The Charles Henderson Trojans came into the Pike County Classic looking to claim its third-straight victory over its arch rivals, the Brundidge Bulldogs.

After the dust had settled, that is exactly what the team in orange and blue returned to Troy with, as CHHS defeated PCHS 27-12.

“This was a good win for us,” CHHS head coach Hugh Fountain said following the win. “I’m proud of how our team played.”

There were only a few moments in the game where the Trojans were not leading, as the team from Troy imposed their will throughout the contest.

On the first play of the game, Pike County quarterback Marlon Meadows threw a lateral pass to Kendrick Jackson. However, before it could reach its intended destination, CHHS defensive back Quintus Moss picked off the pass and ran all the way to the back of the end zone to give his team a 6-0 lead.

“As I caught the pass, the only thing I was thinking about was how my coaches told me exactly where to be for this play,” Moss said.

“They got it right and it helped put points on the board.”

The next two Bulldog drives proved to be more a little more fruitful, this time with Jerrelle Bailey behind center.

After taking PCHS 69 yards before stalling in the redzone, Bailey helped lead the Bulldogs back down the field in their third position of the game that ended with the quarterback in the end zone, to tie the game at six.

The Trojans would not back down, thanks in part to Moss’ efforts on the offensive side of the ball.

Like he did in the first quarter, the running back put points on the board for his team immediately.

Facing a fourth and long near midfield, Moss took a hand off for 40 yards to the end zone in the opening seconds of the second quarter.

With a Corey Dennis extra point, the Trojans led 13-6.

Again, the Bulldogs would answer, this time led by Meadows.

The quarterback finished an 11-play drive completing three of this four passes for 25 yards, including a nine-yard touchdown pass to Quadry Greasham to cut the lead to just 13-12.

That would be as close as PCHS would get.

Again, Moss had a huge hand in the Trojans’ next scoring drive, this time capping off a seven-play drive that finished with a 24-yard touchdown run that put CHHS up 20-12.

“This game means everything to us,” Moss said.

“I came (into the game) with my head on straight. I wanted to score three touchdowns (Friday night) and I reached my goal.”

The big blow for PCHS came in the middle of the third quarter.

After a potential Bulldog scoring drive was derailed due to a fumble, CHHS went on a 14-play, 62-yard drive that ended with another Trojan touchdown.

This time, Dennis supplied most of the offensive attack, as he ran for 54 yards and a touchdown on just eight carries.

“It was easy to run (Friday night) because of the line in front of me,” the quarterback said. “They did a great job all night long.

“I’m just happy we came away with a win. Hopefully this will help us build some momentum going into the regular season.”

Dennis threw just five passes, completing one for four yards, but ran the ball 17 times for 70 yards and a touchdown.

In all, the CHHS offense finished with 256 yards, 237 on the ground.

“We told the running backs coming into the game that they were going to get a lot of work,” Fountain said.

“We wanted to run the ball a lot, and I think we did a good job of it (Friday night). This doesn’t mean we can’t throw the ball though. Corey’s got a good arm, but we wanted to come in and establish the run.”

Along with Dennis, Ontonio Turner finished with 13 carries for 99 yards while Moss finished three carries for 69 yards.

While even though his team was on the losing end of the contest, first-year PCHS head coach Robert Johnson said his team played with a lot of pride.

“Ya know, I think we did a lot of things right (Friday night),” the coach said.

“We spotted (CHHS) six points early with that trick play but I was proud of the effort the kids put out tonight. They are disappointed with the outcome, but there were a lot of positives that came out of this game.”

In all, the Bulldog offense tallied up 243 total yards, 166 of which came in the first half.

Bailey played a big role in the PCHS offense, as both a passer, a runner and a receiver as he finished with 7 of 11 for 112 yards through the air, 53 yards rushing and a touchdown on 15 carries and 40 yards receiving.

“We played good (Friday night),” the senior. “I got to give it to Charles Henderson, they played a great game.”

“It was a battle though, and that’s what everyone wanted. I wish we could have come out with a win, but I am still proud of this team,” Bailey.

Both teams finished with 13 first downs, while CHHS was able to force three PCHS turnovers.

“My hats off to Charles Henderson,” Johnson said.

“They played a great game. I thought we did a good job of winning the battle up front for the first half, but they were able take care of business in the second half.”

The Bulldogs will take on Notasulga next week in the season opener on the road, while the Trojans will also hit the road, taking on region foe Beauregard.