Football Preview: Henderson Lions vs. Palestine Wildcats
Henderson and Palestine are an even 5-5 against one another since October of 2014, but not for long. The Henderson Lions will welcome the Palestine Wildcats at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. One thing working in Henderson's favor is that they have posted at least 31 points every time they've taken the field this season.
Henderson is headed in fresh off scoring the most points they have all season. They took their matchup at home last Thursday with ease, bagging a 62-6 win over Gainesville. Given the Lions' advantage in MaxPreps' Texas football rankings (they are ranked 255th, while the Leopards are ranked 825th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
It was another big night for Jesstin Starling, who rushed for 172 yards and three touchdowns on only eight carries. He is on a roll when it comes to rushing touchdowns, as he's now punched in two or more in the last five games he's played dating back to last season. Vince Howard was another key player, rushing for 30 yards and a touchdown.
He was just one part of a punishing run game: Henderson was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 453 rushing yards. That's the most rushing yards they've managed all season.
Meanwhile, Palestine was not able to break out of their rough patch on Friday as the team picked up their fifth straight defeat dating back to last season. They were outmatched by Marshall at home and fell 63-7. The Wildcats were in a tough position after the first half, with the score already sitting at 35-7.
Henderson's victory bumped their record up to 3-1. As for Palestine, their loss dropped their record down to 0-4.
Friday's game might be decided in the trenches. Henderson has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 295.7 rushing yards per game. It's a different story for Palestine, though, as they've been averaging only 93.2. How will they fare against such a dominant running game?
Henderson suffered a grim 41-16 defeat to Palestine in their previous matchup back in October of 2023. Can Henderson avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
