Next man up.
In the case of the Heritage Academy football team, coach Sean Harrison would like to see as many as 15 players step into bigger roles this season. If that happens, Harrison feels confident the Patriots will be able to make up for their key graduation losses, particularly on the offensive and defensive lines.
Harrison and the rest of the Mississippi Association of Independent Schools (MAIS) coaches will get their first official chance to see how their teams will replace those losses Monday when practice kicks off for the 2017 season.
“I love that group last year,” said Harrison, who is in his second season. “Those kids will always be special to me. We lost a ton of experience and a ton of talent, but now it is this year’s group’s turn.”
Harrison is optimistic about his program’s chances following a 10-3 campaign that saw fourth-seeded Heritage Academy lose 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 since 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 the team’s willingness to “buy in” to Harrison and Russ Whiteside, the school’s first-year defensive coordinator.
This season, Harrison, Whiteside, and the Patriots won’t have as much experience to rely on, especially up front. In 2016, Harrison said the Patriots could line up behind five senior offensive linemen and opponents would know they were going to run the football. A year ago, Dontae Gray and company usually had success anyway, as evidenced by Gray’s 300-yard, six-touchdown effort against St. Aloysius.
The 77 points is the most a Heritage Academy team has scored dating back through the 1994 season.
Gray, a senior, will be a key performer this season. Harrison hopes sophomore quarterback Carter Putt, junior Moak Griffin, sophomore Eli Acker, and senior Dalton Alexander can help shoulder the load on offense. He said the team had a “great” spring and is having a “great” summer as it tries to build on a season that bolstered the depth in the program.
“As far as our skill guys go, on offense and defense, linebacker and DB (defensive back), there is no question in my mind that we have the athleticism to compete with anybody,” Harrison said. “On the flip side of that, offensive and defensive line wise we are going to be starting five guys who have never started. They have a chance to be really good. They had a great spring. We have worked a lot this summer, but it goes back to that inexperience of how quickly can we pick up the game.
“If you talk to me in week eight, I am going to tell you we are really good. But in weeks one, two, and three, some of those guys are going to have to grow up really fast.”
Juniors Parker Ray and Chapman Cooper figure to anchor a line without any seniors.
Despite the inexperience, Harrison feels good about his team’s potential. He said he was impressed with the commitment many of the players showed in offseason conditioning and weight training. Harrison is eager to see how quickly the younger players mature mentally and accept the challenge of taking on more.
“This year, we were able to hit the ground running because the kids knew what our expectations were and they knew what to expect,” Harrison said.
Heritage Academy will scrimmage Benton Academy and Carroll Academy on Aug. 3. It will play Aug. 11 in a jamboree at Jackson Academy. Heritage Academy will open its season Aug. 18 at Kirk Academy.
Follow Dispatch sports editor Adam Minichino on Twitter @ctsportseditor
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 41 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.