Eagles lose steam late at Mount St. Mary

As it turned out, the Rockets had a bit more fuel.

Hennessey dropped its 2023 football season opener Friday when it brought home a 41-15 loss from Mount St. Mary in Oklahoma City.

Hennessey led 15-8 early in the third quarter but the Rockets scored the game’s final 34 points, including a 25-0 burst in the fourth quarter.

“We ran out of gas late in the game,” said Mark Cox, who was making his debut as Hennessey’s head coach.

“Most of our guys were playing offense, defense and special teams, so that plus the heat took a toll on us.”

The Eagles were very much in it through at least three quarters.

After the teams traded possessions much of the first half, it was Hennessey that struck first when Gunnar Holder found Weston Smith for a 56yard touchdown at 2:51 of the second quarter.

It appeared the Eagles might take that 7-0 lead into halftime, but the Rockets managed to score on the final play of the half.

Harrison Tesio hit John Allison for a 20-yard touchdown and the Rockets’ two-point conversion gave them an 8-7 lead.

That not only gave the Rockets momentum, but they were also boosted by the fact they were going to receive the second-half kickoff.

Or so they thought. Hennessey’s kick landed at the Rocket 2-yard line, giving the wouldbe returner belief it was bound for the end zone and a touchback.

However, the kick stopped in its tracks at the 1 where the Eagles pounced on it.

One play later, Holder snuck it in from the 1 and Hennessey boasted a 15-8 advantage.

The Rockets needed just four plays to answer as they began their barrage of points.

Tesio finished with 262 passing yards and three TDs. He ran for another as the Rockets added 206 yards on the ground.

Hennessey had 117 total yards.

Smith was the biggest weapon as he caught eight passes for 97 yards.

He accounted for all the passing yards by Holder, who was 8 of 21 and picked off four times.

“Our defense played well most of the time, but had to fight difficult situations due to our struggles on offense,” Cox said.

Cameron Griffin, Tyler Byrd, Isaac Renteria, Jakob Johns and Zack Tillman led the way with six tackles apiece. Smith also intercepted a pass.

Cox wasn’t discouraged by the outcome.

“We showed up ready to play and our guys fought hard the vast majority of the time,” he said.

“We had some guys playing positions they don’t normally play or starting without many practice reps and they stepped in and battled for us. I was proud of our effort.

“Our mistakes are correctable, so we will continue to work to get better.”