Henderson + Tatum Clash Following Impressive Season-Opening Wins

Henderson Lions (1-0)

vs.

Tatum Eagles (1-0)

7:30 p.m. Friday

Eagle Stadium, Tatum

Coaches

• Henderson: Phil Castles
• Tatum: Craig Barker

Last week

• Henderson: def. Atlanta, 44-13
• Tatum: def. Arp, 24-14

Next week

• Henderson: at Pittsburg, Sept. 9
• Tatum: at Chapel Hill, Sept. 9

Playmakers

Henderson

• WR/DB Trestan Ebner, Sr., 5-11, 190 (6 catches, 169 yards, 3 TDs; 1 INT, 1 punt return for TD; 1 defensive TD; committed to TCU)
• RB/DB Lakendrick VanZandt, Sr., 6-1, 196 (8 carries, 61 yards; 2 catches, 11 yards; 2 tackles, 1 PBU; committed to TCU)
• QB Trae Hall, Jr., 6-3, 185 (12 of 16, 188 yards, 3 TDs)
• DB Tariq Gray, Sr., 5-10, 184 (1 INT)
• OL Raini Dorman, Sr., 6-2, 245
• DB Tre Blanton, Jr., 5-11, 165 (13 tackles, 1 for loss)
• LB Ty Blanton, Jr., 6-1, 175 (16 tackles, 4 for loss, 1 QB pressure)
• LB Josh Mapps, Sr., 5-9, 150 (10 tackles, 1 sack, 1 forced fumble)

Tatum

• TE/DE Shay Rodgers, Sr., 6-4, 240
• LB D'Torian Smith, Sr., 6-3, 226
• RB Cedric White, Jr., 5-9, 140 (8 carries, 146 yards, 2 TDs)
• RB LaMarcus Harmon, Sr., 5-10, 200 (16 carries, 91 yards, 1 TD; 1 catch, 6 yards)
• QB OB Jones, Soph., 6-2, 152 (6 of 9, 24 yards; 2 carries, 2 yards)
• WR Spencer Liles, Sr., 6-3, 175 (1 catch, 3 yards)
• OL George Blanton, Sr., 6-0, 270
• WR D.D. Boyd, Sr., 5-9, 163

Just the facts

• Henderson is 11-5 in non-district games under head coach Phil Castles.
• Lions senior Trestan Ebner scored five touchdowns last week -- three receiving, one on a punt return, and another on an interception return.
• Henderson posted 292 total yards of offense in the win over Atlanta -- 188 passing and 104 rushing.
• The cumulative record of Henderson' 2016 non-district opponents was 23-23 last season.
• Tatum first-year head coach Craig Barker was an assistant on Henderson's 2010 state championship team. He previously coached at Garrison and Kaufman, compiling a 35-14 record in four seasons.
• Eagles running back Cedric White averaged 18.3 yards per carry in Tatum's season-opening win over Arp.
• Tatum put up 263 total yards of offense last week -- 239 rushing and 24 passing.
• The cumulative record of Tatum's 2016 non-district opponents was 39-31 last season.

Key matchup: Tatum rushing attack vs. Henderson defensive front. In the first game under new head coach Craig Barker, Tatum took to the ground and had major success. The running tandem of Cedric White and LaMarcus Harmon combined for 237 yards and all three touchdowns in the Eagles' impressive 24-14 season-opening win over Arp. The Eagles completed 6 of 9 pass attempts, but they went for modest gains, as Tatum finished with only 24 yards through the air. White and Harmon offer two distinct running styles. White is the smaller of the two, but has plenty of speed to burn, evidenced by his 18.3 yards-per-carry average last week. Harmon, a bigger and more physical runner, will be relied upon mostly in short-yardage and red-zone situations.

Henderson's defense made life difficult for the Atlanta offense in Week 1. The Rabbits found the end zone just twice, and had difficulty finding running lanes. Atlanta was stopped behind the line of scrimmage 12 times last Friday night, and its inability to have success on the ground had an extremely negative impact on its passing game. Henderson came away with three interceptions, including one that went for a touchdown courtesy of TCU commit Trestan Ebner. If Henderson is able to bottle up Tatum's ball carriers, the Lions will then be able to put the pressure on the Eagles' new quarterback, sophomore OB Davis.

Don't be surprised if: Henderson continues to exploit opposing defenses through the air. Lions junior quarterback Trae Hall was superb in his season debut last week, completing 12 of 16 passes for 188 yards and three touchdowns -- all to Ebner, who finished with half of the team's receptions and 169 of the yards. But the Lions aren't just a two-man show in the passing game. Matthew Childers, a former quarterback, is a tremendous weapon as well with his 6-foot-5 frame. And if running back Lakendrick VanZandt, another TCU pledge, has success on the ground, the Henderson passing game will open up even more.