The Trojans of Charles Henderson High played the Eufaula Tigers a great first half Friday night – trailing by only five points – but could not put any points on the board in the second half in a 47-28 Eufaula victory in Troy’s Veterans-Memorial Stadium.

Eufaula took a 33-28 halftime lead in the Class 5A, Region 2 battle, with the Trojans putting up their best offensive numbers in that first half, but the Eufaula defense kept CHHS out of the end zone in the second half.

The Tigers were led by senior running back Jay Johnson who unofficially rushed for 266 yards on 27 carries and scored three touchdowns.

While CHHS Head Coach Brad McCoy was pleased to see his offense moving the ball against a strong Eufaula senior class-led team, he expected more from the defensive effort.

“I was excited to see the offense scoring points,” McCoy said after the game. “But I never thought we would play as poorly on defense as we did. It’s just been real hard to put that complete game together. Either we have been playing real good on defense and then poorly on offense, but we finally put together this offensive performance tonight where we got enough points to surely win the ball game, but in a way it’s kind of been the story behind our season.”

While CHHS slips to 2-5 overall and 1-3 in Region 2 play, they can still secure a playoff berth with wins against Rehobeth and Booker T. Washington in the next two weeks.

Eufaula, improving to 6-1 overall and 4-0 in Region 2, got on the scoreboard first on their first possession by moving 80 yards in seven plays, with running back Thomas Jackson scoring from eight-yards out, and Michael Lucas added the extra point for the 7-0 lead.

The Tigers went up 14-0 a short time later when James Purswell ran 65-yards for the TD with 6:55 remaining in the first quarter.

CHHS cut the lead to 14-7 on a Jabronski Williams 1-yard carry, with a big play on the drive being a 35-yard pass play from quarterback Noah Lowery to receiver Baylor Barnes. Williams was a workhorse for the Trojans, scoring three touchdowns and rushing for 87 yards. Lowery passed for 108 yards on the night unofficially and one TD.

Johnson of Eufaula broke a 23-yard TD run to put the Tigers up 21-7, and quarterback Marc Jeter connected with Thomas Jackson for a 23-yard touchdown pass play for a 27-7 Tiger lead with 9:18 to play in the first half.

The Trojans cut the lead to 27-14 when Williams scored again, this time from 4-yards out, and Barnes added the PAT.

CHHS added another score on their next possession, moving 72-yards in six plays, with Lowery connecting with Nick Lewis for a beautiful 20-yard touchdown pass play, making the score 27-21 with 4:06 to go in the first half.

Eufaula did not waste any time getting back on the board, as it took only one play for Johnson to motor 72-yards for a touchdown, and a 33-21 lead.

The Trojans added another score before the half when Williams broke a 59-yard TD run, making the score 33-28 at the half.

Eufaula added two scores in the second half on a 1-yard run by Johnson in the third quarter and a 3-yard pass from Justin Warren to Trepan Dennis in the opening minutes of the fourth quarter, and that would hold up to be the final score.

CHHS is on the road at Rehobeth next Friday night in a crucial Region 2 matchup. Should CHHS beat Rehobeth and then beat Booker T., the Trojans will be in the playoffs. A win by Rehobeth would send the Rebels to the playoffs.

“The thing is, in reality, we still have a future in this season. We win the next two ballgames and we are in.

“We see that and understand that and reminding the players that. My hat’s off to Eufaula. They have 26 seniors on their football team, and it shows.

“What I really liked tonight were the explosive plays. Bryson (Gandy) threw the ball well, Noah (Lowery) threw the ball well, and we were able to put it up there for our playmakers. Jabronski (Williams) ran the ball well. I was very pleased with them. Right now, we’re not a complete football team. We’ll never meet our football potential until everyone is on the same page. We’ve told them, you can’t hang your head. If they are willing to get better and respond the right way, we will get better. We have got a lot of potential. Right now we are just not a complete football team, and it is showing.”