Class 4A Division I Playoffs

Region III Area Playoff

Henderson Lions (9-2)

Vs.

West Columbia Roughnecks (11-1)

2 p.m. Saturday
Texan Drive Stadium, New Caney

 

Coaches
  • Henderson: Phil Castles
  • West Columbia: Randy Lynch

 

Last week
  • Henderson: defeated Silsbee, 48-22
  • West Columbia: defeated Houston Wheatley, 63-0

 

Next week
  • Winner plays Jasper-Stafford winner, Class 4A Division I Region III quarterfinals

 

Playmakers

Henderson

  • QB Zane Boles, Sr., 6-5, 210 (75 of 149, 1,175 yards, 4 TDs, 4 INTs, 829 rushing yards, 13 rushing TDs)
  • RB Randy Davis, Sr., 6-0, 180 (152 carries, 933 yards, 13 TDs)
  • LB Dalton Goode, Sr., 5-11, 205 (118 tackles, 2 for loss, 5 sacks, 11 QB pressures, 1 forced fumble, 1 fumble recovery)
  • LB Seth Hensley, Sr., 5-11, 205 (124 tackles, 3 sacks, 4 QB pressures, 2 forced fumbles, 2 fumble recoveries)
  • DL Zach Allen, Sr., 6-1, 190 (83 tackles, 6 for loss, 3 sacks, 24 QB pressures, 2 forced fumbles)
  • WR/DB Trestan Ebner, Soph., 5-11, 175 (32 catches, 708 yards, 8 TDs; 68 tackles, 4 INTs)
  • OL Trevor Still, Sr., 5-11, 225
West Columbia
  • RB Dakarius Bell, Jr., 5-9, 205 (243 carries, 1,733 yards, 18 TDs)
  • QB Jarius Kesee, Sr., 6-4, 190 (47 of 92, 11 TDs, 2 INTs, 65 carries, 257 yards, 5 TDs)
  • CB Kalen Williams, Jr., 5-9, 160 (31 tackles, 4 INTs)
  • S Zedrick White, Jr., 5-8, 175 (62 tackles, 3 forced fumbles)
Just the facts
  • Henderson was picked to miss the playoffs this season and has advanced to the area round for the first time since 2012. It advanced to the regional final that season and lost to Gilmer.
  • West Columbia has made it to the area round the past two seasons and lost. Its most decent deep run ended with a loss to Chapel Hill in the 2011 regional finals round.
  • Henderson has two players with more than 100 tackles in linebackers Seth Hensley (124) and Dalton Goode (118).
  • Both teams lean on the run. West Columbia has more than 3,200 rushing yards to 986 passing yards. Henderson has 2,750 yards on the ground to 1,309 yards through the air.
  • West Columbia has a 1,000-yard rusher in junior Dakarius Bell. He has 1,733 yards and is the Roughnecks' primary offensive weapon.
  • The Roughnecks' defense is very opportunistic. It has created 33 turnovers in 11 games, an average of three per game.
  • Henderson will travel about 150 miles for Saturday's game. West Columbia will drive about 84 miles.
  • Texan Drive Stadium will host Carthage's game against El Campo on Friday.
  • West Columbia's one loss was a decisive 48-20 game against El Campo in district play.

 

Henderson linebacker Seth Hensley has a team-best 124 tackles through 11 games. (Christopher R. Vinn, ETSN.fm)
Henderson linebacker Seth Hensley has a team-best 124 tackles through 11 games. (Christopher R. Vinn, ETSN.fm)
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Key matchup: Henderson's defensive front versus West Columbia's run game. The Roughnecks are pretty straight forward. Dakarius Bell leads the way with 1,733 rushing yards and 18 touchdowns. Its passing game has completed 51 percent of its attempts and generated about 986 yards, just enough to make the opposing defense respect it.

If Henderson can stop Bell and a supporting cast of runners that have combined for 3,273 yards, it will be in great shape to win the game.

West Columbia will be a big test for Lions linebackers Seth Hensley and Dalton Goode. The two players lead the team in tackles and the defensive unit as a whole averages less than 18 points given up per game.

Henderson's worst performance of the season came against Newton, 32 points allowed in a Lions win, and it kept the team within striking distance of Atlanta in a 28-24 loss. In district play, Henderson frustrated decent Carthage and Chapel Hill offenses and held Kilgore to 24 points in a 24-18 loss.

Lions quarterback Zane Boles is about a 50 percent passer and has 1,175 yards to his name through the air. Boles is a big part of Henderson's run game with 829 yards and 13 ground touchdowns, second-best to running back Randy Davis' 933 yards and 13 scores.

Don't be surprised if: Saturday's game is a nail biter. Henderson has a more well-rounded offense, but both offenses' strengths are the ground games. Both teams' defenses average less than 18 points per game, a very minor edge to West Columbia at 17.3 points allowed to Henderson's 17.6.

A late defensive stop or turnover could easily define this evenly matched game.

Henderson running back Randy Davis will likely break 1,000 rushing yards Saturday. He has 933 yards on the ground entering the game. (Christopher R. Vinn, ETSN.fm)
Henderson running back Randy Davis will likely break 1,000 rushing yards Saturday. He has 933 yards on the ground entering the game. (Christopher R. Vinn, ETSN.fm)
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