In search of a 3-0 start to the 2020 campaign, the Patriots looked to carry over their success from last week’s commanding victory over to Bartram Trail, where they met the 3-0 Bears.
The Bears started off the contest on offense and produced a convincing early drive, marching down deep into Patriot territory before junior DE Marvin Jones Jr. scooped up a loose fumble and ran the length of the field to put Heritage on the board first 7-0.
On the ensuing Bears possession, Bartram Trail failed to gain much traction, handing the ball back to the Patriots for their first offensive drive of the evening with senior Vinson Davis taking over under center in place of the injured sophomore QB Blake Murphy.
Davis, after leading the Patriots down the field, connected with junior WR Emory Clemons on a 25 yard touchdown to increase Heritage to 14-0 with four minutes remaining in the first quarter.
A turnover on downs on the following drive sent Davis and the offense out on the field again, where they capitalized with a touchdown snag from senior WR Oronde Gadsden Jr. on the lob from Davis early in the second.
Both sides stayed quiet until the Patriots found themselves in the red zone with under four minutes remaining in the half, setting up a five yard punch-in score from sophomore RB Mark Fletcher to bump the advantage to 28-0.
Before the teams headed into the break, the Bears broke off a 40 yard run in the waning minutes of the half in search of a score to narrow the gap. Though the Patriots held strong, backed into their own territory, the Bears managed a successful 30 yard field goal to lessen the deficit to 28-3 just before the intermission.
The score remained unchanged after the Patriots and Bears only exchanged possessions for the entirety of the third quarter.
To kick off the final quarter, Heritage regained their rhythm in the hands of backup senior QB Dylan Romig who carried the offense down the field and found Gadsden for his second score of the night to extend the advantage to 35-3.
The next Bears’ possession resulted in a fumble recovered by senior DE Joshua Hartman. After the Bears forced Heritage to settle for a field goal try, they blocked senior kicker Chris Maron’s attempt and returned it for an 83 yard score to narrow the lead to 35-10.
Time would run out on another promising Bears drive to seal the 35-10 victory for the Patriots.
“My mindset to start tonight was to be a leader,” Davis said. “I wanted to step up and get the job done for the team. I haven’t played QB since I played little league, but I knew I could do it. The key was to just play football. No turnovers and just let the game flow.”
The win moves Heritage to 3-0 on the year as they head into their bye week before finally returning home to host Trinity Christian Academy Oct. 16, with kickoff set for 7:30 p.m.
