WEST POINT — Scoring on the first play from scrimmage, the Heritage Academy football team’s duo of Tyler Anderson and Dontae Gray was unstoppable Friday night en route to a 48-13 victory against Oak Hill Academy.
Anderson connected with Gray on three touchdown passes, while Anderson rushed for a score and Gray rushed for two.
Anderson and Gray used their speed to get behind defensive backs and to bust through the middle on almost every play they touched the football in the first half.
Oak Hill Academy coach Chris Craven said the Raiders tried to prepare for the speed of Anderson and Gray, but he said his team wasn’t able to prevent them from getting out into open space.
“There were sometimes when they got out in the open and were gone,” Craven said. “We knew just by watching film that if they got out in the open that we may not have anyone that can catch them. We knew that before we played this game. We told our guys ahead of time that if you let them out in the open they’ll be gone for a touchdown.”
Heritage Academy coach Sean Harrison was proud of the way Anderson and Gray worked together and used their speed, but he also credited the offensive line for a dominating performance.
“They’ve played together for around five years now,” Harrison said. “They are special players, both together and individually. They showed that tonight, and I’m proud of them. The line did a great job protecting tonight, and we executed well. We can be a scary team when we execute.”
Anderson loved the spark the offense showed one week after a 26-6 loss to Class AAAA Lamar School. He praised Harrison, Gray, and the offensive line for helping the Patriots bounce back.
“Coach Harrison planned it well,” Anderson said. “It is all on him, Xs and Os wise. He put it on them and he knew what he was doing. Dontae wise, he had a heck of a game. When you have a player like him, it makes it easy for me and for the offense. He is so fast that it honestly seems like he is gliding out there. It looks like he is flying sometimes. The O-line put it on them tonight. I had all day to throw the ball, to get through my reads and everything, so shout out to them.”
Gray ran for touchdowns of 49 and 53 yards. He praised the execution of the team in general, and said everyone came out ready to play and to dominate, which is the only reason he could score five touchdowns.
“It’s all thanks to the team,” Gray said. “The offensive line blocking, Tyler passing, it was executed well. With me and Tyler, its pitch and catch. We do it everyday in practice, so it translates to the game on the field. Both the offensive line and the backfield we have is impressive. They really came ready to play today, and Tyler is a great leader and quarterback back there.”
Anderson hit Gray on a deep route for a 67-yard touchdown pass on the Patriots’ first play. After Oak Hill Academy didn’t catch the pooch kick on the ensuing kickoff, Heritage Academy needed only three plays before Anderson found Gray again wide open for a 26-yard touchdown pass. After an Oak Hill Academy interception, Anderson and Gray struck again on a 16-yard touchdown. Anderson’s 10-yard touchdown run made it 28-0 in the first quarter.
A Ken Dill touchdown pass to Dylan Scott helped Oak Hill Academy cut the deficit to 28-7, but Gray ran for both his scores in the second quarter to make it 42-7.
The teams played with a running clock in the second half.
Craven said the skill level and the mentality are there for his team, but he said his players have to tackle better and to improve their conditioning if they want to compete the rest of the season.
“We have the mentality to pursue a district championship in 2A ball, and we still have our work cut out for us,” Craven said. “We have some good teams ahead of us. After those, we have our conference games that start in the sixth week. We are still in pursuit of a district championship, and we still have a lot of football left to play. We have time to heal up and get right to move toward the goal we set in the beginning of the season.”
Harrison likes where his team is and the skill level of his playmakers, but he said they need to start playing at that level every week if the Patriots intend to be as good as they can be.
“It’s consistency,” Harrison said. “We played at a high level Week 1, a low level last week, and a high level this week. If we can get consistent week in and week out, we can be a very special team. If we don’t, then it can be a long season.”
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