West Henderson football began their official season this past Monday, Feb. 8. The Falcons are looking for another successful year despite their season getting pushed back.Their schedule begins with a scrimmage against Hendersonville on the 19th.

West Henderson is coming off of a strong 2019 season, finishing 9-3, enough for 2nd in the Western Mountain Conference. The Falcons also made the state playoffs, losing in the first round to Kings Mountain.

Coming off a successful season, the Falcons have big shoes to fill. Starting quarterback Auden Brennan graduated last year, as well as their three leading rushers Austin Jenkins, Peyton Dimsdale, and Khaliq Barnes. Alex Hembree, who led the team in tackles with 159, also graduated. The Falcons lost many key pieces on the offensive and defensive side of the ball.

“We’ve got a lot of guys playing with a chip on their shoulder,” sophomore linebacker Andrew Schultz said. “Our guys have been working super hard for over a year and are itching to get back on the field.”

West has a sophomore quarterback in Lukas Kachilo looking to come in and take over the offense. The Falcons also have returning senior starters Keyaris Cash, who rushed for 448 yards, All Conference linemen Trey Gilliand, who recorded 50 total tackles and linebacker core led by All Conference junior Lane Johnson, who recorded 77 tackles and an interception. 

“I double every rep and work an extra sesion every day,” Gilliand said “We had a good season, but there’s always better, So i’m gonna strive for it.”

With the season getting closer and closer, the team is ready to get back on the field. But with the effect of COVID-19, West lost 3 games off of their season. As they begin practice and work towards the scrimmage with Hendersonville, the Falcons are looking for yet another winning season. 

“COVID took away 3 games from the season that could’ve helped me and other seniors get into college,” Cash said. “But we are going to keep grinding, trust me. This is the year.”

By: Cooper Hughes, Staff Writer