The message is simple: It”s time to be consistent.
While it”s never easy to come off a loss, coach Brad Butler feels the timing is ideal for the Heritage Academy football team to hit its stride.
Not only will the Patriots have the motivation to get back on the winning track, he feels the team also will be geared up for the start of Mississippi Association of Independent Schools Class AAA, Division II, District 1 play at 7 p.m. Friday when it takes on Lee Academy.
The game is the first of three district matchups for Heritage Academy (2-2), which is still trying to find its footing after positive and negative steps.
“This is not a must-win but it is pretty close to it to help us get to where we want to get goal wise,” Butler said. “Last week would have put us in a real good position, but we”re still OK because even though it was a conference game it wasn”t a division game. We definitely need to win the ones that are division games.”
Butler said the Patriots have been on a “roller coaster” of highs (like the come-from-behind victory against Lamar and the double-overtime win against Caledonia) to lows (like the home loss to Starkville Academy and the loss to Madison-Ridgeland Academy last week).
The latest setback came after Heritage Academy suffered a series of mistakes and turnovers and still trailed only 10-0 at halftime. The Patriots rallied to take a 14-10 lead, but Butler said his team tired and couldn”t hold the advantage. He feels his players sense the urgency in the team”s need to find its rhythm and to maintain a high level of focus. He said the players need to do a better job finding that attitude at the beginning of each week and sustaining it through game week and carrying it into the game and then having fun.
“I told them I thought our mental approach was horrible (before the MRA game),” Butler said. “It”s too late when you put on the field to try to get right mentally.”
Butler said the players were “all in” about what he said and took it to heart. He said they realized the team was “flat” before the game, and then couldn”t right the ship in time.
The team had a similar attitude in week two coming off the second-half comeback against Lamar in the season opener. Instead of being sky high to play rival Starkville Academy, Heritage Academy appeared sluggish, even after scoring the first touchdown off a turnover. The Volunteers responded by taking the game to the Patriots en route to a 33-7 victory.
Butler said the latest setback, which came against the No. 3 team in the latest MAIS Class AAA Clarion-Ledger rankings, shows the Patriots can compete with teams. Now, he said, they need to make sure they are physically and mentally ready to play from here on out.
“All we had to do was make a stop and turn around and score and we win the ballgame,” Butler said. “But we didn”t get the field goal and it kind of deflated us. It”s like we didn”t come back and realize we could win. That is what makes this team good. The ones we have won we have had to come back and do something special to win. … Somebody has to step up and make it happen when you need to have it.”
Canton Academy (1-3, 0-1 district) at Immanuel Christian (1-3, 0-1)
The first domino is down.
Now Immanuel Christian coach Greg Watkins and the Rams can get down to the business.
Thanks to improved play from the offensive line and a three-touchdown effort from Jason Davis, Immanuel Christian defeated New Site 42-8 last week.
The timing of the win couldn”t have been better with the team”s MAIS Class AA, District 2 opener against Canton Academy at 7 p.m. Friday.
Watkins feels the team”s first victory will give his players the confidence they need in a very important game.
“Our first three games were pretty tough opponents, and it hurt us and it helped us,” Watkins said. “As far as helping us, we saw what we need to rise ourselves up to play at this level. It hurt us getting the experience to get to that point. I think getting the victory helped the guys look back at the previous three games and say if we would have blocked or played like this there were a couple we would have been better and we might have had a chance to win a couple of those games.”
Canton Academy is coming off a 51-37 loss to Winston Academy, while Immanuel Christian lost to Leake Academy 35-8 in week two. Both losses have put the teams in a position where a second district loss could be crippling. Watkins doesn”t want his team to reach that point Friday night.
“We still have a shot of making the playoffs,” Watkins said. “Canton is going to be a real good opponent, but it is a game we feel like we can win. They have about 30 guys, and they have a good many of their skill guys playing both ways, so as far as conditioning we should be OK with them.
“Our goal is to make the playoffs. I think with the confidence we got from the New Site game I think we can do it. Hopefully we will come out this Friday and we don”t start slow.”
Soccer
n Indianola Academy 3, Immanuel Christian 2: At Indianola: Missy Swaim scored a pair of goals Tuesday, but the Lady Rams (7-2) lost in the final minutes of regulation on a penalty kick after a hand ball in the box.
Taylor Kidder made 20 saves for Immanuel Christian, which will play host to Indianola Academy at 4 p.m. Monday.
Volleyball
n Caledonia 3, Aberdeen 0: At Caledonia, Stevi Carter had eight kills Tuesday to lead the Lady Confederates to their sweep. Set scores were 25-17, 25-23, 25-13.
Morgan Smith had one kill, 12 assists, five aces, and three digs, Elisabeth Shepherd had two kills, three assists, two aces, and three digs, Elisha Collins had five kills, one block, one dig, Taylor Hayes had two digs, Ashley Langford had three kills, four aces, and three digs, Sarah Freeman had three kills, four aces, one block, and one dig, Cara Hopper had one kill and one dig, and Clara Wallace had one dig.
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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