Sean Harrison can rest a little easier.
Harrison was concerned with how the Heritage Academy football team started its first preseason scrimmage against Benton Academy earlier this month. The Patriots came out on top in the end, but Harrison would have loved to have seen his players come out flying and set the tone for the 2017 season.
Harrison had to wait a little more than a week to see that kind of performance.
Buoyed by fast starts that led to victories against St. Andrew’s Episcopal School and Trinity Episcopal on Friday at Jackson Academy, Harrison feels comfortable that his team is ready to go for its season opener at Kirk Academy at 7 p.m. Friday.
“One of our keys last year was we jumped on people quick and got ourselves cushions in games,” Harrison said. “I was a little worried after the scrimmage that that may not be the case this year, but we came out and went right down the field and scored against St. Andrew’s and right down the field and scored against Trinity.”
Last season, Heritage Academy went 10-3 and lost to top-seeded Indianola Academy in the semifinals of the Mississippi Association of Independent Schools (MAIS) Class AAA playoffs. In its best season since winning a state championship in 2012, Heritage Academy won its first district championship since 2003. As a result, it earned the opportunity to play its first home playoff games at C.L. Mitchell Field since 1998. Heritage Academy capitalized on the home-field advantage to beat 13th-seeded St. Aloysius 77-47 in the first round and fifth-seeded Manchester Academy 44-14 in the second round. The victories helped the Patriots finish the season with 486 points, which is believed to be a school record.
Fifteen seniors played a key role in helping to make Harrison’s first season a success. This season, Harrison will rely on a talented cast of playmakers to lead the way as the Patriots’ offensive and defensive lines gain experience. Heritage Academy has to replace five senior starters on the offensive line from 2016.
As quickly as the Patriots’ offense started Friday, the defense did its part to secure the victories. Harrison liked what he saw from his defense, which he said had four or five interceptions. He credited defensive coordinator Russ Whiteside and assistant coach Bruce Branch for their work with the players. Harrison said Moak Griffin, John Henry Fields, Parker Ray, and Rocky Wright had interceptions.
“We have been saying it and thought it that they had a chance to be really, really good because they are really athletic, and they showed it,” Harrison said. “That is something we’re going to be able to take pride in and really hurt some people when they try to throw the ball around on us.”
Harrison said St. Andrew’s had a good passing attack, so he expected the Saints to try to throw the ball. He felt his defensive backs matched up well, especially without any preparation or advance knowledge of the routes they would face. Harrison said Heritage Academy’s outside linebackers would serve as “hybrid” defensive backs/linebackers this season. He said Wright’s interception came from the linebacker spot off a tipped ball by Josh Neal. Ray’s interception came off a pass that went off the chest of one of the officials and rolled up his shoulder against Trinity.
Harrison said the defense’s ability to get pressure on the quarterback helped the secondary. He credited Whiteside for his ability to dial up a variety of blitzes to make opponents uncomfortable and to limit the quarterback’s time in the pocket.
Offensively, Harrison said the Patriots received contributions from multiple individuals. He said sophomore transfer Jared Long caught two touchdown passes, Griffin had a couple of big catches, Dalton Alexander made a fine catch on a fade route, Wright had a strong showing running the ball, and sophomore quarterback Carter Putt threw and ran the ball well.
“We threw it pretty good, and we threw it a lot,” Harrison said. “But we were really good in the run game. I was pleasantly surprised by the offensive line. We had some mess-ups and made some mistakes, but we finished blocks. … The little mistakes they made we can fix. If they keep blocking as hard as they did Friday night, we’ll be OK.”
The Patriots won both 23-minute scrimmages without showcasing senior running back Dontae Gray or sophomore tight end Eli Acker. Harrison said he wanted to see other players in game situations and that he hopes to keep Gray, a 5-foot-9, 190-pound running back, and Acker, a 6-5, 240-pound tight end, fresh for what he hopes will be a successful season. Gray rushed for 1,910 yards and 24 touchdowns and had 546 yards receiving and eight touchdowns in 2016. For his accomplishments, he shared The Dispatch’s Small School co-Offensive Players of the Year with teammate Tyler Anderson.
To realize that potential Harrison said the Patriots will have to stay healthy, especially up front, where new players are settling into bigger roles. Harrison also feels the results have given the Patriots confidence entering the season.
“This group is a lot of fun because they are young, they are inexperienced, and they know no one expects them to be very good,” said Harrison, whose team is No. 3 in The Clarion-Ledger’s preseason top five in MAIS Class AAA. “They have kind of bought into that. They have come together. Everybody says at this time of the year they are a tight-knit group, but I like this group because it has one vision and one purpose. The excitement they get for one another when a good play happens encourages me.”
Harrison feels that mind-set has grown after so many players have contributed in the three scrimmages. He hopes that will mentality will get even stronger because the Patriots will need everyone to contribute to keep the playmakers fresh.
“If we can stay healthy and get just a little better each week, I really feel like we are going to be a scary team for people,” Harrison said.
Follow Dispatch sports editor Adam Minichino on Twitter @ctsportseditor
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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