The Eagles defense had no answer for Henderson County football on Friday night, as sophomore quarterback Trajdon Davis and senior Jaheim Williams led the Colonels to a 68-28 win.
Apollo couldn’t get much going on its first drive, eventually punting to the Colonels and putting them on the 37. Henderson County chugged its way downfield, but the Eagles held up at the goal line to force fourth and three.
However, a fake handoff had Apollo fooled, as sophomore quarterback Trajdon Davis took it himself for a 7-0 lead with 5:35 left in the first quarter. The Eagles responded swiftly though, as senior Donte Dixon slipped out of the backfield to catch a pass from senior quarterback Christian Combs for a 52-yard touchdown.
The extra point was blocked though, leaving Apollo behind 7-6 with 4:31 left in the first quarter. The Colonels got some quick momentum from the blocked PAT, as they proceeded to take two plays to find the endzone.
It was Davis who closed out the drive again for Henderson County, bullying his way into the endzone for a five-yard touchdown and a 14-6 lead with 4:13 left in the first quarter. The Colonels weren’t done yet either, quickly getting back on the board to make it 21-6 late in the first on a 19-yard screen pass from Davis to senior Jaheim Williams.
Davis and Henderson County stayed hot to start the second quarter, getting a huge run to take them to the 20. The very next play Davis hit junior Koien Banks for a 20-yard touchdown, extending the Colonels lead to 28-6 with 9:54 left in the first half.
Apollo was nearly able to hold up in the redzone on the following Henderson County drive, but they converted on fourth and short. After a false start, Davis found senior Turner Mattingly up the middle for a six-yard touchdown and a 34-6 lead with 3:58 left in the first half following the missed PAT.
The Eagles were able to get on the board just before halftime though, as a 30-yard pass to Velotta put them near the goal line before a six-yard pass to Dixon put them in the endzone with 4.8 seconds on the clock. Some trickery on a two-point conversion led to junior Eli Masterson throwing to Combs in the endzone, making the grab and sending Apollo into halftime trailing 34-14.
It didn’t take long for Henderson County to score once again coming out of the locker room, as Davis continued his impressive performance with a six-yard touchdown run to make it 41-14. The Eagles were able to bounce back on the ensuing drive though, getting a nice return from Dixon on the kickoff to put them at the 42. After a 31-yard catch from sophomore Niles Board a few plays later, Combs ran it in for a five-yard touchdown to make it 41-21 with 7:57 left in the third.
But Williams and Davis got the Colonels offense going once again on their next drive, scoring less than a minute later on a 33-yard touchdown pass to make it 48-21 with 7:16 left in the third quarter. Williams turned on the jets again later in the third, taking a handoff 88 yards for a touchdown and a 55-21 lead with 2:56 left in the quarter.
Henderson County went 62-21 to start the running clock with 9:56 to play, with the Eagles getting their lone score of the fourth on a scoop and score by senior Morgan Eans. Apollo’s defense just couldn’t stifle the Colonel’s offense at the end of the day, ultimately falling 68-28.
Head Coach John Edge tipped his cap to the Colonels following the game, noting that they strategically wanted Henderson County to throw more often but were unable to stop it.
“We made them throw the football and they won throwing the football,” Edge said. “That’s it. That’s what you have to do. You gotta make them throw the football and hats off to them… They completed some deep balls and touchdowns… We’ve just gotta get better in that area, big time. We’ve gotta cover people”
While Edge and the Eagles will look for some improvement in that specific part of their defensive game, he was pleased with their performance offensively. Suffering back-to-back losses has Apollo sitting at 1-6 overall and 0-2 in district play, Edge wants his guys to stay positive and focus one getting back in the win column one game at a time.
“There’s still a lot of football left,” Edge said. “We’ve gotta get this first win against Marshall. It’s gotta happen.”
