Henderson looks to build on momentum from last season

WEST CHESTER >> To say this preseason has been a breath of fresh air for the West Chester Henderson football program would be an understatement.
Two years ago, the Warriors were surprised with coaching change a month before camp, and last year’s season was cut in half due to that pesky global pandemic. But finally, for a senior class that just wanted to play football without distraction, Henderson at long last enters a season doing just that.
“It was nice to get back to what high school is all about, with the two-a-days and all the hard work over the summer,” said Henderson’s senior quarterback, Eddie Smink.
It’ll be return to the good old days, in a lot of ways, for the Warriors.
They’ll get back to their roots of trying to play hard-nose defense, while implementing some of those bread-and-butter veer option concepts offensively.
“Last year was obviously tough, but it was tough for everyone,” Henderson coach John Lunardi said. “It’s been nice, this is the first time this group had a summer together and had some consistency they haven’t the last two years. Like everyone else, we’re putting last fall and last year behind us.”
It won’t be all midline handoffs or option pitches, however. Not with Smink back as a third-year starter. He’s totaled over 1,500 passing yards in his first two campaigns and will have senior running back Jordyn Porter as another weapon. Terrence Turman and Casey Killoran will also be looked at to make plays.
“We have some senior skill kids and a senior quarterback who have been through a lot,” Lunardi said. “We have some junior O-linemen who give us some size and we’re really expecting them to step into their roles.”
Along with three-year starter, Wyatt Hampton, who will miss a couple games due to injury, Dhani Mowatt, Matt Jury and Ramsy Tarazi are those juniors Henderson will lean on, up front.
Henderson lost its first three games a season ago, before closing it out with two straight wins. The Warriors open the season hosting Fleetwood, who went 2-6 last year but boasts Villanova-bound quarterback, Tanner Maddocks.
“We’re looking to improve from last year,” Smink said. “Last year was kind of a building block and we’re looking to improve.”
Killoran is a three-year starter in the defensive backfield, and Henderson will have other seniors making an impact on that side of the ball with defensive ends Dillon Grim and Connor Griesser and Chris Ruddy at linebacker.
“I know the camaraderie on this defense the last there years has been off the charts and we want to bring that back this season,” Killoran said. “Success would be winning as many games as possible, being a tight-knit group, being energetic, rallying to the ball.”
Henderson’s Ches-Mont League’s crossover game is against Coatesville, the final Friday in September, and then Chester comes to town the following week for the final non-league contest.
These Warriors are three years removed from a winless season, and have gone 5-11 since, but those are just logs on the motivation fire at this point.
“The guys are optimistic and we have a good senior group,” Lunardi said. “They’ve been through a lot the last four years with the coaching change and then COVID, so this group wants to establish its own legacy.”