Junior wide receiver Henningham powers Cobras in shutout of Bulls

BOCA RATON — Alex Henningham’s first game with Park Vista High didn’t go as planned, with the Cobras suffering a blowout loss to Dwyer. His second was much better.

The junior wide receiver scored Park Vista’s first three touchdowns, leading the Cobras (1-1) to a 31-0 victory over West Boca Raton (0-2) on Friday night.

“I had to prove myself to my new teammates by showing what I’ve got on the field,” Henningham said.

Henningham, who played for Atlantic’s state runnerup team last year, transferred to Deerfield Beach for spring football and then to Park Vista in July. He scored on a 26-yard run to get the Cobras on the board late in the first half.

“That kind of got the monkey off the team’s back,” Henningham said. “By that touchdown, we started opening things up to the pass, to the run. Everything opens up.”

Both teams racked up penalty yardage. The Cobras finished the game with 95 yards in penalties and the Bulls had 83.

“I’m extremely disappointed in our discipline,” Park Vista coach Brian Dodds said. “That’s the bottom line. We had more experience than that, to make those kind of mistakes, both physically and mentally.”

The Cobras added another score before the half on a 25-yard field goal by Daniel Castaneda.

While both teams’ offenses scuffled, Park Vista’s defense excelled. The Cobras held the Bulls to 105 total yards — 108 through the air and minus-3 on the ground.

In the second half, Henningham and the offense caught up to their defensive teammates. The wide receiver, who holds offers from Florida, LSU, Ohio State and others, caught a 14-yard fade from quarterback Tyler Thomas.

Two drives later, he grabbed a short pass from Thomas, fought off a defender near the goal line and punched in his third score. He finished with four carries for 42 yards and three catches for 27 yards.

Zacoldy Thaddies, who led Park Vista with 89 rushing yards, recorded the team’s last score with a 16-yard run.

For his efforts, Henningham got the game ball from Dodds.

“It’s really special,” he said. “They told me I’ve got to get it signed (by the rest of the team) now.”