Sports Writer

GREENVILLE – Senior quarterback Kevin Stephens threw for three touchdown passes as the Charles Henderson High School Trojans held off a furious rally to defeat the Greenville Tigers 28-13 in an important Class 5A Region 2 matchup at the Tiger Stadium Friday night.

With the win, the Trojans clinched their first state playoff berth since 1993 when they were under the direction

of head coach Jay Jefcoat.

However, the Trojans could still win the region title with wins at home over Carroll this week and Wilcox Central on Nov. 3 at Richard M. Scrushy Field. The top four seeds in the region will earn a spot in the 5A state playoffs.

The game started out as if the Trojans (5-1, 3-1) were going to run away and hide as they totally dominated the Tigers in the first half. On the first play from scrimmage, junior quarterback Carlos Carter fumbled the center exchange and the Trojans recovered

at the Greenville 27 yard line.

Two plays later, sophomore Roderick Burden took a screen pass from Stephens and broke several tackles while cutting against the grain scoring a touchdown. The extra point by Josh Post was no good and with 10:51 left in the first quarter the Trojans led 6-0. It was Post’s first miss of the season following 20 consecutive made extra points.

Following an exchange of punts, the Trojan defense rose to the occasion when Lawrence Mosley stripped GHS running back Terrence Powell of the football and Clint Pugh recovered. Six plays later, Stephens found a wide open DeMario Green in the front of the end zone for a touchdown. The two point conversion run by Burden was good and with 1:01 left in the first quarter CHHS led 14-0.

Midway through the second quarter, the Trojans special teams came up big when Mosley tackled punter William Phillips at the Tiger three-yard

line. The Trojans capitalized on the next play

when Terrill Smith punched it in from three yards out. The extra point by Post was good and with 5:42 left in the first the Trojans led 21-0. There would be no more scoring in the first half.

In the third quarter, the Trojans started to self destruct when Armond Smith picked up a fumble and returned it to the CHHS 45 yard line.

On fourth and three from the Trojan 30 yard line,freshman backup quarterback Jacoby Thagard

kept it on the option and raced 30 yards untouched for a touchdown. The extra point was good and with 7:26 remaining in the third quarter the Trojans led 21-7.

After pinning the Trojans back on the CHHS one yard line, the Tiger defense held forcing a punt taking over at the Trojan 35 yard line. Six plays later, Thagard sneaked it into the end zone for a touchdown on the first play of the fourth quarter. The two point conversion was no good but with 11:57 left in the game the Trojans only led 21-13.

Following an exchange of punts, the Trojans took over at their own 48 yard line. With third down and seven yards to go at the GHS 49 yard line, Stephens fired a pass to Burden for a 19 yard gain and a first down.

However, the key play of the game came on a fourth down and 10 play at the GHS 30 yard line. Facing heavy defensive pressure, Stephens stepped into the pocket and found a wide open Clint Pugh who broke a pair of tackles for the touchdown which punched the Trojans’ playoff ticket.

The Tigers (1-6, 1-2) were unable to mount a scoring drive as the Trojans held on downs and ran the clock out.

The Trojans earned their first victory over Greenville since 1992 when they defeated the Tigers 24-13 in Troy. It was the first win in Tiger Stadium since 1991 when the Trojans shutout the Tigers 6-0 to earn the first of three consecutive playoff appearances.

CHHS will return to action

this Friday when they begin a three week homestand hosting Carroll-Ozark in a key region game. The Eagles lost to Stanhope Elmore 41-14 in a non-region game in Ozark Friday night. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m.