RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. — Henderson State came up with a clutch touchdown drive late in regulation, then another on the first possession of overtime, to fight past Arkansas Tech 38-31 on Saturday night for its first win of the year.
Trailing 31-24 with 2:44 left in the game, Henderson got the ball back on its own 12-yard line needing a touchdown. A touchdown was exactly what it got, as
Richard Stammetti led the Reddies on a nine-play drive, capped by a 21-yard touchdown grab from
Chase Lodree in traffic, to tie the game at 31-31 with 46 seconds to go in regulation. All 88 yards on the drive came through the air.
Arkansas Tech could not score and the game moved into overtime, where Henderson got the ball first after losing the coin toss. Twice,
Ben Johnson made drive-saving catches on third down to keep the possession alive, and again it was Stammetti who came through for the Reddies, as he dove into the end zone from 1-yard out to put Henderson in front 38-31.
Needing a touchdown, the Wonder Boys could not manage a first down on their only possession in overtime.
Robert Thomas made a big stop of a scrambling Tech quarterback Carter Burcham on third down to force 4th-and-9, and an errant throw on 4th down sent the Reddies' sideline into wild celebration, as they held on for their first win of the season.
Stammetti led the way and finished 25-of-56 through the air for 315 yards and four touchdowns on the night. Lodree had a big game receiving and caught nine passes for 161 yards and a touchdown. Johnson also caught six passes for 61 yards and two scores. Linebackers
Cameron Sonnier and
Cameron Schulz were everywhere for the Reddies defensively, as Sonnier had 13 tackles, two stops for loss and an interception, and Schulz had 12 tackles and 3.5 tackles for loss.
Jake Chatman also had an interception for Henderson and
Bryston Gipson blocked an Arkansas Tech field goal attempt late in the first half.
Henderson led 21-17 at halftime, but the Wonder Boys caught a huge break on the opening kickoff of the second half, when the Reddies muffed the return. Tech recovered and brought it back for a 21-yard scoop and score touchdown to take a sudden 24-21 lead seconds into the third quarter.
The second half was a battle after the fluke play, as a
Temo Martinez 23-yard field goal was the only other score for Henderson. The Wonder Boys scored their initial go-ahead touchdown on a 4th-and-4 conversion which went for 35 yards with 6:06 left to play.
Arkansas Tech out-gained Henderson 479-410 and ran 99 plays on the night, but were penalized 14 times for 119 yards in the loss. The Reddies' defense was swarming, particularly in the second half, and finished with 11 tackles for loss in the game.
The win was Henderson's first overtime win, or game, since 2013, when the Reddies defeated Ouachita Baptist 60-52 in triple overtime in the Battle of the Ravine.
The Reddies return to action next Saturday, Sept. 15, when they travel to Alva, Oklahoma, to take on Northwestern Oklahoma State at 6 p.m.
