Henderson’s survives Oxford, breaks long losing streak
WEST CHESTER — It had been a long time coming — 23 months to the day, to be exact.
Pay no mind that it was just your typical week three game in the beginning of September, this was a moment West Chester Henderson had waited too long, far too long, to experience.
And so, when it finally happened, the Warriors relished in it.
After 13 straight losses, including an 0-10 2018 campaign, Henderson finally got off the schnide, outlasting Oxford in a dramatic 33-32 home victory in a Ches-Mont League American Division matchup.
“There are two sides to it,” Henderson coach John Lunardi said. “Sure, there’s the act like you’ve been there before, but it’s kinda been bottled up for awhile, the frustration and tension. It’s great to enjoy it and this senior group has been here three years, working hard, so I wasn’t gonna cut that off.”
Following the post-game handshake, Lunardi and his staff just stepped back and watched their squad celebrate with fans, who rushed the field soon after.
The win, outside of any unwanted streaks, was thrilling enough. In the fourth quarter alone, three touchdowns were scored, a field goal was blocked, a successful two-point conversion was wiped away due to a penalty and a potential game-tying extra point was tipped and unsuccessful.
“Oxford did a great job in the second half, getting us on tempo, and they’re a well-coached team,” Lunardi said. “We bounced back and when we needed to make enough plays we were able to. We’re not in a position to be picky.”
Trailing 17-6 coming out of the half, Oxford muffed the kickoff and started its first drive at its own five. On the first play, quarterback Tom Repetz was tackled in the end zone by Mason Baldwin and Jordan Laudato for a safety, making it 19-6.
The Hornets (0-2 division, 1-2 overall) responded, scoring on their next drive, but Henderson (1-1, 1-2) stole the momentum right back when Pat Esemplare raced 85 yards to pay dirt on the ensuing kick off.
“I probably got too cute trying to take a shot, and their best pass rusher got loose and we took the safety. That’s my fault,” Oxford coach Mike Means said. “The backbreaker was the kick return touchdown. We scored that next possession and kick the ball off and all that momentum we had, we let go back to Henderson.”
Oxford did not relent, and scored on four of its next five drives. Early in the fourth,Devan Rueda scored his second touchdown to tie the game, but the extra point was blocked.
Henderson, who was without top running back Jay Pierce, went back to work on the shoulders of sophomore quarterback Eddie Smink. Just as he did in the final minute of the first half, Smink made key completions, twice on third down, to get the Warriors in striking distance. From there, Mark Gunther plowed in from four yards out to break the tie, 33-26, with just over four minutes to play.
Smink only completed nine of 25 passes, but two were for TDs and the others, timely.
“It was a little bit (nerve-wracking),” Smink said. “My coach pulled me to the side and told me to keep a level head and I knew I had to lead the boys to victory.”
The following drive, Oxford converted a fourth-and-eight from its own 22, but an illegal man down field penalty wiped it away. A pass on fourth-and-13 went awry, and it seemed Henderson had the game wrapped up with three minutes left.
The Hornets made a stop, and after an incompletion on third and a blocked field goal, they got the ball back with two minutes remaining. Repetz guided Oxford down the field and finished the drive with his second one-yard TD run, and Means kept his offense on the field to play for the win. Devan Rueda converted the two-point attempt, but a holding penalty, followed by a false start, forced Oxford to try a 38-yard extra point to tie it. Tyler Brooks’ kick was blocked, and Henderson survived.
“Obviously it’s really tough,” Means said. “It comes down to, we didn’t deserve to win. The kids played hard, but I’m taking this loss on me.”
Oxford ran 19 more plays and totaled 123 more yards, but it was simply Henderson’s time to win. Finally.
“It’s great for us,” senior Quinn Keegan said. “It’s been so long and a lot of these kids don’t even now how this feels. This moment is huge for us.”
