Henderson edges Kennett behind Preston

KENNETT SQUARE » No matter what level of schooling, homecoming will always be one of the biggest spectacles any educational institution has to offer and the most ideal way to celebrate it is with a football win.

West Chester Henderson did just that on Friday evening, earning a hardfought 24-21 win over Kennett behind a monstrous effort from C.J. Preston, who finished the victory with 163 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 20 attempts in the nonleague contest

Quarterback Joe Saulino, who ended the evening with 61 passing yards and a running touchdown, was happy to see Preston issue a breakthrough performance, and credited his running back’s success to that of his offensive line.

“First of all, it starts with our offensive line. You can’t do nothing without them. We’ve been struggling throughout the entire season, but tonight everything clicked,” he said. “We made the blocks that count and our running back made the plays and that’s all we can ask for.”

While Henderson seized control of the momentum early, Kennett ended the first half with a score and opened the third with another, slicing into Henderson’s sizable 14-point lead and making it a one possession game.

Both teams continued to deal steady blows to each other through the second half, but with 5:28

“First of all, it starts with our offensive line. You can’t do nothing without them. We’ve been struggling throughout the entire season, but tonight everything clicked. We made the blocks that count and our running back made the plays and that’s all we can ask for.”

left in the fourth quarter, it appeared as if the Warriors took control, after a trick play resulted in a touchdown pass from Preston to wide receiver Ian Tracy.

The score was negated as Henderson was penalized for having too many men down the field, and they later fumbled to the Blue Demons.

Kennett looked as if they were poised to knot things up, but a turnover on downs and a 43-yard field goal from Warriors kicker Chris Roberts boosted the lead back up to 10.

When Kennett retook the field, quarterback Jacob Dilcher threw an interception that looked to seal Henderson’s win.

The Blue Demons were given another crack at scoring, but another Dilcher interception put the game to bed for good.