ARKADELPHIA -- Henderson State will look to keep its winning streak alive on Saturday in Ada, Okla., after the team's first back-to-back wins this season.
The Reddies (3-3) are set to face East Central (2-4) at 3 p.m. on Saturday Koi Ishto Stadium. They have the chance to notch their first three-game winning streak since opening the 2016 season, 5-0. A win would also put Henderson above the .500 mark for the first time this year.
Henderson's series with East Central is one of the program's longest with any school in Oklahoma. The teams have met 29 times dating back to 1928.
The Reddies have the upper hand in the series, 16-12-1, but they are just 4-8-1 in Ada. The Tigers have been problematic for the Reddies with two wins in the last three years. East Central spoiled homecoming for Henderson in 2017 after jumping out to a 21-0 lead and holding off the Reddies for a 24-16 win.
Henderson head coach Scott Maxfield is three wins away from securing his 100th win at Henderson. He trails Sporty Carpenter by 22 games as the school's all-time winningest coach. Two wins in the next two weeks would give Maxfield a chance to get win No. 100 at the Murphy USA Classic in El Dorado against Southern Arkansas (6-0).
Saturday provided to be Henderson's most productive game of the season on offense, but it was also one of the team's most productive games in recent memory. The 599 yards of total offense was the most in a game for Henderson since 2016.
Junior running back Querale Hall ran the ball 15 times for 173 yards and two touchdowns, while redshirt junior Logan Moragne had 165 yards and one score on 15 carries in the 56-21 home victory against Oklahoma Baptist (2-4). It was the first time since 2011 two Henderson players ran for more than 10 yards in one game. Hall's 173 yards was the most for a Reddie back since Jaquan Cole ran for a school-record 245 yards against Arkansas Tech in 2015.
The defense also played arguably its best game of the season, forcing a season-high four turnovers. Defensive back Shane Sanders made two interceptions in the game's first eight minutes, returning the first 30 yards for a touchdown. It was the team's first defensive score of the season and earned Sanders Great American Conference Defensive Player of the Week honors.
Henderson is currently second in the conference with 423.3 yards per game and third in scoring, averaging 31.4 points. The Reddies are among only three teams in the league to average 30 or more points.
The rushing attack sat near the bottom of the conference during the first several weeks of the season. Henderson now ranks seventh in the GAC with 148.2 rushing yards per game.
Junior quarterback Richard Stammetti is still third in the GAC with 1,641 passing yards and 273.5 per game. He is tied for the league-lead with 14 touchdown passes after throwing for three more against Oklahoma Baptist.
Receiver Ben Johnson and linebacker Cameron Sonnier are closing in on career milestones. Johnson is tied with teammates John Murray and Chase Lodree for second in the league with four receiving touchdowns.
Another 111 yards will place Johnson sixth in program history. He is also one receiving touchdown away from moving into a tie for third all-time in program history.
Sonnier is ninth in the conference with 11 tackles and is nine away from cracking Henderson's top 10 all-time. He needs four tackles to move into sixth in program history.
Henderson is the only 3-3 team in the conference, good for fifth place and one game ahead of a logjam of six teams at 2-4. Harding and Southeastern Oklahoma State are tied for third at 4-2.
East Central is among the six teams at 2-4, but the Tigers have won two of their last four games. They are led by first-year head coach Al Johnson, who was previously an assistant offensive line coach for the Wisconsin Badgers.
Their defense is led by sophomore linebacker R.J. Williams, who is eighth in the conference in tackles with 54 stops, and senior defensive lineman Andre Shelton, who is tied for second with 3.5 sacks and six total tackles for a loss.
Senior receiver Trinity Benson is the team's top playmaker on offense. He is eighth in the GAC with 515 all-purpose yards and second in the league in scoring with 42 points. '
Benson has three rushing touchdowns and four receiving scores. At quarterback will be either senior RayJohn Austin-Ramsey or senior David Cornwell, a former 5-star recruit for the Alabama Crimson Tide.
The Tigers rank second-to-last in the GAC with 221.3 yards and 16.7 points per game. They have been outgained by their opponents, 2,219-1,334.
East Central's defense led the team to its two victories. The Tigers were outgained, 503-177, against Arkansas-Monticello (2-4), but the defense forced six turnovers in the 29-27 win. The defense also forced two turnovers and held Southwestern Oklahoma State to 214 yards (2-4) for an 18-11 victory despite just 181 yards of total offense.
Sports on 10/12/2018