CHHS spears BTW at home
Published 12:32 am Saturday, September 12, 2009
In a game that the Charles Henderson Trojans “had to win”, the Trojans responded with an offensive out burst the likes of which had not been seen all season long.
The Trojans ended their two game losing streak at home Friday night with a 21-6 win over the Booker T. Washington Golden Eagles – however this was a game of two halves.
While the second half was all CHHS, the first half was quite the opposite.
The Trojans ran only 16 offensive plays in the first half totaling 38 yards and had only one first down.
Booker T. Washington on the other hand, ran 25 plays for 84 yards.
Despite the offense the Golden Eagles could not find the end zone.
“In the first half, I felt like our defense bent but didn’t break – and that was a big key to this win,” CHHS head coach Hugh Fountain said.
“The defense played a heck of a second half. I told them this past week we needed to be more opportunistic [on defense], and the kids stepped up in a big way.”
In the second half, both the offense and the defense for the Trojans stepped up.
Led by Trojans senior quarterback K.D. Edenfield, the offense exploded for 150 yards in the second half, with three drives that ended with Edenfield finding a receiver in the back of the end zone.
“We knew what we were doing in the first half was not working, and we needed to make some adjustments,” Edenfield said.
“It feels good [to win]. I think we have been getting better and better each week – hopefully that is something that continues to happen with this team.”
The quarterback finished the night completing six of 12 passes for 82 yards and three touchdowns.
Senior Ladruis Sanchious, junior Corey Davis and senior Stanley McGhee were all recipients at the end of Edenfield touchdown passes, that were 13 yards, 15 yards and nine yards, respectively.
Each of Edenfield’s passes came as he was forced out of the pocket by the defense.
“We noticed the defense was crashing in, so I did my best to get out of the pocket and try and create something,” the quarterback said.
“I think our offense really opened up a lot when that happened.”
The offense as a whole finished with 187 yards.
The other big part for the Trojans’ victory was the defense.
In the second half, the Golden Eagles had just 73 yards of total offense and three first downs.
Shortly after the Trojans went up by two touchdowns, the Golden Eagles responded with a two play, 58-yard touchdown drive that was capped off by a 19-yard dash to the end zone by junior quarterback Brandon Williams.
The defense gave up a total of 160 yards and forced five turnovers.
“It wasn’t a pretty win by any stretch of the imagination, but we had to have it,” Fountain said with a laugh after the game.
“We entered the looker room at half time and knew we had to get something going offensively. The coaches knew it, and the players knew it.
“I told the kids, it looked like we were playing not to lose, and when you play like that it’s hard to win a ball game. In the second half, I thought we looked much more relaxed,” the coach added.
Fountain said that after the game that this was something that was not only important for the player’s moral, but also for a chance at the postseason.
“We live for the playoffs [at CHHS] and this game was a win that keeps our playoffs hopes alive.
“We had to have [this game], and the kids came through,” the coach added.