgan 2 run (Cooper kick)
Hend – Pryor 29 field goal, 14 plays, 45 yards
Individual Statistics
Rushing
Henry Clay – Safal Gurung 15-39, Isaiah King 2-8, Henry Morgan 3-6, Zoe’Marion Smith 2-(-2), Aiden Huston 2-(-11), Team 1-0.
Henderson Co. – Kingston Shidler 17-131, Avant Baxter 9-61, Anzerion Marigny 6-24, Hayden Turner 6-4, Brody Belt 4-4, Team 5-(-54).
Passing
Henry Clay – Cooper Dickerson 10-24-1 74, Huston 2-6-0 15.
Henderson Co. – Belt 4-11-0 31, Baxter 0-2-0 0.
Receiving
Henry Clay – Chaii Paris 7-39, Morgan 2-40, Landon Cross 1-6, Vinny Kirk 1-5, Tristan Thompson 1-(-1).
Henderson Co. – Christian Haygan 2-14, Hezekiah Harris 1-11, Tucker Siewert 1-6.
