ARKADELPHIA -- Henderson State will look to give head coach Scott Maxfield win No. 100 with the program on Saturday when the Reddies face Arkansas-Monticello at 2 p.m. at Carpenter-Haygood Stadium and Ruggles Field.
Saturday will be the first of back-to-back home games for Henderson (5-4) to close out the regular season. A victory would secure a winning season for the 12th time in the last 14 years under Maxfield.
It will also be Military Appreciation Day at Carpenter-Haygood. All active and retired military members with valid identification will be admitted free to the game, along with their families.
Special camouflage Reddies hats will be sold at the bookstore and the game day kiosk with proceeds benefiting Henderson's ROTC program. A presentation of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Scholarship will take place on the field 15 minutes before kickoff for a member of the Henderson ROTC.
The Bulldog Flight Formation team is scheduled to conduct a flyover after the playing of the national anthem to honor and support all active and retired military members.
Tickets to the Battle of the Ravine game against Ouachita Baptist (9-0) on Nov. 10 will be sold during the game at the will call window by the front entrance to the stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m.
The Tigers will play their final home game of the season on Saturday against Southern Arkansas (8-1). The matchup with the Muleriders was selected this week as the NCAA's Division II showcase game.
Ticket sales will begin at halftime and run through the first half of the fourth quarter. Tickets are $7 for adults and $5 for children in grades K-12. All Henderson students, faculty and staff will receive free entry to the Battle of the Ravine with a valid student identification.
Henderson is looking to rebound after suffering a 34-14 loss to Southern Arkansas on Saturday in the Murphy USA Classic in El Dorado. The Reddies were limited to just 155 total offensive yards.
Saturday will be the 81st meeting all-time between the two schools. Henderson leads the series, 48-30-2, and has won the last eight matchups.
Monticello (4-5) has lost 11 of the last 12 games in the series, last defeating Henderson in 2008. The Boll Weevils last defeated the Reddies in 2008, losing each time they have faced as members of the Great American Conference.
Henderson has struggled on offense in the past two games. Southeastern Oklahoma State (5-4) and Southern Arkansas have held Henderson to just under 400 combined yards of offense the past two weeks.
The Reddies still rank fifth in the conference in passing with 226.1 yards per game. Receivers Ben Johnson and John Murray rank in the top 10 in the conference in receiving yards with 559 and 488, respectively.
Quarterback Richard Stammetti still ranks fifth in passing yards with 1,894, but the Reddies have given up 24 sacks, the most in the GAC this season. The offense also remained fifth in the conference with 28.3 points per game and sixth with 373.6 yards.
Running back Logan Moragne ranks fifth in rushing yards with 625 and third in yards per game at 78.1. Johnson is sixth in receiving yards and third in receptions with 52.
Defensive back Malik Brown came through with the biggest play of the afternoon a week ago for the Reddies when he picked off a pass in the end zone and returned it 103 yards for a touchdown. It broke the school record for longest interception return for a score in program history.
Brown has three interceptions in the past two games and Henderson is third in the GAC with 12 total interceptions. The Reddies are one of four teams in the conference to pick off 10 or more passes this year.
Linebacker Cameron Sonnier had a career-high 16 tackles against Southern Arkansas. He is now ninth all-time with 237 tackles in his career and fifth with 28.5 tackles for a loss. He is sixth in the GAC this season with 80 tackles and fourth in tackles for a loss with 10.5.
Henderson has the least sacks in the conference with 10, but the Reddies have the second-best fourth-down defensive percentage in the league.
Temo Martinez is sixth in the conference in scoring with 57 points and he is one of two kickers in the GAC without a missed extra point this season. He is 33-for-33 on PATs and 8-for-12 on field goal attempts with a long of 49.
Monticello won three games in a row before falling, 35-10, at home on Saturday to Ouachita Baptist. Head coach Hud Jackson is 27-58 in eight seasons at the school.
Senior quarterback Cole Sears ranks third in the league with 2,184 passing yards. His top target is junior receiver DeAndre Washington, who has caught 25 passes this year for 486 yards and four touchdowns.
Henderson escaped Monticello with a 28-21 win a year ago after trailing in the fourth quarter.
Sports on 11/02/2018