East Whiteland >> West Chester Henderson’s defense stood tall Friday evening as the Warriors kept host Great Valley off the scoreboard for a 14-0 football win.
“I think our defense and special teams really played well tonight; I think they won the moment and made sure they won each play,” said Henderson head coach Bob Brice. “I think (assistant coach Harry) O’Neill does a great job on both of those aspects of our game. I’m proud of our (players).”
On offense, the Warriors controlled the ball, highlighted by workhorse junior running back and captain Brady Collins, who picked up more than 200 rushing yards in two dozen carries.
“I think the key was our offensive line; there were holes to run through the whole game,” said Collins. “And we just pounded it and pounded it. … We practiced getting our ground game going this (past) week, and I think it paid off.”
Brice said, “Brady is a great kid; what you see on the field is only half of what he is, he’s a great kid off the field too. He’s constantly showing courage, compassion and character on and off the field. His leadership style is leading by doing, and I think the kids naturally follow him. He works hard in the off-season, and he’s always paying attention to getting better.
“I think what you saw on the field today is 11 guys making sure the holes were open for Brady, but he does the rest.”
Henderson (2-5) set the pace in their opening possession, when it drove 79 yards in eight plays for a touchdown. The opening play was a 44-yard pass completion from senior quarterback Braeden O’Connell to senior wide receiver Seamus Murphy. On the final play of the drive, Collins scored on a 7-yard run up the middle while fighting for every yard, giving the visitors a 7-0 lead with 5:31 left in the first quarter.
Following a three-and-out by Great Valley (2-5), Henderson began another sustained drive, but a fumble on the sixth play of the drive gave the ball back to the Patriots on their own 32 yard line.
On fourth-and-1 at their own 41 yard line, the Patriots made a gutsy call, trying for the first down, and got it, as senior running back Falls Johnson ran for five yards.
The Patriots drive soon stalled though, and a punt gave the Warriors the ball at the Henderson 16 yard line. The visitors began an eight-play, 84-yard touchdown drive, with seven running plays (mostly by Collins), then a picture-perfect 26-yard TD pass. On 4th-and-3 at the Patriot 26 yard line, O’Connell lofted a pass down into the right corner of the end zone to Murphy, who was tightly covered. The 26-yard pass completion gave Henderson a 14-0 lead with 5:31 to go before halftime.
“Seamus does a good job running routes and getting his hands on the ball, and even when he’s getting distracted by defenders, he can change direction and turn around to get a ball when he wants to,” said Brice. “He’s a heck of a competitor and I’m proud of the young man he’s become, everything he’s done for this program, and who he is as an individual. To watch him (mature) on this field is what we get into coaching for.”
Midway through the third quarter, the Warriors drove all the way down to the Patriots 2 yard line, but a fumble gave the ball back to Great Valley.
In the fourth quarter, a strong Henderson punt pinned Great Valley deep into its own territory, and later an interception by Warrior senior defensive back Jake Ball highlighted the visitors’ effort in keeping the Patriots off the scoreboard for the remainder of the game.
Henderson, who has lost two games by a total of four points this season, will face Oxford next week.
Asked what he thought the Warriors could take from Friday’s victory, Collins responded, “To give our all on each play, and not take any plays off, like the coaches said. And focus on the little things, like the right steps, the right reads.”
Great Valley head coach Jeff Martin said he was encouraged by his team’s defensive effort Friday.
“I think the one thing that our team has done pretty consistently this season, with the exception of a big play here or there, is play pretty good defense,” said Martin. “For the most part, we’ve been giving up 14, 17 points a game. Offensively, we really haven’t been able to get things going, and that’s really on me. We’ve got to come up with a better game plan, and make use of the strengths we have.
“We have to be able to run the ball. We can’t drop back and throw the ball 30 or 40 times, we’ve got to establish the run. I think we had some opportunities tonight; (Henderson) just made more plays when they needed to, and we didn’t. Henderson played a good game defensively, hats off to them.”
