Hendersonville strikes early, often against Hunters Lane

Hendersonville High senior defensive end Jacob Birdsong (80) and junior linebacker Reggie Harris tackle a Hunters Lane ballcarrier.

Hendersonville’s Terell Carter hauls in a pass against two Hunters Lane defenders Friday night.

Hendersonville’s Anthony Hughes scored a touchdown in Friday’s win over Hunters Lane.

HENDERSONVILLE It was a dominating performance for the Hendersonville High School football team on Friday evening as the Commandos rolled to a 45-8 victory over visiting Hunters Lane Warriors.

The Commandos jumped out to an early lead on senior night.

“Well, the kids played real hard tonight, and we did what we needed to do early,” Hendersonville head coach Bruce Hatfield said. “It was a good outing, and we are glad to finish the regular season.”

The Commandos started fast as sophomore Anthony Hughes blocked a Hunters Lane punt, setting up his offense in scoring territory. On the next play, sophomore quarterback Brett Coker found junior Terrell Carter for a 13-yard touchdown pass.

The Commandos struck quickly on their next offensive series Carter found the end zone again, this time on the ground.

Then, a 22-yard field goal by junior Jacob Harris gave Hendersonville a 17-0 lead.

The Hendersonville defense got in on the scoring when senior Jack Towe intercepted a Jamarius Smith pass and returned it 36 yards for a touchdown, creating a 24-point margin.

The Commando defense smothered the Warriors, allowing just 29 total yards and intercepting Smith three times.

“It was good to see our guys come out and handle senior night and execute,” Hatfield said. “I’m proud of our coaches and players.”

Although Christian Vickers intercepted Coker’s second-quarter pass, the Commandos responded with another big play as Hughes broke free for a 36-yard touchdown run.

Junior Frankie Small ran in an 11-yard touchdown after the Hendersonville defense forced a mishap on a Warrior punt.

Then, after the defense got another stop, Coker rebounded from his earlier interception, finding Carter for a second 13-yard touchdown pass that created a 45-0 lead at halftime.

The Commando lead invoked the mercy rule throughout the second half, allowing the clock to run continuously.

Hunters Lane’s defense again came up with a big play when Kevin Walker recovered a Hendersonville fumble and returned it 50 yards for a touchdown to get the Warriors on the scoreboard. Then, Smith ran into the end zone on the two-point conversion attempt.

However, that would be the last of the big plays for the Warriors.

“It’s a one-week season now, so we need to take our preparation into next week,” Hatfield said. “Whoever we get next week will be a good football team, so we will need to be ready.”

Coupled with Hillsboro’s victory at Beech on Friday night, Hendersonville finished in second place in 6-5A and will host Shelbyville in the first round of the Class 5A playoffs on Friday evening.

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H – Terrell Carter 13 pass from Brett Coker. Jacob Harris kick. H – Carter 3 run. Harris kick. H – Harris 22 Field Goal. H – Jack Towe 36 yard interception return. Harris kick. H – Anthony Hughes 36 run. Harris kick. H – Frankie Small 11 run. Harris kick.   H – Carter 13 pass from Coker. Thomas Roberts kick. HL – Kevin Walker 50 fumble return. Jamarius Smith run.

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RUSHING

Hunters Lane – Malachi Jones 10-47, Don Williams 8-9, Dominique Holland 1-(-4), John Jackson 3-(-5), Jamarius Smith 6-(-18).

Hendersonville – Terrell Carter 6-55, Mike Carter 4-42, Anthony Hughes 1-36, Eric Tilson 3-33, Dyilin Hoosier 5-30, Jack Towe 1-12, Frankie Small 1-11, Griffin McAuley 2-10, Clay Richard 3-8, Tyler Dang 1-3, Drew Ferguson 1-2, John Oehlschlaeger 1-2, Xavier Fitts 1-(-3).

PASSING

Hunters Lane – Jamarius Smith 0-8-3 0.

Hendersonville – Brett Coker 2-5-0 26, Clay Richard 1-1-0 22, John Oehlschlaeger 0-1-0 0.

RECEIVING

Hunters Lane –

Hendersonville – Terrell Carter 2-26, Caleb Waters 1-22.