Friday night, the Patriots defeated Jackson High School Generals 37-14. The win avenged the loss the Patriots suffered last week at the hands of rival school Cardinal Gibbons, improving their record to 6-2.
The Patriots got off to a quick start, striking first and jumping out to a 7-0 lead after scoring on their initial drive of the game as running back senior Tyler Jones punched in a two-yard rushing touchdown with nine minutes remaining in the first quarter. The Patriots’ first defensive series of the game proved to be successful, forcing the Generals to punt and giving the Patriots favorable field position.
It wasn’t long until the Patriots cashed in with their second rushing touchdown of the game as running back senior Lavelton Williams weaved through defenders for a nine-yard score to put the Patriots up 14-0 with seven minutes left in the first quarter. After another defensive stand, the Patriots’ offense would take the field and reach the end zone yet again following a nine yard rushing touchdown by Jones to earn him his second score of the game and extend the Patriots’ lead to 21-0.
The Generals would finally respond with a score of their own on an 80-yard touchdown pass taken to the house to cut the Patriots’ lead to 21-7.
On the ensuing Patriots drive, the team elected to keep their offense on the field on a fourth down in General territory instead of opting for kicker senior Jimmy Lowery to attempt a field goal. The Generals would force the Patriots to turnover on downs as they took over from their own 20 yard line as the first quarter shortly came to close.
Later in the drive, Heritage had a defensive stand of their own, forcing the Generals to turnover on downs, preventing their lead from taking a hit. Both teams held each other in check until the Patriots broke the silence when Lowery split the uprights and increased the Patriots lead to 24-7 as the first half ended.
The third quarter followed the same script as the second, featuring the Patriots and Generals exchanging time-consuming drives resulting in punts. The Generals would put the first points of the second half on the board as wide receiver senior Antwan Brinson caught a one-yard touchdown pass with under a minute to go in the third to trim the Patriots’ lead to 24-14.
The Patriots began to pull away when Williams found the end zone for the second time in the game to put the Patriots up 30-14, following the failed two-point rushing conversion.
With five minutes left in regulation, the Patriots’ defense halted the Generals’ chance to narrow the gap to one possession when senior Kamryn Giles came up with an interception to set the Patriots’ offense up at the Generals’ own 13-yard line. Heritage proceeded to put the game on ice as senior running back Brandon Cohen capped off the drive with a 13-yard rushing touchdown to boost the lead to 37-14, which would prove to be the final score of the game.
The Patriots, sitting at a record of 6-2, look to keep their momentum going when they face off against Hallandale next week on Friday, Oct. 28 with the teams set to kickoff at 7:00 p.m.
