Final.

 

Henderson is much improved this year.

Did Henderson lose to this team last year? I thought they dropped one or two to Indiana teams. If so it does look as though they are moving back to their usual winning ways.

They lost to North 45-10 last year. In fact, their first two losses were to out of state teams - one from Indiana (Evansville North), and one from Tennessee (Kenwood). This is a much improved team from last year. I don't know if they are fully back, but it looks like they are heading in that direction, at least.

I would not put us at fully back, but with as many players as we play, in a year or two we will be right there(just not sure). North is not as good as last year, and we are much better. This change in style and especially going from a program that played so few to a program that plays tons of players will not be done overnight. We are a bit better than I thought we would be at this point in the process. If we can win more, it will help bring out a few of those studs walking the hall. Great job team/coach.

 

 

The game came down to the final 8 plays for North with around 1:24 left in the game. North as the game went on had found its passing attack, and was posed to score around the 20 yardline. They completed a 4th and 10 play to just get the first down around the ten(all very close plays), and after three plays, the teams found themselves again with a 4th down, 4th and goal this time around the 8. The final pass was knocked down in the endzone. Of those final eight plays, there were I think 5 plays that could have been caught if the balls had not been knocked down. We were inches away from losing with some key players cramping up, yet play after play our boys made the plays and many of them were in the endzone.

This team is definitely head and shoulders better then last year. That said this was also the worst North team I have seen in a long time. They didn't have near the athletes and speed they normally do. I believe the real test will be in two weeks against DC. I would also like to add that the pass Clay called with 2 1/2 mins left that was intercepted was about the worst coaching call I have ever witnessed.

I also want to say the kids played their hearts out and earned this one. Great job.

I am not in the bag for any coach, but Wood, that was a great call. I want a coach who would do that. Our top back was cramping, and that play was a touchdown if the QB makes the play. Just a split second longer and it would have been 6. You have to look at the context. They started passing on us, and then a couple of secondary guys started cramping, and without RT in the game to run the ball our offense was not as good. I thought if North got the ball back they would score too. I like a coach with balls, and that will rub off on his players. Like you I thought North way way down. I think I will wait for next year to look at our coach, and if you recall I said before we even hired the coach that it would be a long road to build a large team in a system that was geared for 13 to 15 players.

Here is one post I made.

5-11-07

"The next coach is going to have a mess on his hands. His first team will be the most inexperienced team in the state if he chooses to only play a few players both ways.

 

1) We graduated some good players. If the coach does not play many players both ways that would almost double the players we graduated because he will be replacing two positions for almost every player we lost.

2) If we have numbers around 60+, that will be an additional 20 or 30 guys without varsity experience."

I am not in the bag for any coach, but Wood, that was a great call. I want a coach who would do that. Our top back was cramping, and that play was a touchdown if the QB makes the play. Just a split second longer and it would have been 6. You have to look at the context. They started passing on us, and then a couple of secondary guys started cramping, and without RT in the game to run the ball our offense was not as good. I thought if North got the ball back they would score too. I like a coach with balls, and that will rub off on his players. Like you I thought North way way down. I think I will wait for next year to look at our coach, and if you recall I said before we even hired the coach that it would be a long road to build a large team in a system that was geared for 13 to 15 players.

Having guts is one thing, that play was stupid. I don't care if it should have gone for 6 or not. Every play is designed to score if everything goes right. There were 2 mins left, HC is up 4 on the HC side of the field. North was doing nothing to stop HC running game at that point even with Theus on the side line. O'Daniel was getting 3 and 4 a carry and all they needed was about 3 for the first down. At worse you have to punt and play defense. The defense played outstanding all night and nothing North did should make you think they were going to score. It was a bone head call and it almost cost them the game, period.

At the end of the 2007 season, the truth is not too many teams around wanted to play Henderson, as they were getting to be pretty good.