After students scrambled for tickets to Sept. 16’s white-out themed game (which sold out) knowing it would be a tough matchup, Heritage vs Chaminade-Madonna was expected to be an interesting game. Sadly, the lions were too much for the Patriots to take, and the team suffered a 42-37 loss.
The game started off strong with the defense sacking Chaminade’s quarterback and recovering the opponent’s fumble for an extra shot on offense. The ball went back and forth between the two teams until the Lions managed a touchdown with two minutes left in the first quarter.
Halfway through the second quarter, senior quarterback Blake Murphy threw a pass to freshman wide receiver Malachi Toney for a touchdown. The score sat at 7-7 for a few minutes until Chaminade returned the favor by scoring their second touchdown. Shortly thereafter, another Heritage touchdown from Toney was added to the score.
“My favorite play [of the game] was when Malachi Toney scored the first touchdown of the game and I got a great video of it,” sophomore Drew Bank said.
As quarter three began, Heritage swiped the lead as senior running back Mark Fletcher ran the ball for a touchdown. The Patriots held on to the lead for a short time, until Chaminade scored once again. Going into the fourth quarter, the score was 28-21, in favor of the Lions.
The Patriots did not lose hope; they went into the fourth quarter with a bang. Murphy found wide receiver senior Brandon Inniss in the end zone to tie up the game.
Despite the high hopes at this moment, it only went downhill from here. While Heritage scored two more touchdowns, it wasn’t enough to keep up with Chaminade who ran the clock up 28 points throughout the second half.
While this may mark the end of the Patriots’ winning streak, it’s only the beginning of the football team’s journey to states. Stay tuned for next week’s away game against the Cardinal Gibbons Chiefs – which should be another challenging matchup – and remember to buy your tickets early.
