Rudder Rangers Need an Upset Win at Hendrickson

STORY BY: JORDAN MESEROLE 
The Rudder Rangers will attempt to reverse course Friday night at Merrill Green Stadium when they face Plugerville Hendrickson in another tough District 16-4A matchup.

The Rangers (1-5-1, 0-3) are looking to notch their first district victory on the season, and end a six-game slide since winning the first game of the season.  The path to victory will be tough for Rudder however, as they square off against a first-place Hendrickson (7-1,4-0) team who has won its last six games in a row.

Rudder will have the big task of stopping the Hawks’ senior running back Daje Johnson, who has dashed into the end zone 11 times this season, including a 59-yard touchdown run against Bastrop last week.  Johnson has committed to TCU.

The good news for Rudder is, aside from a giving up a few big running plays in last week’s loss, the Rangers’ defense has typically held up well against the ground game.  Senior linebacker A’Shanian Smith has stepped up for the team this year, racking up 50 tackles.  Fellow senior linebacker Kody Burton has also shored up the other side of the field, bringing in another 42 tackles.

Rudder’s offense will look to continue to improve after a decent performance last week, including on the heels of junior running back Tre Guyton who eclipsed the 100-yard rushing mark for the fourth time this season.  Senior quarterback Jamarcus Davenport also looked improved in the Rangers’ loss, throwing for 80 yards and a touchdown.

Though it is a far outside chance, Rudder still has not been mathematically eliminated from the playoffs yet.  And a victory against the Hawks would be their first step to getting back into the race.

Kickoff is set for 7:30 in Bryan.