For the last two seasons, the Hendersonville High football team has gotten the best of Independence in the postseason.
On Friday, the top two teams in the last Class 5A Associated Press Statewide Prep Footbal Poll will tangle in a playoff game for the third consecutive year.
“It’s just one more week … we’re looking for one more week,” Commando junior defensive lineman Emmitt Richardson said.
The second-ranked Hendersonville High School football squad faces top-ranked Independence in the second round of the Class 5A playoffs on Friday evening.
The undefeated Eagles (11-0) will host the 7 p.m. contest, just as they did in the 2013 Class 6A quarterfinals. Hendersonville rallied to score two touchdowns in the fourth quarter for a 36-35 victory en route to the state championship game.
The Commandos breezed to a 49-20 victory at home in last year’s first-round contest.
Hendersonville head coach Bruce Hatfield said that the Commandos want to keep business as usual despite the amped-up intensity of the postseason.
“You try and introduce some of the things that they’ll be seeing in the playoffs, but things don’t change too much,” Hatfield said. “You try to keep things pretty much the same as you’ve done it in the regular season.”
Hendersonville improved to 10-1 with last week’s 43-20 victory over visiting Shelbyville, despite a delay of more than an hour due to a blown transformer knocking out power to the lights on the visitors’ sideline.
The Commando defense posted the game’s first points on a 41-yard fumble return by sophomore Anthony Hughes, and then, the offense went to work.
Hendersonville piled up 331 rushing yards, and sophomore quarterback Brett Coker completed all six of his pass attempts, including a 19-yard touchdown strike to senior Jack Towe.
Senior Mike Harris had TD runs of 29 and 30 yards, and Hughes added a 17-yard scoring run in the fourth quarter.
However, the attention turns to the high-powered Eagles’ offense, led by senior quarterback Andrew Bunch.
Bunch is the same signal-caller the Commandos have seen the past two years. However, with more experience comes a bigger threat.
“We know that they’e an outstanding football team, and we’ll have our work cut out for us,” Hatfield said.
Bunch – who missed four games with an elbow injury earlier in the season – leads a spread offense that will look to neutralize the Commandos’ pass rush, and read-option style plays are in the Eagles’ arsenal as well.
His running ability came into play early in last week’s 49-7 victory over visiting Cane Ridge. After Bunch’s first six pass attempts resulted in drops due to rainy conditions, he took off for a 31-yard touchdown to open the scoring. He finished with three rushing touchdowns and 92 yards on eight carries in addition to producing 135 yards and a touchdown on 7-of-13 passing.
Independence’s defense also scored two touchdowns, on Hunter Dupree’s 28-yard interception return and Jesse Newcome’s 63-yard fumble return.
The Eagles’ receiving corps will pose a challenge for Hendersonville’s secondary as seniors Nate Johnson, Adam Swayze and Pierre Watkins are among Bunch’s top targets.
Independence hasn’t exactly been in close games this year. The Eagles’ closest margin of victory has been 14 points (which came in a 21-7 victory over visiting Smyrna on Sept. 11), and they have averaged 42.7 points per game this season.
“Well, obviously we’ve kind of kept up with the scores of their games all year long, and I’m sure they’re a very, very good football team,” Hatfield said. “Coach (Scott) Blade does a very good job.”
The winner will face the winner of the Beech/Hillsboro contest in next week’s quarterfinals. With a victory, the Commandos would host Beech, but they would have to travel to Hillsboro if the Burros prevail.