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Henderson State University Athletics

Events and Results

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A group of Reddie tacklers swarm an East Central player
34
Winner Henderson St. HSU 8-2 , 8-2
27
East Central ECU 6-4 , 6-4
Winner
Henderson St. HSU
8-2 , 8-2
34
Final
27
East Central ECU
6-4 , 6-4
Score By Quarters
Team 1st 2nd 3rd 4th F
HSU Henderson St. 14 10 7 3 34
ECU East Central 7 3 7 10 27

Game Recap: Football |

Reddies Force Two Turnovers, Tame Tigers in Ada

ADA, Okla. — Jackson Byerley's 42-yard interception return for a touchdown highlighted a two-takeaway performance by the Henderson State defense as the Reddies defeated East Central 34-27 Saturday afternoon at Koi Ishto Stadium.

Henderson State improved to 8-2 overall and in Great American Conference play, while East Central fell to 6-4. The Reddies scored 14 points off turnovers and held the lead for the final 48 minutes of the contest.

Byerley led Henderson State with seven tackles, including one for loss, an interception, a pass breakup and a quarterback hurry. Mulumba Wa-Kalonji added three tackles, a seven-yard sack and a forced fumble, while Amarion Pulliaum recovered a fumble and recorded two quarterback hurries.

Quarterback Jordan Walker completed 17 of 24 passes for 172 yards and a touchdown while adding 38 yards and a score on 11 rushing attempts. Maddox Davis led the receiving corps with seven catches for 71 yards, while Trent Haygood paced the rushing attack with 56 yards and a touchdown on 12 carries.

East Central opened the scoring on its first possession when Sergio Kennedy connected with Kaden Jones for a 76-yard touchdown pass, giving the Tigers a 7-0 lead less than two minutes into the contest.

Henderson State answered with a four-play, 65-yard drive capped by Walker's 42-yard touchdown pass to Derrius Burns. The scoring strike tied the game at 7-7 with 12:10 remaining in the opening quarter.

The Reddie defense gave Henderson State its first lead just over a minute later. Facing third-and-5 from the East Central 40-yard line, Kennedy was intercepted by Byerley, who returned the pass 42 yards for a touchdown. Ryan McDonnell's extra point gave HSU a 14-7 advantage with 11:07 left in the first quarter.

East Central cut the deficit to 14-10 on a 49-yard field goal by Gabriel Ogura early in the second quarter, but Henderson State controlled much of the remainder of the half.

The Reddies put together a 12-play, 65-yard drive that consumed 5:21 and ended with McDonnell's 31-yard field goal, extending the lead to 17-10 with 1:57 remaining before halftime.

Henderson State's defense created another scoring opportunity on East Central's next possession when Wa-Kalonji sacked Kennedy for a seven-yard loss and forced a fumble. Pulliaum recovered the ball at the ECU 19-yard line, setting up the Reddies with 1:23 left in the half.

Three plays later, Walker scored on a 2-yard run to extend the Henderson State lead to 24-10 with 23 seconds remaining.

The Reddies held the ball for 11:19 of the second quarter and limited East Central to 10 points in the first half.

East Central opened the second half with a six-play, 50-yard touchdown drive, capped by a 5-yard run from Quincy Thompson that trimmed Henderson State's lead to 24-17.

The Reddie defense responded with a fourth-down stop late in the third quarter, giving Henderson State possession at the ECU 48-yard line with 3:24 remaining.

Henderson State converted the opportunity into an eight-play touchdown drive. Haygood finished the possession with a 9-yard scoring run, pushing the Reddies' advantage to 31-17 with 29 seconds left in the third quarter.

The Tigers threatened in the fourth quarter, but Henderson State's defense held East Central to a missed 42-yard field goal attempt with 13:03 remaining.

The Reddies followed with an 11-play, 41-yard possession that took 6:34 off the clock before a missed 51-yard field goal gave the ball back to East Central.

Kennedy led the Tigers on a nine-play, 66-yard touchdown drive, scoring on an 8-yard run to cut the Henderson State lead to 31-24 with three minutes remaining.

Henderson State took possession at the East Central 43-yard line following the kickoff and moved into field goal range. McDonnell connected from 40 yards with 1:15 remaining, extending the lead to 34-24 and forcing the Tigers to score twice.

East Central answered with a 41-yard field goal from Ogura with 12 seconds remaining, but Henderson State recovered the ensuing kickoff and ran out the clock to secure the seven-point victory.

The Reddies finished with 310 yards of total offense, including 172 passing and 138 rushing. Henderson State held a 33:08 to 26:52 advantage in time of possession and converted all three of its red-zone opportunities into points.

Myron Thrash Jr. added 34 rushing yards on 13 carries, while Burns finished with 42 receiving yards and a touchdown. Jesse McElroy IV contributed three receptions for 17 yards.

Defensively, Markavious Justice and James Koslosky Jr. recorded five tackles each, while Cale McPeek, Ryan Schirato and Reuben Ingram finished with four apiece.

Pierce Rogers placed all four of his punts inside the East Central 20-yard line, averaging 37.2 yards per attempt. McDonnell made two field goals and converted all four extra-point attempts.

Kennedy finished with 292 passing yards and a touchdown for East Central, while Jones caught six passes for 108 yards and a score. Thompson led the Tigers with 48 rushing yards and a touchdown.

Henderson State returns home next Saturday for the 99th Battle of the Ravine. The Reddies will face off against the Ouachita Baptist Tigers at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, November 14.
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