CROSSING THE GOAL LINE — Edison QB JD Henderson scores a 14-yard touchdown run during the second quarter of Thursday’s game against Southern Local. The score was one of five Edison touchdowns Henderson factored in on in a 42-24 victory. - Andrew Grimm

RICHMOND — Things certainly didn’t start the way Edison had planned them on Thursday night, but they ended precisely how the Wildcats hoped — with a win.

The Wildcats overcame an early two-score deficit by rattling off 28-straight points on the way to a 42-24 victory over visiting Southern Local Thursday night at the Edison Unified Sports Complex.

“I’m extremely proud of our kids,” Edison coach Mike Collopy said. “We were on a short week against a good, well-coached team. I am proud of our effort, it wasn’t perfect but our kids played with heart and played extremely hard. Both teams played hard. Southern Local’s kids are extremely tough, you know exactly what type of game you’re getting into when you play them.

“Our defense bent at some times, I thought our offense executed well … we have some things we need to clean up still. We just have to keep getting better, that’s the key.”

Quarterback JD Henderson factored into five of Edison’s six scores and 307 of its 367 yards of offense, throwing for 182 yards and a pair of scores on just six completions and rushing for another 125 and three trips to the end zone on nine carries.

“He ran the offense well,” Collopy said of Henderson. “Between coach (Jason) Fogle and coach (Anthony Pierro), all of our offensive coaches, I thought we had a good offensive game plan.”

Southern Local (0-3) had jumped ahead 12-0 early in the second quarter. Their QB, Timmy Potts, who had a big night of his own with 116 rushing yards and three scores and another 118 and a passing TD through the air, ran for a 9-yard score on the opening drive of the game and added an 11-yard scoring pass to Landen Heffner (111 rushing yard) early in the second quarter after an Edison fumble.

Edison, though, answered right back when Trevor Eisnaugle took the ensuing kickoff 83 yards to score, and from there the Cats had all the momentum.

“That kick return was huge,” Collopy said. “We were down 12-0, we had a turnover that gave the ball right back to them. I was really happy with how our kids responded and played after that.”

After a Zack Vangosen interception, Henderson fired a 46-yard TD to Cole Pittman to put Edison on top. Henderson then ran for a 14-yard score on the next drive to put Edison on top 21-12 at halftime.

“We’re playing a little short and up two divisions … the kids played hard,” Southern coach Rich Wright said. “Crucial penalties and turnovers are killing us. Edison is doing a great job with their program, it’s a great facility and they have great people over there. We were in the game, the scores might not show it but we’ve been in all three games.

“We got out of our lanes on the kick return and it changed the momentum.”

On the first play from scrimmage in the third quarter, Henderson went 73 yards to score. Potts answered with a 9-yard scoring run to make it 28-18, but Henderson hit Eisnaugle for a 45-yard score on the next Edison play to answer right back and make it 35-18 after three.

“We didn’t make good halftime adjustments because they hammered us a little bit,” Wright said. “They outnumbered us and they have a great coaching staff. We get into league play next week and we’ll get some guys back in a couple weeks so our numbers will get better. We’ll get into league play and try to defense our (EOAC) championship.”

Henderson added an 8-yard run and Potts got his third TD on a 3-yard run in the fourth.

“We’ll take the win on a short week,” Collopy said. “These guys will have the day off (today) and we’ll get back to work and be ready for the next one.”

UP NEXT

Southern: Hosts Wellsville next Friday.

Edison: Visits Oak Glen next Friday.

Edison 42, Southern 24

S 6-6-6-6 – 24

E 0-21-14-7 – 42

SCORING PLAYS

First Quarter

S: Potts 9 run (attempt failed) 5:48

Second Quarter

S: Heffner 11 pass from Potts (pass failed) 10:20

E: Eisnaugle 83 kick return (Kirkman kick) 10:05

E: Pittman 46 pass from Henderson (Kirkman kick) 6:36

E: Henderson 14 run (Kirkman kick) 1:26

Third Quarter

E: Henderson 73 run (Kirkman kick) 11:40

S: Potts 9 run (pass failed) 6:06

E: Eisnaugle 45 pass from Henderson (Kirkman kick) 5:46

Fourth Quarter

S: Potts 3 run (pass failed) 11:15

E: Henderson 8 run (Kirkman kick) 8:26

RUSHING: Southern 54-228-3TD (Potts 24-116-3TD; Heffner 23-111; R. Sloan 5-3; Brown 2-1); Edison 20-185-3TD (Henderson 9-125-3TD; Evans 5-13; Merideth 3-24; Sinsel 1-10; Rangel 1-14; Russell 1-(-1)

PASSING: Southern 12-24-118-TD-INT (all by Potts); Edison 6-9-182-2TD (all by Henderson)

RECEIVING: Southern 12-118-TD (B. Sloan 7-43; R. Sloan 4-64; Heffner 1-11-TD); Edison 6-182-2TD (Eisnaugle 3-108-TD; Pittman 2-57-TD; Kimmerle 1-17)

FIRST DOWNS: Southern 20; Edison 11

FUMBLES-LOST: Southern 3-1; Edison 1-1

PENTALTIES-YARDS: Southern 6-50; Edison 6-70