Sean Harrison always believed the Heritage Academy football team had plenty of pieces to put defenses back on their heels.
A loss to Lamar School in Week 2 forced Harrison to re-examine his play-calling and ultimately convinced him the best way to utilize his assets was to mix them up and move them around to create multiple looks and formations. The decision enabled the Patriots to go back to the spring when Harrison first arrived from Wayne Academy and the team worked on a spread attack.
The move paid off last week, as Heritage Academy broke out to a 28-point lead in the first quarter en route to a 48-13 victory against Oak Hill Academy. The win helped erase the memory of a 26-6 loss to Lamar School and gave the team a sense of confidence entering its matchup at 7 tonight against Lee Academy.
“We went back to the original stuff we were doing it and they executed it,” Harrison said. “We carried the momentum from the first touchdown the whole way.”
Senior quarterback Tyler Anderson helped kick the game off on the right note when he hit junior running back Dontae Gray for what turned out to be a 67-yard touchdown pass. He added touchdown passes of 26 and 16 yards to Gray later in the quarter and finished it off with a 6-yard touchdown run.
Gray added touchdown runs of 53 and 49 yards as part of a 137-yard evening that helped Heritage Academy improve to 2-1.
Harrison said prior to the game against oak Hill Academy that he was going to limit the number of plays Gray had in the secondary. He said he was making the change because Gray played a lot of snaps on defense against Lamar School and while he played well, he said the workload affected his performance on offense. Harrison said he was pleased Dalton Alexander, who made a strong play on a fade route early in the game, and J.R. Lott played well in place of Gray.
Harrison was pleased with the effort because he was able to use players in multiple positions. He also liked the fact the Patriots received contributions from numerous individuals and received a strong effort from their senior-laden offensive line. Lott, who missed the game against Lamar School, also made one catch on a play when he was stopped near the line of scrimmage and kept his legs moving and wound up with a 22-yard gain.
Harrison said Lott’s return gives the offense another dimension with Gray, Anderson, Dylan Hughes, Eli Acker, Brandon Jones, Zach Oswalt, Dalton Alexander, Wilder Strickland, and Lucas Bryant. He said the team hopes to add to that mix next week when it gets Moak Griffin and Hays Heredia back from injury.
“When I have five people who can play receiver on the field at any time, it makes it easier to be multiple,” Harrison said. “We have been banged up and we’re starting to get people back. We will be as close to full strength since I have been here.”
Heritage Academy will play host to Mississippi High School Activities Association (MHSAA) opponent Pisgah next week before it travels to Starkville to play Starkville Academy in its Mississippi Association of Independent Schools (MAIS) Class AAA, District 2 opener.
Harrison said the Patriots continue to add wrinkles to the offense. He also said Anderson is growing more comfortable in the pocket and understanding the importance of settling in and making throws. He feels film study will help make the offense see what is available and learn to take advantage of its weapons. He added that things are starting to slow down for the players and that they gained confidence from the 236-yard passing effort against the Raiders.
“I kind of think we put them in position against Lamar where they felt like every time the ball was thrown to them it might be the only time and they better catch it,” Harrison said. “Then they had all of that pressure on them and they dropped it. If we can get consistent and become a 50-50 team and they know the ball will come to them at any point and it won’t be just once, they will be a lot more comfortable.”
Harrison said the additional routes the coaching staff put in last week added to the confidence the receivers feel. Still, Harrison said the Patriots will rely on the seniors up front to set the tone on the ground. Like Many coaches, Harrison believes his team won’t be able to have success if it can’t run.
Regardless of how the percentage of running to passing plays breaks down, Harrison likes the progress Heritage Academy has made on offense. The key, he said, is to keep getting better every week and maintaining that momentum.
“I think we can score a lot of points either way on any given week,” Harrison said. “We’re blessed with two really good running backs and a quarterback who can tote it. We’re going to keep our commitment to the run. We just have to be able to throw it so we’re not throwing it on third-and-14 every time.”
Follow Dispatch sports editor Adam Minichino on Twitter @ctsportseditor
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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