Henderson and Palestine are an even 5-5 against one another since October of 2014, but not for long. The Henderson Lions will host the Palestine Wildcats at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Henderson knows how to get points on the board -- the team has finished with 31 points or more in their past four contests -- so hopefully Palestine likes a good challenge.
Henderson is headed in fresh off scoring the most points they have all season. They simply couldn't be stopped on Thursday as they easily beat Gainesville 62-6 at home. 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 strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 172 rushing yards in four consecutive matchups.
Meanwhile, Palestine was not able to break out of their rough patch on Friday as the team picked up their fifth straight loss dating back to last season. They took a blow against Marshall, falling 63-7. The Wildcats were in a tough position after the first half, with the score already sitting at 35-7.
Henderson's win bumped their record up to 3-1. As for Palestine, their defeat dropped their record down to 0-4.
Friday's match might be decided in the trenches. Henderson has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 286.5 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 might still be hurting after the 41-16 loss they got from Palestine when the teams last played 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
