One and Oh!
It had been five seasons since the Hennessey Eagles won their opening game, including the 13-7 home loss against the Crescent Tigers in 2020. Well, the 2021 football narrative is already different, with the Eagles 27-14 road victory at Crescent’s Tiger Stadium on Friday night. Though outnumbered on the sideline and outsized on the field, fighting through cramps and fatigue caused by 90+ degree heat and humidity, and the usual game-day bumps and bruises, the Eagles amassed 208 Yards Rushing and 130 Yards Receiving in route to a hard-fought, well-deserved victory.
Led by Junior Quarterback, Sebastian Gonzalez, who accounted for 161 Yards of Total Offense, passing for 2 Touchdowns and running for 1 more, the Eagles tied the game midway through the 1st quarter on a 24 yard Sebas’ pass to Seth Simunek, and took the lead for good at the 4:10 mark of the 2nd with 58 yard catch and run by Weston Smith. By halftime, the Eagles had doubled the Tigers’ offensive yardage output (228-114) and led 20-6.
The 2nd half was a slugfest (literally, at times), with both teams fighting for every inch of green turf. The Tigers possessed the ball for 18 of the 24 second half minutes, but achieved only 8 points, a 6 yard Tayon Johnson run on the first play of the 4th. Keigen Crites and Nykolaus Snyder accounted for the heavy lifting after the break, with Snyder putting the final nail in the Tiger coffin with a 34 Yard sideline hugging run 2 minutes after Crescent had trimmed the lead.
Final Offensive numbers have Gonzalez going 5 for 10 for 130 yards Passing, with 2 TDs and 1 Interception. Crites had 20 Carries for 137 Yards Rushing, followed by Snyder’s 3 Carries for 40 Yards and 1 TD on the ground. Simunek had 3 Receptions for 69 Yards and 1 TD, with Weston Smith pulling down 2 catches for 61 Yards and 1 Touchdown.
The key to the game was the bend-don’t-break defense. After giving up a short 37 Yard TD drive on the Tigers’ first possession, following an Eagle fumble on the game’s opening kickoff, Coach Sprayberry’s D did not allow another score for 7 straight possessions, until the 4th quarter Tiger TD run. In total, Crescent had 10 offensive possessions, with the Eagles Defense causing 4 fumbles resulting in turnovers, turning them over on downs twice, and forcing 1 punt. Keigen Crites, at middle linebacker, made 11 Total Tackles with 1 Quarterback Sack. The hammer patrolling the defensive backfield was Juan Castanon. JC led the D with 13 Tackles and 1 Fumble Recovery. Other fumble recoveries came from Cam Griffin, Langston Smith, Zack Tillman, and Kevin Trillo getting the loose ball on the muffed, and unintentional, onside kick in the 1st period. The defensive play of the game, that told the Tigers that this was not going to be their night, was the Quarterback Sack from Freshman Linebacker Jessin Hardin at the 7-minute mark of the 4th. Jessin finished with 8 Total Tackles and that Sack, after which the Tigers never got another 1st down and never threatened the endzone.
The Hennessey Eagles, now 1-0, get set for their home opener next Friday night at Eagle Stadium with the Hinton Comets, also 1-0 after their 28-12 win v. Walters. Kickoff is at 7:00 pm. Friday, September 3rd.
