by Bill Turner
Patrick Henry broke away from a 7-7 first quarter stalemate with 24 unanswered second quarter points, as the Patriots knocked off Bassett 44-14 last Friday night at Merrill Gainer Field.
The Patriot defense rose to the occasion for the second straight week to give first-year PH coach Alan Fiddler a win in his home-opener. Patrick Henry (2-0) won their season opener against Hidden Valley with a somewhat similar 42-14 romp.
Friday night, the Patriots led 44-7 at the end of the third quarter before the reserves wound down the final 12 minutes.
Patrick Henry threw a balanced attack at the Bengals, gaining 241 yards on the ground to go with 106 yards in the air via the arm of PH quarterback David Prince. Xavier Whorley led the Patriot rushing attack with 101 yards on 12 carries.
Among the special teams, sophomore Ealy Ogden returned a punt 50 yards for a PH touchdown and placekicker Jacob Otterman connected on a 36-yard field goal to go along with 5 PATs.
The Patriot defense again set the stage, limiting Bassett to 50 yards on the ground and picking off Bengal QB Dashaun Valentine four times, including one returned 62 yards for a touchdown by senior linebacker Demetris Anderson.
Patrick Henry travels to Pulaski County this Friday for a meeting with the 0-2 Cougars.
