Harris Gunter watched from the sidelines as Heritage Academy’s 2018 football season came to an end at the hands of Adams County Christian in the MAIS Class AAA semifinals.
Gunter, then a freshman wide receiver, remembered the pain of watching a standout senior class, led by Moak Griffin, take the field for the final time.
“It was rough,” Gunter said. “It was sad watching those seniors lose their last game.”
The Rebels — the No. 14 seed in the tournament that year — pulled a 28-10 upset of the second-seeded Patriots en route to a state title.
“That team was unbelievable,” Heritage Academy coach Sean Harrison said. “You hated to see it end, but they were a heck of a team that year.”
Two years later, ACCS stands in Heritage Academy’s way once again. For the second time in the past three seasons, the Pats will host the Rebels in a semifinal game with a state championship berth on the line.
After going 14-0 and winning last year’s Class 5A title, then losing a crop of 13 seniors who comprised the majority of the Pats’ starting lineup, Heritage Academy hopes for a return trip to Jackson to play for another state crown.
“It’d be really big just to go back, especially with how many seniors we lost last year,” Gunter said.
When players like Eli Acker, Jared Long, KJ Smith and Carter Putt moved on, Heritage Academy wasn’t picked to do much this season. Even the Patriots themselves had their doubts.
“If I told you I expected to be sitting here 7-2 and being the No. 2 seed, I’d probably be lying to you,” Harrison said before last week’s quarterfinal win over Starkville Academy. “We knew the potential was there — thought that it would probably take a little bit longer to show itself.”
Now, Heritage Academy is in the final four for the third consecutive season.
“I think our kids have kind of gotten to the point that it’s really becoming the expectation, which is always a good thing,” Harrison said. “Not many people expected us to even be here, but they continue proving people wrong and keeping their heads down and coming to work every day.”
The Pats will have to keep doing that for two more weeks if they hope to be crowned back-to-back state champions. First up is an ACCS team that not only knocked out Heritage Academy in the 2018 semifinals but the 2017 quarterfinals as well.
The Rebels are big and physical, Harrison and Gunter both said, and the Pats must match that aggression to succeed.
“We’re a physical football team, too, and we just need to get out there Friday night and be physical,” Gunter said.
A victory Friday will also be predicated on Heritage Academy’s ability to stop the run. Led by seniors Jacorian Sewell and Blake LaPrairie, ACCS runs 88 percent of the time, according to Harrison. In its quarterfinal game, a 30-17 win over Pillow Academy, the Rebels threw just twice.
But Harrison said his team’s success against star back CJ Jackson and Starkville Academy bodes well for its chances of curtailing the Rebels’ run game.
“I feel like, having played Starkville and had some success, our kids should be pretty confident against the run,” Harrison said.
With its own run game improved of late and a steady passing game led by sophomore quarterback Mack Howard, Heritage Academy’s own offense will play a big role, too. The Pats average 28.2 points per game and haven’t been held under 13 points all season.
Sophomore right tackle Carson Hollis stressed the importance of playing a clean game on both sides of the ball in order to send the Pats back to Jackson for the third straight year.
“I just think if we play good football, we’ll be able to beat them,” Hollis said.
Theo DeRosa reports on Mississippi State sports for The Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter at @Theo_DeRosa.
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