Key Play
On second-and-10 from his 37-yard line, West Lowndes quarterback Justin Stephenson threw of his back foot to the right and was intercepted by Cody Mordecai. On the return, Mordecai fumbled near the Heritage Academy sideline, but Mark Thatcher recovered it to help the Patriots retain possession. Five players later, Parker Short scored on a 5-yard run. Walker Brown’s pass to Logan Bell made it 11-0. The score was part of 18 straight points Heritage Academy scored to blow the game open.
Key Drive
If Heritage Academy’s score with 12 seconds before halftime was big, its 14-play, 87-yard drive to start the third quarter all but sealed the deal. The drive ate up seven minutes and showcased the Patriots domination up front. Heritage Academy had only one negative rush on the march. It also overcame a 5-yard delay of game penalty on fourth-and-4 at the West Lowndes 40. The Patriots executed a fake punt on the next play, as quarterback Austin Fitch shifted back into passing position and found Logan Bell over the middle for a 20-yard gain. Three plays later, Jace Caldwell bulled in from 15 yards. Graham McCain’s extra point made it 33-8 with 4 minutes, 58 seconds to go in the quarter.
“We feel like our strength is our depth at the skill positions,” Donahoe said.
Difference-Maker
West Lowndes senior Phytrell Williams could only watch from the sidelines. A year ago, the middle linebacker led the Panthers with 143 tackles. This season, coach Anthony King was counting on Williams to be an even bigger force on the defense. But Williams hurt his knee last week in a season-opening victory against Montgomery County. Williams said during the game he likely was done for the season after he was diagnosed with a torn anterior cruciate ligament. After the game, King said Williams was scheduled to have surgery early in September.
“It hurt big time (not having Williams),” West Lowndes coach Anthony King said. “We’re going to have to try to find someone to replace him because he is someone who would make a big hit and get the defense fired up. We have to get healthy. We have a lot of young guys in there. We need the bye week next week. It comes at a perfect time. Eric ran hard. He just didn’t have many holes to see.”
Unsung Hero
If missing Phytrell Williams wasn’t bad enough, West Lowndes also was without two starting offensive linemen — Devonte Porter and Taras Woodson. Without them, running back Eric Harris showed flashes of what he could do before he took a pitch on fourth-and-short from the 42-yard-line, got to the right corner, and outran the defense for the Panthers’ only score. He sealed the deal by cutting to his left inside the 10, which helped him elude the final would-be tackler.
“Heritage controlled the line,” West Lowndes coach Anthony King said. “We tried to plug some guys in and they weren’t ready. It is part of growing up. We have a lot of freshmen and sophomores, and they controlled the line. They killed us on the line.”
Turning Point
Championship teams always seem to have an answer. Heritage Academy showed it was up to the challenge Friday night, responding with one of its best drives of the evening after West Lowndes scored to make it 18-6. Austin Fitch connected with Parker Short on a 10-yard screen pass on third-and-11 to give the Patriots a fourth-and-1 at the Panthers’ 42 with 54 seconds left in the first half. Short kept the drive alive with a 14-yard run. An incompletion, a 6-yard run by Fitch, and another incompletion — on a tipped ball at the line of scrimmage — set up another fourth down. This time, Fitch found Logan Bell, who cut back to his right at the 5-yard line and scored with 21 seconds remaining before halftime. Short’s run capped a 26-point second quarter.
“I would be shocked if I am wrong, but our guys expect to win,” Heritage Academy coach Barrett Donahoe said. “Like we said last week, when they walk on the field they expect to win. We have not allowed ourselves to get to a point where we don’t anticipate scoring when we have the football. We are able to roll through our offense. Defensively, we feel very confident. It just pays off because the guys believe in what they are doing.”
By the Numbers
4
Number of first downs by West Lowndes. Heritage Academy had 23.
2
Number of interceptions by the Patriots. Cody Mordecai had the first one. Douglas Kilarski tipped a pass by Justin Stephenson up into the air for Cayden Upton to make the second interception.
9
Number of plays Heritage Academy needed to capitalize on the first interception and to take advantage of a short punt to extend its lead from 3-0 to 18-0.
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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