HENDERSON SLIPS AT HOME TO CHAPEL HILL | Bulldogs overturn district race with unexpected win

HENDERSON – Things got a lot more interesting in District 9-4A, Division I here at Henderson ISD Lion Stadium on Friday night, unfortunately for the Lions and their fans.

Chapel Hill, set back this season by absences of key starters the last few years in their lengthy playoff runs, somewhat unexpectedly flexed its muscles, proving it still is hopeful of reaching its own goals for the 2024 football season.

The Bulldogs scored 42 unanswered points to overturn senior night and the district apple-cart, so to speak, with a 42-14 win over the Lions on Friday, after Henderson scored early and looked impressive moving 63 yards in just five plays.

Besides assuring itself a third-place finish in 9-4A-DI (aka the District of Doom around here) playoff pecking order, the Bulldogs force the Lions (6-3, 3-2) into a win to make the postseason next Friday at Lindale against the Eagles.

Henderson took the opening kickoff and navigated 63 yards in just five plays, scoring on a 24-yard quarterback keeper by Vince Howard as some fans were just settling into their seats. Ivan Navarro booted the extra point, giving the Lions a 7-0 advantage with 10:21 remaining in the opening quarter.

“It started really good,” said second-year Henderson football coach Clay Baker. “Then it went a little sideways and seemed to snowball on us. At that point, I think we shot ourselves in the foot a couple of times and that didn’t help.”

Now the Lions, who won only twice last season, must regroup and play well enough to win against Lindale next week to reach the playoffs for the first time since 2019.

Across the way, Chapel Hill coach Jeff Riordan was pleased with his Bulldogs’ performance. “We worked on some things this past week, and got a little of our confidence back the way things went tonight.”

Like Henderson, Chapel Hill was coming off a loss to Pine Tree.

Chapel Hill quarterback Malik Gee threw four touchdowns, two to Maliek Brown, and Peyton Bonner returned an interception 85 yards to lead the way for the Bulldogs, who finish the regular season with a 7-3 record, 4-2 against the district. Chapel Hill has an open date next weekend, the final weekend of the regular season.

Chapel Hill outgained Henderson 410 total yards to 303. Gee, a junior, was 7-of-18 for 166 passing yards with two scoring tosses to Brown and one each to Damarcion Blaylock and Jonah Riordan.

Trevor Brooks, the punter, also had a key fourth-down completion of 24 yards to Tyrell Gause to keep a scoring drive alive for Chapel Hill.

Cazden Holton led the Bulldogs’ rushing efforts with 81 yards on 12 carries. Lemuel Stinson added 58 yards on 10 carries and Gee finished with 41 yards on 16 carries.

Brown was the Bulldogs leading receiver with two catches for 111 yards and two touchdowns. Brooks also had two catches for 20 yards.

Howard was 16-of-28 passing for 160 yards for Henderson. He was also the leading rusher with 52 yards on 13 carries. Justin “Meaty” Starling, who came into the contest as the Lions’ leading rusher with 1,237 yards, carried 11 times for 38.

The Lions leading receivers were LeMarion Coleman (4-49) and Zeshaun Reed (4-41).  

Gee’s second completion of the evening and seventh scoring pass of the season went to Brown and came on the third play of Chapel Hill’s second possession of the contest, covering 82 of the 83-yard march. Estevan Sandoval converted the first of his six extra points to knot the score at 7-all with 2:41 remaining in the first quarter.

On the visitors’ very next possession, the Bulldogs threatened, but were turned away as Henderson linebacker Lorenzo Allen knocked a Gee pass en route to the end zone down at the one-yard line on a fourth-and-eight play from the Henderson 21-yard-line.

Chapel Hill’s ensuing possession ended with Gee’s second scoring pass of the night, a 14-yard completion to Blaylock to put the Dogs ahead to stay with 5:28 left in the second period.

The scoring drive was an eight-play march, featuring  five runs by Cazden Holton and Gee and completions of 6- and 14-yards to Blaylock and a 26-yard strike to Brooks along the way.

Chapel Hill would add on its next possession, extending its lead to 14 (21-7), scoring with just 49.4 seconds remaining in the half on a 29-yard Gee-to-Brown completion to complete an eight-play, 71-yard push.

The teams exchanged fumble recoveries in the third quarter. Chapel Hill used Olandris Feggett’s recovery for a short 14-yard, four-play drive which it finished in its heavy-set formation, giving the football to Braylen Allen on back-to-back runs of three- and one-yard into the end zone for the points.

Gee and the Bulldogs would extend their lead to 35-7 with just over nine minutes to play on a 10-yard Gee-to-Jonah Riordan completion to cap an eight-play, 65-yard march.

Chapel Hill’s final touchdown came on an 85-yard interception return by Bonner less than a minute later.

Henderson wrapped up the scoring with its longest drive of the contest (13 plays, 67-yards) to score on an eight-yard Jordan Bishop run with 4:37 remaining on the clock. Navarro tacked on his second PAT of the contest to cut the final deficit to 28 points.