NO JOSHING: Hun School football star Joshua Henderson runs to daylight in season-opening action against visiting Royal Imperial Collegiate of Canada earlier this month. Sophomore running back Henderson rushed for two touchdowns to help Hun prevail 38-13 in the September 10 contest The Raiders are next in action when they play at Capital Preparatory Magnet School (Conn.) on September 24. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

While it may appear that things came easily for the Hun School football team as it rolled to a 38-13 win over Royal Imperial Collegiate of Canada in its season opener, the Raiders faced a number of challenges in the encounter.

Entering the September 10 game, Hun didn’t have as much time as usual to prepare for the game.

“It felt a little rushed this year,” said Hun head coach Todd Smith. “We don’t usually open up as early as that week but we had a real tough time finding games this year so we had to take them where we could get them. Everything got jam packed a little bit. I thought it was a pretty good camp for the amount of time we spent.”

On game day, both teams were in a jam, having been subjected to a dangerously hot afternoon with temperatures in the 80’s and humidity of more than 80 percent.

“It was hard; we lost two linemen by halftime, both of them had to go to the hospital with heat exhaustion,” said Smith.

“Our AD Bill Quirk really did a great job, he stepped in and took over. We had them into ice baths, we did everything right, and we got them to the hospital and got them fluids. It was ridiculously hot that day; if we weren’t playing a team from Canada we probably would have moved it to Sunday.”

Hun’s ability to move the ball on the ground with the one-two punch of sophomore Josh Henderson and post-graduate Tucker Strycharz made the difference as the Raiders were able to wear down Royal Imperial despite the depleted line.

“We knew Josh was pretty special last year, he didn’t get a chance to run the ball as much as he wanted,” said Smith, who got two touchdowns on the ground from Henderson with Strycharz rushing for one.

“He has really worked hard over the summer, he has put on 10 pounds, he has improved so much with his speed and his leadership. His overall development is tremendous. He was complemented very well by Tucker Strycharz; he is a post grad for us from Virginia. He missed his whole senior season due to an injury. I think it is great to see him back, running around and making plays. He has a chance to be a special football player.”

The Hun defense complemented the running game, stiffening up in the second half.

“They got a little more comfortable,” said Smith, reflecting on the defensive effort.

“We have got a healthy rotation at defensive back right now and we got a lot of new faces in the linebacker corps. All three linebackers are new and they are all coming together. Our defensive front is extremely strong and I thought our kids did a great job. When you lose a kid like Fred Hansard for basically two quarters of the game it is hard but they did a great job filling in for him.”

In the trenches, the Raiders got big efforts from two newcomers, post-graduate Dante Diaz-Infante and junior transfer Jordan Morris.

“We have two special kids,” added Smith. “Our middle linebacker, Dante Diaz-Infante is a post-grad from Arizona and he played really well for us. Jordan Morris did a great job, he is a new defensive tackle who we brought in from Burlington Township.”

While Hun played well enough to win in the opener, Smith believes his squad just scratched the surface of its potential.

“I think the kids understood we still have a lot of room for improvement,” said Smith.

“Our big message coming in was the only team that was going to stop us that day would be ourselves. It got to that point right when the third quarter started where it was 16-13 and they were within range of making a score. Our kids responded real well, we went down the field in three plays and scored a touchdown. We didn’t look back from there, we stepped it up on both sides of the ball and dealt with the heat and with the injuries and got out of there with a win.”

Getting a bye week after the opener, Hun had some extra time to fine-tune things.

“We got back to the basics on some things,” said Smith. “Basically, we took a poll with the kids on Monday; we had them make a list of the things that they weren’t comfortable with, things the kids still had questions about and felt they needed to work on and we went from there. It has been great, we are starting to throw and catch a little better. We are looking ahead to next week, being healthy with a little momentum.”

The Raiders will face another challenge in their next game as they head to Hartford, Conn. to play at Capital Preparatory Magnet School on September 24.

“We have seen them on film, they look very athletic, they have a good quarterback and great running back,” said Smith.

“Their last game was a little bit of a shootout I think they won 56-45 so they can put some points on the board. When you take a group of kids and put them on a bus and stay in a hotel the night before and get up the next day for the game, it is a lot for the kids to deal with. We have to be able to take it in stride, take it quarter by quarter, and we will be fine.”