MADDEN — Barrett Donahoe could rest a little easier Saturday evening.
After a sleepless night last week following a loss at Pillow Academy, the Heritage Academy football team scored twice in the fourth quarter Friday night to earn a 32-20 victory against Leake Academy.
The win helped the Patriots (7-2) get back on track for a key stretch of Mississippi Association of Independent Schools Class AAA games against Starkville Academy, Magnolia heights, and Madison-Ridgeland Academy to end the regular season. Heritage Academy will play host to Starkville Academy at 7 p.m. Friday.
“Our guys really responded to what we asked them to do,” Donahoe said. “We asked them to work hard (during practice) and to play hard and to do the things we need to do to win a game.”
The formula may sound simple, but the Patriots found a way despite committing five turnovers, including four in the first half. In fact, Heritage Academy fumbled on its first drive, threw an interception that was returned for a touchdown on its second possession, and fumbled on its fourth possession. Still, Heritage Academy was tied with Leake Academy (6-3) at 20 entering the final quarter.
Hunter Anderson (10 carries, 101 yards) had the final two touchdowns on runs of 12 and 37 yards to lead the Patriots. Michael Ledbetter’s interception and return helped set up the final score.
“Each time (we had a turnover) the kids responded and showed a tremendous amount of determination,” Donahoe said.
Quarterback Austin Fitch was 8 of 12 for 118 yards. He connected with Cody Mordecai on a 10-yard touchdown pass and with Logan Bell for a 13-yard touchdown pass. Fitch also had 15 carries for 86 yards. Mordecai had nine carries for 34 yards.
Parker Short (13 carries, 63 yards) added a 20-yard touchdown run.
n West Lowndes 40, East Oktibbeha 20: At Crawford, Tre Williams and Deariaus Douglas helped pick up the slack for the Panthers, scoring two touchdowns apiece in the Mississippi High School Activities Association Class 1A, Region 3 game.
West Lowndes (4-4, 3-3 region) played without leading rusher Eric Harris. West Lowndes coach Anthony King didn’t know if Harris would be able to play next week against Sebastopol.
“Tre had to step up in Eric’s absence and pretty much had to carry us,” King said. “We stayed on the ground and tried to exploit our speed. We spread them out and then used our speed to run the ball with Tre and Deariaus Douglas.
Williams had 18 carries for 183 yards, including a 65-yard run for a touchdown. Douglas had eight carries for 43 yards. Justin Stephenson had three carries for 21 yards and a touchdown. Stephenson also was 4 of 12 for 107 yards and one touchdown and two interceptions. Douglas had two catches for 45 yards and a touchdown, and Anthony Liddell had one catch for 43 yards. Jay Ellis had one catch for 19 yards.
Tyshon Rogers had six solo tackles and three assisted tackles, including one tackle for a loss. Ellis had five tackles and a fumble recovery. Kendrick Sanders had seven tackles, and Phytrell Williams had six solo tackles and one assisted tackles. Krayveon Harris had four solo and four assisted tackles.
Quarterback Justin Williams had three touchdowns for the Titans (1-5, 1-5). He also was 2 of 5 for 31 yards. He had 20 carries for 77 yards. Marquise Brooks had seven carries for 24 yards. Charles Rice and Destin Covington each had a catch.
Williams also led the way with 17 tackles. Zack McCarter had 13 tackles. John Kincaid and Tyshon Spencer had interceptions.
n Hamilton 55, Biggersville 0: At Biggersville, the Lions improved to 6-2 and 4-1 in region play with this MHSAA Class 1A, Region 1 victory.
“We really wanted to come out strong,” Hamilton coach Ray Weeks said. “We had a really good first quarter and did a good job of completing drives.”
Hamilton built a 28-0 lead after one quarter and led 48-0 at halftime.
Keshon Heard led the way with four touchdowns, including runs of 1, 58, 25, and 10 yards. Quinshay Heard scored on a 47-yard run and also found Pallas Fair for a 27-yard touchdown pass. Byron Butler scored on a 1-yard run, and Branson Shields scored on a 5-yard run.
“We had a tough night on offense against Falkner (in a 32-27 loss),” Weeks said. “The team really regrouped and responded well the next three weeks.”
Hamilton can clinch a playoff berth Friday night with a win at Coldwater (3-5, 2-3 Class 1A, Region 1).
n Hebron Christian 50, Central Academy 0: At Macon, the Eagles secured a playoff berth with a victory in their MAIS Eight-Man District 7 game.
“We always talk about playing fast,” Hebron Christian coach David Foster said. “The first quarter we came out and established some momentum on offense and defense.”
Quarterback Channing Tapley was 4 of 6 for 107 yards and three touchdowns. Justin Gordon started the game with a 95-yard kickoff return for touchdown. Gordon later added another rushing score as the Eagles built a 36-0 halftime lead.
“You want to be playing your best late in the year,” Foster said. “In the second half, we talked about playing hard and not letting the scoreboard dictate how hard you are playing.”
Hebron Christian can wrap up the district championship by winning at Calhoun Academy (5-3, 2-1) on Nov. 1. Calhoun Academy saw its undefeated start to district play come to an end with a 68-14 loss to Kemper Academy on Friday night. Hebron Christian has an open date this week.
n Canton Academy 49, Oak Hill Academy 14: At Canton, the Raiders suffered a tough loss in MAIS Class AA, District 2 action.
“We had some turnovers in the first half, and that really hurt us,” Oak Hill Academy coach Daniel Merchant said. “We didn’t do a real good job with the field position battle. We were fighting uphill most of the night.”
Canton Academy (6-3, 2-2 MAIS Class AA, District 2) started strong and built a 28-6 lead at halftime.
Oak Hill Academy (5-4, 2-2) finished with 301 yards of total offense, but it couldn’t overcome critical mistakes in the red zone.
For the Raiders, Drew Riley led the rushing attack with 12 rushes for 67 yards and a touchdown. Samuel Harrell had six carries for 52 yards, while Drake Riley had nine carries for 48 yards and a two-point conversion. Riley Pierce was 3 of 7 for 27 yards. Ken Dill hit Kaleb Darnell on a 76-yard touchdown, which was the sophomore Darnell’s first career touchdown. Drew Riley had two catches for 13 yards, while Bradley Allen had a 14-yard catch.
“Leake Academy is next, and they are leading our district,” Merchant said. “We have a lot to play for, so the main thing is to forget this game as quickly as possible and to come back to work to get ready for that game.”
Oak Hill Academy will play host to district leader Leake Academy (6-3, 4-0 Friday night).
n Newton County Academy 45, Immanuel Christian 7: At Steens, the Rams dropped their second-straight game in their non-district setback to the Cougars.
For Immanuel Christian (4-5), KC Cunningham scored on a 1-yard run in the fourth quarter. Cunningham rushed 14 times for 65 yards. Jay Jay Swanigan was 8 of 23 for 64 yards and two interceptions. Swanigan also ran three times for 37 yards.
Cunningham had 10 tackles, while Luke Hudson had seven. Cunningham and Turner Kilpatrick each had interceptions.
Immanuel Christian will play host to Deer Creek Academy (6-3, 1-1) in an MAIS Class A, District 2 game Friday night. The Rams can wrap up the district championship with a win.
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