EAGLES OPENING NIGHT
Opening night of the 2022 Hennessey High School Football Season ran the gauntlet of all things great (and gut-wrenching) about HS football. On this steamy 90+ degree summer night, the great shined through and gave the Hennessey faithful everything they could want versus the Class 3A Mount Saint Mary Rockets from OKC.
In addition to the Eagles giving up a 21-3 1st Half lead, only to trail 21-27 late in the 3rd Quarter, the “gut-wrenching” part of the game, as with most football games, is the injuries. Losing starting Left Tackle Kason Copeland to an ankle injury during the 2nd offensive series, on an already depleted Offensive Line, with other minor dings and multiple cramping issues causing stoppage in play, sometimes the game of football can be as hard on the moms in the stands as it is the players on the field.
The “great” was on full display and easy to see, both early and late, as the Eagle Defense forced 3 Turnovers on Downs, 5 Punts, 2 Interceptions, 5 QB Sacks, and multiple Tackles for Loss, led by #55 Cam Griffin’s 17 Total Tackles with 2 Sacks for the Junior Rush/DE, and capped off with #15 Jessin Hardin’s 50 Yard Pick-6 midway through the 4th Quarter, that put the game out of reach, as the Eagles then coasted to a 48-27 season-opening win to begin the 2022 campaign.
The “great” was also exhibited through the Offensive Air-Assault. Senior Wideout #4 Seth Simunek pulled down the 5th most Single-Game Receiving Yards in HHS history with 179 yds. Oh, he did that on ONLY 3 Receptions, scoring 3 Touchdowns on those three grabs. Simunek also picked his 1st Interception of the season in the 4th Quarter.
Senior Tight End #44 Langston Smith added 2 Receptions for 92 Yards, which included a sideline-hugging 78 Yard catch and run that kicked off the 4th Quarter onslaught that saw the Eagles outscore the Rockets 21 to 0, and outgain them 202 Yards to their 42, in the final period alone.
#2 Weston Smith had a team-high 11 Receptions for 87 Yards, with a long of 44 Yds for the Junior Wideout.
This Friday night was the introduction of #9 Titan Hix to the Eagle Nation. In his first High School Varsity Football Game EVER, this Freshman Quarterback put his team on his back and led his brothers-in-arms with contributions in all 3 phases of the game. Those “contributions” included passing for 18 Completions on 26 Attempts (69.2%) for 387 Yards, 0 Interceptions, and 5 Touchdown Passes thrown. Hix also had 136 Yards rushing, with 1 TD and one 2-Point Conversion Run. He added 3 Tackles defensively and recovered an Onside Kick to begin the 2nd Half. Titan’s 387 Yards Passing is 3rd best in HHS history, behind only Don Caffey’s 398 against Fairview in 1985 and Cole Joyce’s 500 v. Alva in 2019. His 5 TD Passes in a Single Game ties him with Mike Mays (1990 v. Crooked Oak), Tony Mendoza (2013 v. Tonkawa), and Joyce in ’19 for most ever by an Eagle QB.
Now, all the Eagles have to do is to do it again. That next opportunity will be this coming Friday night, September 2nd, at 2A #9 Ranked Crossings Christian in Oklahoma City. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 pm.
-EAGLEVOICE, Photos by Jack Quirk
