Statesmen Fall in Final Seconds Against Prince Edward

CHARLOTTE COURT HOUSE – Friday marked Randolph Henry’s homecoming. With an electrically charged atmosphere, and a standing room only crowd, the Statesmen were poised to claim victory over the Prince Edward Eagles, but instead suffered a tough 45-40 loss.

The Statesmen had a slow start in the 1st quarter. With a score of 12-0 with 10:00 left in the first, the Prince Edward Eagles seemed to establish an early trend of dominance.

Brandon Scott got Prince Edward on the board early with a touchdown run.

Randolph Henry’s first successful drive began with a kickoff return by standout Chris Powell.  In combination with the return, a grabbed facemask led to a penalty which put the Statesmen on the Eagles’ 36-yard line. A strong push by the Statesman offense led to a 5-yard touchdown run by Tyrie Blow-Tydings, making the score 12-6. The celebration was short lived as on the next possession, Joel Thomas found Aneal Walker for a 50-yard touchdown. This pushed the score to 18-6 in favor of the Eagles. Randolph Henry failed to capitalize on the ensuing possession, turning the ball over on downs. Prince Edward answered with a 13-yard touchdown by Rahquan Payne with approximately 1 minute left in the half making the score 25-6.

Randolph Henry’s first possession led to a Tyrie Blow-Tydings touchdown.  The Statesmen opted for the 2-point conversion instead of the extra point. Fred Blow-Tydings found Chris Powell to push the score to 25-14. Although Prince Edward retained the lead, the Statesmen now had the momentum they needed to keep the contest competitive. On the next Randolph Henry possession, Fred Blow-Tydings linked with Chris Powell for a 40-yard touchdown play bringing the count to 25-20 with 4:09 remaining in the 3rd.  Although Randolph Henry continued to gain momentum, Prince Edward continued to answer. On the next Prince Edward possession, the kickoff was returned for a 75-yard touchdown run.  Prince Edward completed the 2-point conversion making the score 33-20 in favor of the Eagles.  The Statesmen failed to score on their next possession which left Prince Edward on the Statesmen 42-yard line.  Prince Edward’s Scott ran for an additional touchdown putting the game further out of reach for the Statesmen making the score 39-20.

Although things seemed bleak, the Statesmen continued to fight. On the next Randolph Henry possession, Tyrie Blow-Tydings ran the ball 40 yards for a Statesman touchdown cutting the lead to 39-26.  On the next Statesman possession, Chris Powell struck another blow to the Prince Edward defense by running for 47 yards.  Randolph Henry inched closer with a 4 yard touchdown run by Tyrie Blow-Tydings pushing the score to 39-32 with 7:15 left in the brawl.  The Eagles failed to pull any farther away on the next possession forcing them to punt.  The Statesmen returned the punt to the Eagles’ 42 yard line. Chris Powell ran the ball on the next possession to the Prince Edward 35-yard line. After a penalty call against the Eagles, the Statesmen took possession of the ball on the 20-yard line. Chris Powell found Johnathan Randolph for a Statesman touchdown. Powell fought for the 2-point conversion earning Randolph Henry their first lead of the hard fought battle at 40-39.  Randolph Henry attempted to put the game on ice with a successful drive on their next possession, but failed to capitalize on several key plays.

In heartbreaking fashion, the Eagles struck the final blow by scoring from the 14-yard line on their next possession as Joel Thomas found Scott on a touchdown pass with 16.5 left in the half driving the score to 45-40. Randolph Henry failed to keep the magic going on their last possession ending the game in an incomplete pass.

Randolph Henry will visit Buckingham High School this Friday in search of their next win.   *(Game coverage and  photos by Ron Bagley.)