Patriots win big to start season

Henry County High School’s Patriots opened the 2023 football season Friday night on the road at Brighton, coming away with a lopsided 42-10 win over the Cardinals.

Patriot senior Javion Boyd caught two long touchdown passes and scored on a 99-yard kickoff return to spearhead an explosive Henry County offense as they picked up the non-region victory.

Brighton received the ball first, mixing runs and short passes before the Patriot defense forced a 25-yard field goal attempt that split the uprights for a 3-0 Cardinal lead.

That lead only lasted one play as Javion Boyd took the ensuing kickoff 99 yards for a Patriot touchdown. Jacob Davis nailed the extra point for a 7-3 Patriot lead with 6:33 left in the first quarter.

After just three plays, the Cardinals punted away with Henry County taking a fair catch at their own 32. Four plays later, the Patriots scored again on a 46-yard touchdown strike from quarterback Caden Marshall to Boyd, with the PAT good for a 14-3 lead with 2:28 left in the quarter.

The Cardinals’ next possession drained the rest of the first-quarter clock and into the second quarter before Brighton attempted a 39-yard field goal that was blocked. Less than a minute into the second quarter, Marshall connected with Boyd again, this time on a 70-yard touchdown with the PAT good for a 21-3 lead.

Henry County shut down the next Brighton drive when Rush Cox pressured the Cardinal quarterback nearly 20 yards behind the scrimmage line and Mallaki Boutwell finished off a sack for a 28-yard loss.

After an incomplete pass, the Cardinals punted on 4th-and-38 from their own 27-yard line.

The Patriots took over from their own 40, driving inside the Brighton 7-yard line. James Bobbitt ran to the right side for HCHS’ fourth touchdown of the night with 3:40 left in the first half. Davis connected on his fourth extra point for a 28-3 lead.

After a short kickoff, a bad Cardinal punt snap was recovered by the Patriots at the Brighton 26-yard line.  Patriot Evan Richardson ripped through the middle for 22 yards on first down and picked up six more yards on second down, setting up Marshall for a six-yard sweep for a touchdown. The PAT was good by Davis, increasing Henry County’s lead to 35-3 by halftime.

The teams swapped possessions in the third quarter, playing a number of reserves on both sides of the ball with no scoring taking place.

The Patriots started the final quarter with possession, driving inside the Cardinal 10-yard line and setting up their final score of the night. Demarccus Patton went up the middle eight yards for a touchdown with nine minutes remaining in the game. Davis hit his final PAT of the night, giving Henry County a 42-3 lead.

Brighton completed a 34-yard pass for its lone touchdown of the night shortly before the game ended with the extra point good for a 42-10 final score.

Patriot head coach James Counce Jr. missed the game because of medical reasons. Assistant coach John Harrison oversaw the team in his absence. 

The Patriots will have their first home game at 7 p.m. this Friday against Murfreesboro Riverdale.