The Hendrickson Hawks will square off against the Anderson Trojans at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Hendrickson has given up an average of 26.2 points per game this season, but Friday's game will give them a chance to turn things around.
Hendrickson is headed into the contest out to prove that what happened against College Station on Friday (when they were outscored in every quarter) was just a minor bump in the road. The Hawks came up short against the Cougars, falling 48-28. The Hawks have struggled against the Cougars recently, as the game was their fourth consecutive lost matchup.
The match pitted two dominant signal callers against one another in Pete Vallejo Jr. and Keaton Johnson. Johnson had a solid game and rushed for 39 yards and two touchdowns. Meanwhile, Vallejo Jr. did his best for the losing side, throwing for 267 yards on 20 of 31 attempts, while also punching in one score on the ground.
Meanwhile, Anderson put another one in the bag on Friday to keep their perfect season alive. They blew past Lehman, posting a 64-12 win. Given the Trojans' advantage in MaxPreps' Texas football rankings (they are ranked 112th, while the Lobos are ranked 743rd) , the win wasn't entirely unexpected.
Anderson's win came from a few key players Hendrickson will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Caleb Crenshaw, who rushed for 217 yards and a pair of TDs on only 14 carries, and also picked up 38 receiving yards. Crenshaw is crushing it when it comes to rushing yards: he's rushed for at least 104 every time he's taken the field this season. Another player making a difference was Cove Darbyshire, who threw for 229 yards and four touchdowns while completing 85.7% of his passes.
Wins are hard to come by when you can't run the rock, something Anderson proved: they limited Lehman to a paltry 1.2 yards per carry. While two picked up at least six total tackles, Liam McMillian stood above the rest. He picked up 1.5 sacks and made six total tackles (2.0 for loss) in addition to snagging an interception. Anderson hasn't allowed more than 6.1 yards per carry in four consecutive games.
Anderson's defense didn't let Gunner Winiecki, get away unscathed either: they got into the backfield for 4.4 sacks. The team can thank two different players for their defensive prowess: McMillian and Max Middleton, who each picked up 1.5 sacks apiece. Anderson got some further help from McMillian: he picked up 1.5 sacks and made six total tackles (2.0 for loss) in addition to snagging an interception.
Hendrickson's loss dropped their record down to 3-3. As for Anderson, their victory bumped their record up to 5-0.
Hendrickson was dealt a bruising 55-24 defeat at the hands of Anderson in their previous matchup back in October of 2024. Will the Hawks have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.
