Head coach Mike Dean has instituted a motto for the Charles Henderson Trojans in 2012. Dean thinks his Trojans can be as good as any team in the state of Alabama as long as the do one simple thing, worry about Charles Henderson and not the other teams.

The Trojans head in to the second round of the Alabama High School Athletic Association playoffs winners of seven of their last eight games and fresh off what Dean thinks was the most consistent game of the season. Charles Henderson pounded fourth-ranked Thomasville, 39-22 last Friday.

“We played with great passion on Friday night,” said Dean. “The kids had fun and when you do that you put yourself in a great situation to win. We are going to have to play even better to beat this football team (Central-Clay).”

The philosophy of taking care of “Trojan business” has carried over from Dean to his players, primarily the Charles Henderson defense.

The Trojans are averaging giving up 14 points per game this season, with the most any team has scored being 22. Four times in 2012, Charles Henderson has held an opponent to under 10 points.

Linebacker Joey Denison and defensive end Brandon Gosha have lead the charge of Chuck Dunn’s defense down the stretch.

“We all believe in what Coach Dean says.” Said Gosha. “We know we have to concentrate on us and limiting mistakes, and we will be ok. We want to keep going, and playing smart is what we have to do.”

The Trojans are not resting on past wins or a big reputation to get the job done. Denison said that there is only one thing on the minds of any one on the team.

“We just want to be 1-0 this week after Thursday night,” said Denison. “We can be as good as we want to be, we just have to keep playing hard.”

Charles Henderson squares off with Central Clay County on Thursday night. This season is the first season of the football program at the school. Prior to 2012, Clay County High School and Lineville High School merged to create the new program.

The two teams played one another over 100 times in “The Clay Bowl,” a game that was ranked as one of the top rivalries in the state. Dean said he was unsure if the Volunteers could work as a unit in times of adversity.

“They have tradition where they came from, but they don’t have tradition where they are at,” said Dean. “When you put them together and they face some adversity, are they going to unite or go back to old rivalries? The verdict is still out on them.”

Charles Henderson hosts Central –Clay County on Thursday night at Veterans Memorial Stadium in Troy. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.