October 2, 2026
By Eagle Voice
The Millwood Falcons entered Friday nightโs game versus Hennessey riding a 2-game win streak in the matchup, winning those games in โ22 and โ23 by an average score of 62-19, and fresh off a 62-8 drubbing of Newkirk one week ago.ย The Falcons left Eagle Stadium in stunned disbelief as Defensive Coordinator Nathan Hillโs โRed Zone Dโ was the dominating, deciding force in the Eaglesโ 15-7 Class 2AII-District 1 victory over #11 Falcons (2-3, 1-1).
That Defense showed early, forcing a 3-and-out on the Falconsโ first possession, then a Brytan Gardner 15-yard Pick-6 two plays into the Falconsโ second.ย
The game, however, was won in the Red Zone.ย Twice, the Falcons had First-and-Goal inside the Eagle 5, and twice they came away with ZERO points.ย
The first opportunity was crushed on a Raiden Briley QB Sack with under a minute to play in the first half.ย The next came in the 4th quarter when Jameson Ladwig and Beau Vinson combined on a 9-yard Tackle for Loss, followed by Alex Gonzalez winning a jump-ball battle in the end zone, coming down with a pass interception that โessentiallyโ sealed the deal.ย
The Defense held the Falcons to 6 of 15 on 3rd Down, and 0 for 2 on 4th.
Briley lead the Eagles D with 6 total tackles and 1 ยฝ quarterback sacks, earning the freshman MaxPreps Defensive Player of the Game.
Mario Lopez added 6 tackles from his cornerback position, with Jayson Boehm, Brayan Soto, and Cam Dowell having impact plays on defense, as well.
The Eagles Offense scored only once, on a Levi Ferrell first quarter 3-yard carry, with the added insurance of a point-after conversion run out of the swinging gate, very reminiscent of the 2010 Semifinals victory over Millwood, then with Orlando Pina, this time with Brytan Gardner running it in for 2.
Ferrell ended the game with 90 yards and 1 TD rushing, adding 92 yards through the air, with two huge 3rd down conversion throws, continuing drives over the top to TE Brady Amburn.
Player discipline was a huge factor in this game, with Millwood committing 11 penalties for 89 yards, 3 of which occurred in offensive โ-and-goalโ situations (1 erasing a TD catch), while Hennessey was assessed only 4 violations total for 35 yards.
For a complete list of playerโs stats and awards, and the game box score, refer to MaxPreps.com: Hennessey Eagles Football.
The Class 2AII #9 Ranked Hennessey Football Eagles (3-2, 2-0) continue District play next week on the road, Friday, October 9th, on the campus of Northwestern Oklahoma State University to take on the Alva Goldbugs (1-4, 0-2). Photos by Shelley Muzny.
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