Patrick Henry football team having success despite being very young
Brothers Luke and Kai Sobey key performers for Patriots on both sides of football
Estill – Joe Gray Peeples and his coaching staff with the Patrick Henry Academy football team made a decision prior to the start of the season to start five freshmen. It, however, was not made out of necessity.
“We’re playing them because they’re better than everybody else,” Peeples said.
That decision is now paying dividends for the Patriots. After falling to Dorchester Academy, the top-ranked team in the High School Sports Report SCISA Class A poll, in the season opener, they reeled off four straight victories. Peeples thinks that has helped mold the team in a positive way.
“The last four games really allowed us to have those guys come of age,” Peeples said prior to its 44-0 loss to SCISA AA No. 2 Calhoun Academy on October 2. “It’s allowed our kids to have some success, something we weren’t able to do last year and the year before. They are more confident in their ability as they’ve come along.”
After winning the SCISA Class A state title in 2023, Patrick Henry won four games in 2024 and just two last season.
Defense has been the key to the Patriots’ success. Prior to the CA contest, they had allowed just 52 points, 26 of those coming against Dorchester.
PHA, ranked fourth in AA, is led by senior linebacker Luke Sobey. He was the leading tackler in SCISA after the September 25 games with 65 stops for an average of 13.0 per game. He also had six tackles for a loss and 1 ½ quarterback sacks.
Sophomore Kai Sobey, Luke’s little brother, was just short of averaging double figures at 9.6. He had 48 tackles, eight TFLs and three sacks.
Junior Owen Shaffer had 36 tackles, five TFLs and a sack. Freshman Brady Peeples had 31 tackles and an interception.
“The play of the defense has been a surprise for us, at how effective we’ve been,” Coach Peeples said. “We still have work to do, but we’ve gone in and taken care of business. We seem to be heading in the right direction.”
Offensively, Patrick Henry is relying mainly on its running game. The Patriots were averaging 197.8 yards per game led by Kai Sobey. He had 558 yards and 10 touchvdowns on 62 carries.
“We feel like we can ran the ball, we feel like we can run on anybody consistently and effectively,” Coach Peeples said.
L+uke Sobey had 165 yards and five TDs on 24 carries. Freshman quarterback Aiden Johnson had completed 23 of 47 passes for 280 yards and two scores. Shaffer had both of the touchdown receptions among his seven catches for 137 yards. He’d also rushed for 113 yards and a TD on 28 totes.
