Story written by: Doug Dyer
HENDERSONVILLE – Sometimes a football team wins a game when things don't necessarily go as planned.
"In my opinion, football's a game of adversity," Ravenwood High School coach Will Hester said. "When things don't go like they're scripted, it's about finding a way to make it happen."
Ravenwood overcame some self-inflicted adversity and outlasted Hendersonville 35-28 Friday night, thanks in large part to four touchdowns from quarterback Chris Parson.
"I'm super proud of our team's resiliency," Hester said. "We're not where we want to be, but we're going that way."
Parson rolled up 340 yards of total offense for the Raptors, throwing for three TDs and running for another.
"He made some plays where we thought we got him in a bad situation, and it turned into a bad situation for us," Hendersonville coach James Beasley said. "I think they played just a little bit harder than we did."
Carter Pace caught two of those TDs from Parson, from 13 and 34 yards away, while Myles Pollard added a 20-yard TD catch. Parson utilized six different receivers in the game.
The victory overshadowed a phenomenal performance by the Commandos and back Torin Baker, who finished with 229 yards and two TDs on 23 carries.
Hendersonville was able to keep the Raptor defense on its toes with its efficient running game, and the Commandos had chances to shift the momentum in their favor early on.
A long completion from Parson to Kartuah Chapman deep in Commando territory turned into a fumble and Hendersonville recovery late in the second quarter.
"That was a big ol' cup of adversity right there," Hester said. "We found a way to continue to battle back and not get down."
The Commandos could not capitalize on the turnover, however, allowing the Raptors to score and take a 21-14 lead into halftime.
"They're a good team, and we have to take advantage of opportunities," Beasley said. "We didn't do a good job of that tonight."
Beasley's team played catch-up from then on, tying the game two more times but never leading. He was pleased with the effort but disappointed in the execution at times, he said.
Still, the Commandos rushed for 346 yards and continued to find open running lanes, something the Raptors must correct going into next week's contest against last year's Class 5A champ, Summit.
"That's a phenomenal football team," Hester said. "We made some stops when we had to. (Summit has) some phenomenal players just like this team had, and we'll have to find a way to slow them down."
Ravenwood out-gained Hendersonville 421-366, but the difference on the field was much closer than 55 yards. The Commandos missed a field goal at the end of the second quarter, then scored on their first two possessions of the third to keep the pressure on.
"There were multiple opportunities we had to make plays," Beasley said. "They made the plays and we didn't."
