Mack Howard stood still in the shotgun formation, the football in his hands.

Because of miscommunication between Howard and his offensive line, the Heritage Academy junior quarterback got the snap on a key fourth-and-1 play during the fourth quarter of Friday’s home game against Leake Academy when he wasn’t expecting it.

Howard and senior running back Eli Dement froze for a moment in the backfield, unsure what to do. After several agonizing seconds, Howard took off for the first-down marker but was promptly stopped for no gain at the Leake 38. The Patriots’ drive had broken down, and the Rebels had the ball back with under 6 minutes to play.

“It was just a bust,” Heritage Academy coach Sean Harrison said of the fateful play.

And it was one of several, ultimately, that did in the Patriots (9-1) in a 35-28 loss to Leake (8-1) in a thrilling MAIS Class 5A showdown on Friday at C.L. Mitchell Field, ending Heritage Academy’s hopes of a second undefeated season in three years.

“I thought it was a heavyweight fight,” Harrison said of the battle between the two top teams in Class 5A.

If so, the Rebels were ecstatic to finally issue the knockout blow. The Patriots beat them 41-20 in 2018 and ended Leake’s season with a 35-0 whipping in the 2019 playoffs. The players who were around for those games haven’t forgotten them.

“This is a team that has given us trouble my entire career at Leake Academy,” Rebels senior wide receiver Levi Brown said.

It was hard to tell from watching Friday night. Brown caught deep balls from quarterback Rhett Atkinson on two huge third-down plays, including one in the fourth quarter as Leake overcame a touchdown deficit with 14 unanswered points.

The junior signal-caller found the senior wideout for a 56-yard touchdown pass on third-and-13 with 45 seconds left in the first half, changing the complexion of the contest significantly. On third-and-8 a few minutes into the final quarter, a 58-yard connection from Atkinson to Brown put the Rebels inside the Patriots’ 10-yard line. One play later, Leake scored to take the lead.

“We’d been struggling throwing the ball all year, and to come out here and go against a team that loves to throw and is great at it and just match them up one and one, it’s just amazing,” Brown said.

His two catches accounted for 114 of Atkinson’s 144 passing yards, and while Howard finished with 214 yards for Heritage Academy, he couldn’t will the Patriots to a win.

Howard found a rhythm in the second half, leading a pair of third-quarter touchdown drives, but some late mistakes cost the Patriots in the final minutes.

There was the false start on fourth-and-inches that led to a punt. The ill-advised snap for which Howard wasn’t prepared. And the fumbled pitch from Howard to Luke Fisher at the Leake 38-yard line and just 1:21 to go.

“We were driving on that last drive — just came up short,” Harrison said. “That’s life. That’s football.”

While Leake escaped Columbus with the victory, it was every bit the “back-and-forth” game Harrison described as the Patriots and Rebels met for what might not be the last time. The two schools seem to be on a trajectory to meet in the Class 5A title game should everything break right for each.

“They’re a great team,” Harrison said of Leake. “They’re the defending state champions for a reason. I was proud of our kids.”

And although their bid for an undefeated season went the way of the lone pink balloon that soared over the press box and into the night shortly after the final whistle, the Patriots have plenty to play for as the regular season wraps up. They will host Pillow Academy next week for senior night and have wrapped up a district title by virtue of Bayou Academy’s 31-21 win Friday over Starkville Academy.

“We know we’re a great team,” Harrison said. “We’ve just got to take care of details, and we’ll be just fine.”

Leake Academy 35, Heritage Academy 28

Leake Academy (8-1)  7  7   7  14  —  35

Heritage Academy (9-1)  7  6  15   0  —  28

First quarter

LA — Rhett Atkinson 3 run (Cole Arthur kick), 6:03

HA — Luke Fisher 64 pass from Mack Howard (Todd Sharp kick), 4:11

Second quarter

HA — Trey Naugher 20 pass from Howard (kick failed), 7:18

LA — Levi Brown 56 pass from Atkinson (Arthur kick), 0:45

Third quarter

LA — Atkinson 22 run (Arthur kick), 5:10

HA — Wesley Miller 1 run (Eli Dement run), 2:11

HA — Mitchell Woodard 12 pass from Howard (Sharp kick), 1:12

Fourth quarter

LA — Atkinson 2 run (kick failed), 9:54

LA — Whitt Welch 8 run (Welch pass from Atkinson), 7:25

Team statistics

LA HA

First downs 22 15

Rushes-yards 52-229 23-152

Passing yards 144 214

Comp.-att.-int. 5-13-1 11-26-0

Penalties-yards 4-52 7-65

Fumbles-lost 1-1 4-1

Individual statistics

RUSHING: Leake Academy — Rhett Atkinson 15-86, Canon Parks 25-82, Whitt Welch 12-61; Heritage Academy — Eli Dement 11-90, Wesley Miller 4-32, Mack Howard 5-27, Luke Fisher 3-3.

PASSING: Leake Academy — Rhett Atkinson 5-13-1-144; Heritage Academy — Mack Howard 11-26-214.

RECEIVING: Leake Academy — Levi Brown 2-114; Gavin White 2-20; Camden Marble 1-10; Heritage Academy — Trey Naugher 4-73, Luke Fisher 2-71, Mitchell Woodard 4-69, Eli Dement 1-1.

Theo DeRosa reports on Mississippi State sports for The Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter at @Theo_DeRosa.