No team ever wants to lose their Homecoming game and for 41 minutes the Warriors were winning but when clock showed zero on the scoreboard, Armstrong was the winner.

No one really knew what to expect when they arrived to Chappell Stadium for this Capital District clash. The Wildcats were 4-0 coming into the contest fresh off a 90-0 scoring barraged last week against Manassas Park. Henrico was just 1-3 but considering who those losses were to (Hermitage, Matoaca & Varina) we weren't sure who they truly were but we found out.

The Warriors were a pesky and hungry team, opportunistic on defense but unable to execute on offense when it mattered the most. After scoring on their opening drive of the game the Warriors reached the red zone three times and came away with nothing to show for. Not only that but the Wildcats were serving up turnovers like a buffet and still the Warriors could not take advantage of the opportunities when they came their way.

As the game unfolded, you wondered when, not if Armstrong would break through but the later it got in the game, the more you began to wonder if Henrico would somehow hold on to this one. A team that had scored 90 points a week ago was held to just 7 points for 41 minutes of a 48 minute game!

For as pesky and hungry as the Warriors defense was, the Wildcats were just as hungry and they like their offense stepped up when it mattered the most; in the end. The Wildcat D forced Henrico to a 3 & out with a little over a minute to go in the game and put it in the hands of their offense that found success along the visiting sidelines with quick strikes, quick runs and the good fortune of a facemask call against Henrico.

Not every win is pretty, not ever game is pretty and this one certainly was not but the Wildcats survived and they are now 5-0 for the first time in a decade.

The Warriors opened the game with a 53-yard drive that was capped off by Lavell Winston hitting Jaylin Wilson for a 8-yard touchdown against a Wildcats team that was coming off back-to-back shutouts for the first time in over 50 years. The Warriors then tacked on two.

That the high point of the first quarter for either team.

Armstrong's only possession of the first quarter saw the Wildcats overcome a penalty, Breontay Harris recover his own fumble but in doing so, the Wildcats lost 7 yards. The Wildcats would not recover from that gaffe.

Turnovers would prove to be a them on this night. Henrico's Lavell Winston fumbled himself but advanced the ball in doing so. That was good, the bad was that the Warriors racked up 4 penalties and Jahkei Chavis would end the Warriors second drive of the night.

Armstrong began the second quarter on the highest of highs with a short field to work with. Setup at the 1 it took all four downs for the Wildcats to punch it through against a defense that did not want to give an inch. When they were able to punch it through, it was Breontay Harris tagging the end zone.

As I said, that would be as good as it got for the Wildcats... at least on offense. The Wildcats fell short on a field goal attempt and on their second possession of the quarter and on the third possession, Messiah Thompson of Henrico got the INT.

Henrico was not able to take advantage of any of the missed opportunities of Armstrong. A head scratcher on the Warriors first possession of the second was the Warriors on their own 25 facing 3rd & 3 with no gain. Rather than punt, the Warriors went for it and Devon Epps, the Wildcat big man stopped Lavell Winston in his tracks.

While the Wildcats offense struggled, their defense did not. Emmanuel Jackson thought he had an interception of Winston but he was out of bounds.

Two missed field goals, two fumbles although it could have been a third and a fourth down stop... that is how you describe the third quarter of play for the Wildcats and Warriors.

Armstrong who had the ball first moved it 43 yards but but could not get any closer than the 26 yard line of Henrico. The Wildcats had a chance for a 36 yard field goal and for a second time, they whiffed. It nearly came back to bite them.

Henrico's defense was on point in this third quarter as Sean Greene broke up a pass on the possession that Armstrong missed the field goal. Jelontay Miles and Malachi Saunders both recovered Wildcats fumbled.

The Warriors themselves nearly had a fumble of their own on 2nd & 11 on their first possession of the half but despite what the Wildcats sideline and media thought, they ruled him down.

As the fourth quarter wound down, however, the biggest play came from Donzell Jones-Teal on 4th & 1 when he stopped the Warriors on the Wildcat 26 yard line!

If you had told someone that the Wildcats would be on top at the end of the fourth quarter after their first possession of the fourth quarter, they would have laughed. That is due to the fac that despite moving the ball 43 yards in 6 plays, the Wildcats again turned the ball over.

The thing of it is, Henrico would not be able to take advantage at all in the fourth quarter. The Wildcats defense stepped up when it mattered most, the fourth quarter. The Wildcats defense held Henrico to a 3 & out twice.

The second possession of the Warriors could have, maybe should have been disaster for the Wildcats. On the punt an Armstrong defender ran into the punter but the ref who was nearest and had the same view all of us did, never threw a flag.

That set in motion the biggest series of the night.

The Wildcats had the ball at the Henrico 37 and two consecutive passes had the Wildcats with a fresh set of downs at the 23 yard line. Two plays later Henrico was called for a facemask setting the Wildcats up at the 8 yard line of Henrico. That was the closest the Wildcats had been to the end zone since the second quarter.

After a false start the Wildcats were backed up 5 yards but they made up for it in one play, 1 yard short of the end zone. Intensity filled the air on 1st & goal at the one yard line with everyone standing to see how this would play out. They did not have to wait long, a direct snap to Jahkei Chavis who made a beeline to the corner of the end zone nearest the home sidelines and in he went for the go-ahead score with 32 seconds to go.

Henrico would get the ball back and they had a big return on the ensuing kick but that was brought back due to a penalty. There was just not enough time for the Warriors... They got to the 35 of Armstrong but no closer, game over!

How can we not mention Jahkei Chavis. Chavis was 1 of 4 different players on defense who had 4 or more tackles and Chavis also had an INT on defense. On offense it was a modest night with 75 total yards but his 1-yard touchdown with 32 seconds to go surely cements him on this list.

Gaige Pender had himself a game... Pender had a coming out party with 4 tackles of his own and 90 yards rushing on 11 carries.

Donzell Jones-Teal with 6+ tackles and multiple quarterback hurries.

Devon Epps, the Wildcats big man or as I coined him from the sidelines, the Undertaker of the Wildcats taking down opponents with a single arm... had himself 5.5 tackles!

This was Armstrong's first win over Henrico since 2013 and just their 5th in the history of the series.

4 of Armstrong's 5 wins have come at Chappell Stadium.

Henrico held Armstrong to their lowest score yet this season.