Patriots
put the brakes on Generals
Southern
Sports & Travel
Parker
Short’s 9 yard touchdown pass to wide-out Mark Thatcher with 4:07 remaining in
regulation broke a 7-7 deadlock and propelled Heritage Academy a 14-7 upset win
over third ranked and previously unbeaten Washington on Friday night in
Columbus.
Heritage
looked to have taken the lead on the previous play when quarterback Austin
Fitch connected with Jace Caldwell from 4 yards out for a score but an illegal
procedure infraction wiped away the touchdown setting up the ensuing halfback
pass play call that paid dividends for the Patriots.
“That’s
an inside the 20 play for us,” said Heritage head coach Barrett Donahoe. “We
work on that a lot, the halfback pass. We’re trying to get the corner to come
up and bite and get over the top. Mark did a great job of going up and catching
the football for a touchdown.”
The
win pushed Heritage’s season mark to 6-1 with a date at Pillow next on the
schedule.
Heritage,
the defending Class AAA Division II state champions, has won 11 of their last
12 games dating back to last season.
Washington
got the started they wanted last night.
The
Generals opened the game with a pooch kick that Bailey Black recovered at the
Heritage 31 yard line but 8 plays later Washington would turn the football over
when Hunter Anderson recovered a Walker Coleman fumble at the Patriot 5 yard
line with 8:48 left in the opening quarter.
Washington
scored the only points of the half in the second quarter.
The
Generals put together a 10 play, 65 yard drive that culminated on Landon
Zepponi’s 25 yard touchdown run off right tackle at the 8:21 mark of the
quarter.
Ross
Jernigan’s PAT gave Washington a 7-0 lead in a physical chess-match with
Heritage.
Heritage
grabbed momentum in the third quarter.
The
Patriots would take advantage of an 11 yard Washington punt to the General 32 yard
line with 3:26 to go in the quarter.
Austin
Fitch’s scrambling completion to Walker Brown gave Heritage a 1st
and goal at the Washington 8 yard line and tailback Parker Short would cap the
drive on the next play.
Graham
McCain knotted the contest at 7-7 with the PAT with 2:13 remaining in the
quarter.
Washington’s
inability to crack the Heritage defense was never more evident than in the
second half of the contest as the Generals would punt on five of their six
possessions.
Heritage’s
game winning drive would begin with 8:40 left in regulation.
Anderson
added to that total with an 8 yard run to the 27 two plays later.
Following
an offsides infraction on Washington, Anderson’s number was called again. This time
the senior tailback responded with an 11 yard gain to the 11 yard line and
another 6 yard gainer to the 5.
Facing
a 3rd and 3 at the Washington 4 yard line Austin Fitch appeared to
have put Heritage in the lead when he connected with tailback Jace Caldwell in
the endzone but an illegal procedure penalty nullified the score.
On
the next play Parker Short would take a handoff from Fitch and hit wide-out
Mark Thatcher in the corner of the endzone to give Heritage their first lead of
the night.
Graham
McCain’s PAT gave Heritage a 14-7 advantage with 4:07 remaining and Washington’s
final possession of the night would end with a Jace Caldwell interception of
Gore Pulliam’s pass at midfield with 1:16 left in the game.
Heritage
ran out the clock to preserve the win.
Austin
Fitch went 10/21 for 185 yards on the night with Hunter Anderson leading the
Heritage ground attack with 43 yards.
Mark
Thatcher (Right) had 2 receptions for 73 yards and a touchdown while Logan Bell had 3
for 40 yards.
For
Washington (4-1) Landon Zepponi rushed for 63 yards on 11 carries and a
touchdown and Roman Fratesi added 32 yards on 9 carries.
Gore
Pulliam went 10/20 for 92 yards.
Next
up for Washington is MRA on the road.
.
Post Game with Heritage Head Coach Barrett Donahoe
