One week removed from a 33-14 loss versus Gonzaga, the Heritage Patriots bounced back Friday night with a 31-6 victory over the Miramar Patriots.
The Heritage team took off early, scoring on the first play of the night to grab the 7-0 lead. Later in the first, Heritage extended their lead to 10-0 after junior kicker Chris Maron knocked down a 23-yard field goal. The team continued to keep its foot on the gas pedal, pushing the lead to 17-0 to close out the first quarter.
By halftime, Heritage secured a 24-0 lead and never looked back. Heritage’s defense continued to hold strong for the remainder of the game as senior quarterback Edwin Rhodes led the offense through the final stretch. Though the Patriots would cross the goal line just once throughout the second half, the defense held Miramar to a team-best six points to give Heritage the 31-6 victory.
On the offensive side of the ball, Heritage’s passing attack posted a strong showing though the team failed to establish the running game. Rhodes threw for a season-high 142 yards, connecting with senior wide receiver Douglas Emilien for two touchdowns. Emilien, who caught the team’s only passing scores of the night with both of his receptions, also managed to rack up a team-high 88 yards.
Defensively, the Patriots finished with their most complete outing of the year, combining for season highs in interceptions (3), sacks (7), and total tackles (65). Senior defensive back Daryl Porter Jr. picked off Miramar twice while fellow senior defensive back Andrew Volmar took his lone interception to the house for a 26-yard score. Senior defensive linemen and outside linebacker Jahiem Webb also contributed, recovering a fumble and returning it for a 17-yard touchdown.
“We played a great game,” said junior wide receiver Vinson Davis III on the win. “The defense was flying around all night. [There’s] still room to get better.”
With the victory, Heritage improves to 2-1 on the season and will travel to face Trinity Christian Academy next Friday, Sept. 13 with kickoff scheduled for 7:30 pm.
