Charles Henderson prepares for tought non-region test

Published 10:00 pm Wednesday, October 31, 2012

With the postseason on the minds of many students and fans, Charles Henderson players and coaches have their sights set directly on their final regular season opponent, Eufaula.

The Trojans are riding high on a six-game win streak and head coach Mike Dean is making sure the team doesn’t overlook the 10th-ranked Tigers.

“We can’t go into this game expecting to take a week off. We can’t beat Thomasville without winning this game,. Beating Eufaula will alo us to beat Thomasville, it’s a rivalry game.” he said.

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Charles Henderson (7-2) fell to late to Eufaula (7-2) in Week 9 last season in a defensive affair. The Tigers turned the tide late in that game returing a fumble 8-yards en route to the 17-6 victory.

Charles Henderson hasn’t beaten Eufaula since 2009, and Dean says the seniors are hungry for a win over the Barbour County rivals.

“It’s a big game for us. It’s a cahnce to go out and prove that we belong and that we’re a good football team, “ Dean said. “I just don’t see us going into the playoff with a negative, we’ve got to have a positive.”

The Trojans will look to attack the Eufaula with their balanced spread attack which includes running back Courtney Downing, who sat out last week’s game with a head injury. Dean says the senior is healthy and is ready to play this week.

Sophomore quarterback Austin Ingram, who recently set the Charles Henderson single-season passing record is also looking forward to the game.

“It’s a big one for us,” he said. “Every game is big. We want to win them all.”

The last time Charles Henderson entered the playoffs after winning its last six games was in 2007 when the team went 10-0 in the regular season. It was also the last time the Trojans advanced to the third round of the postseason.

“Our goal from day one was to win a state championship. That hasn’t changes,” Dean said. “It isn’t going to be easy, but we’ve got to improve everytime we take the field and do our jobs. If we do that, we have a chance to compete.”

Senior Day for the Trojans at Veterans Memorial Stadium is set for 7 p.m.