LIONS OUTCLAW WILDCATS | Henderson deals Palestine 54-35 loss in district opener for both programs

PALESTINE – It wasn’t exactly a defensive clinic.

But for coach Ricky Meeks’ Henderson High School Lions, it WAS a district win.

The Lions scored 27 first-half points and wouldn’t let their foot off the gas in the second half, getting out of Wildcat Stadium with a 54-35 victory.

And it meant something: this was the District 8-4A Division I opener for both programs.

Henderson (2-2 overall, 1-0 in district play) will host Lindale in the second district score game next Friday, Sept. 25.

Palestine is now 2-2 overall, as well, but 1-2 in district play.

The second half was not one for defensive football purists.

Down 27-14, Palestine running back Damian Ojeda scored on a 12-yard run (27-14 Henderson), with 5:54 left in the third quarter of a game that really, due to turnovers, had been all Henderson Lions in the first half. Ojeda, by the way, had four touchdown runs in the game.

Henderson answered right back, a 24-yard touchdown pass from Blake Meeks to Jay Fry. Ivan Navarro, who would set a personal milestone in the first half, got the extra point and the Lions were back in front by 20, 34-14. It was the first points scored by the Lions in the four games they’ve played this year.

That would be the score headed into the fourth quarter.

Ojeda scored on another 2-yard run to get the Wildcats within 13, 34-21, with the entire fourth quarter to play.

Fry would get another, his third of the night, on a X-yard run with 8:16 left. Navarro hit the point after for a 41-21 advantage.

Ojeda’s 19-yard run with 7:04 left fulfilled the prophesy of seemingly every Palestine game: staying within striking distance in the second half.

Meeks threw an 8-yard touchdown (48-28).

The final score of the night for the Wildcats: Palestine’s Ashton Cook on a 1-yard run in absolute garbage time, 1:13 left in the game. Palestine tried an onside kick, but Henderson recovered it, he took it all the way back to the Palestine 1-yard-line.

Meeks scored two plays later, a quarterback run with 32 seconds left. The extra point, not one attempted by Navarro, was not made (not kicked, the ball scooted past before the kick), and produced the 54-35 final.

Henderson’s first possession, the first of the game, began with a completion from Meeks to Aumaz Jackson, for 5 quick yards. Meeks, protected by a wall of lineman that included Dakalin Stein, Grayson Herrera, Zayden Castleberry, Dkalyn Pellum, and Teale Goode, looked poised as if he’d been starting for four years.

Jackson picked up the first down on a run, to the Palestine 43 for 11 yards.

The Lions went back to the pass, Jackson again, but for a short gain. On the third and 5, Palestine jumped offsides. Henderson took the pass, though, for a new set of downs at the PHS 32-yard-line.

A holding call on Henderson left the Lions in second and 20 at the 25. Meeks found Jay Fry out of the backfield for a pass that got them 9 yards back.

The Lions’ offense, in third at 11 at the Palestine 16, would be in fourth down after an incomplete pass to the corner of the end zone from Meeks to Aiden Perry. Perry then went back out, held for Navarro, and the Lions had three points on the board, a 3-0 Henderson lead after a 33-yard field goal with 6:34 left in the first quarter.

Three quick runs by Palestine’s Cook, back-to-back-to-back runs, set the Wildcats up at Henderson’s 16-yard-line.

The drive stalled at the 11, though, and they were suddenly in third and 5. Cook, fighting for yards, had the ball pop up in the air. Henderson junior Jayden Sibley got the ball at the Lions’ own 7.

On FIRST DOWN (!!), Meeks wound up and heaved the ball downfield to a streaking Jackson, who made the catch. It looked like he would go the distance, but he was tripped up by Deaundre Turner at the Palestine 22, an 81-yard pass play.

A loss of 2 on a running play left the Lions in second-and-12, but Meeks and Jackson – yes, Jackson AGAIN – connected. Jackson bounced off defenders like a pinball, and was finally brought down at the 7, setting up a first-and-goal.

It wouldn’t take long. Jay Fry dodged a few would-be tacklers and scored the first touchdown of the game on a 7-yard run. Navarro’s extra point was good and gave the Lions a 10-0 advantage with 2:27 left in the first.

The Wildcats opened their next possession at midfield, but did nothing with it. Henderson forced a three-and-out.

Henderson found itself in a third and 2 at its own 29 to end the quarter, and Russell ran XXX yards for a first down on the first play of quarter No. 2. Two plays later, Walker made a grab from Meeks for 19 yards to Palestine’s 43.

The drive stalled out, though, and Meeks punted. Palestine took over with 8:38 left and wasted no time. Quarterback Noah Herrinton hit Thurman Harrell and was pulled out of bounds at Henderson’s 2. Damian Ojeda scored right up the middle on the next play. The extra point was good, and Palestine cut Henderson’s lead to 10-7 with 8:23 left in the half.

Henderson’s Caleb Holmes took the kickoff back to Palestine’s 48, and Fry bounced free to the 35, for 13 yards and a first down.

Henderson scored on the next play, Fry bolting away from everybody for the 35-yard TD run, his second in the game. Navarro’s point after with 7 ½ minutes left in the half put the Lions back up by 10, 17-7.

Palestine fumbled the kickoff,  and Henderson recovered. Meeks came out ready, right back at the Wildcats’ 35-yard-line. His pass downfield to Jackson in the end zone was batted down.

Three plays later, Meeks, rushed by Palestine’s Braelan Johnson, tried to force a throw downfield, off his back foot. Palestine’s London Brown picked it off, for a short return, and two runs by the offense later, the Wildcats were at Henderson’s 44.

It didn’t last long.

Yet another turnover: it was Howard this time, recovering a fumble for the Lions at Palestine’s 42, the Wildcats’ third fumble of the game.

Meeks tossed a screen pass to Walker for a gain of 9, and then the big play right after that: a halfback pass from Walker to Aiden Perry for a 26-yard touchdown. Perry crossed the end zone with 3:37 left in the half, and the lead moved to 24-7 after Navarro successfully hit the point after.

A run for negative yardage left Palestine in a big hole, a second and 17 at their own 28. A couple of connections between Herrington and London, then a short run by Brown and the Wildcats had a first down at their own 47.

Right after the two-minute warning, on second and 10, Herrington dropped back – too far back – and was sacked, hard, at his own 37, a loss of 10.

Third and 20 saw the Wildcats get only just a yard shy of the original line of scrimmage, and they brought the punt team out, with 1:02 left in the half.

They did punt, and Henderson, after a fair catch, took over at its own 19. A pass to Walker got the Lions 25 yards to the 45, and then incomplete down the sidelines to Jackson.

With 34 seconds left, the clock stopped on the incompletion, and then Meeks – obviously now trying to score quickly – dropped back and found Walker, who caught the ball in double coverage at Palestine’s 25 and then got out of bounds, to boot.

Meeks’ first-down pass fell incomplete, and so did the second-down throw to Fry.

With 14 seconds left and in a third and 10, Meeks couldn’t hit Walker along the sidelines.

That brought out the very-capable Navarro for a 42-yard field goal attempt, his longest try of the season out of the hold by Perry. Navarro hit it, heck of a leg, and made it 27-7 Henderson, the eventual halftime score. Not to jinx him, but Navarro hasn’t missed a field goal this year; he’s 3-of-3.