With around five minutes left in Friday’s MAIS Class 5A semifinal, Heritage Academy trailed just 38-33 and had stopped Oak Forest Academy (Louisiana) on third and long, forcing a fourth down.
The Yellow Jackets had three options: kick a 51-yard field goal, punt from Heritage’s 33-yard line, or go for it on 4th and 6.
Oak Forest decided the latter, going for it to potentially seal the game. Quarterback Kaul Perkins, who hadn’t yet thrown a pass in the second half, rolled out to his left but found a swarm of Patriots defenders coming toward him.
However, he had just enough time before getting hit to throw a desperation heave toward the right sideline, one that wide receiver Logan Freche slid and caught at the Pats’ 1-yard line.
That all but sealed an eventual 45-33 upset victory for the Yellow Jackets and a spot in the MAIS Class 5A championship game.
“I knew going into this game that (Oak Forest) is a good team,” Heritage Academy head coach Lance Pogue said. “They’re physical and big and at times, they overpowered our defense, but we had one last shot to get a stop there, but we didn’t get it done.”
“Football’s a lot of fun, but football can be cruel, and that’s the way it ended tonight.”
Perkins didn’t need to throw the ball with the running attack that the Yellow Jackets threw out against Heritage on Friday night.
The Pats had to contend with a two-headed monster led by Stiles Guidry, who just couldn’t be taken down once he got going on the ground.
“He’s a load,” Pogue said. “There were times that we hit him around the line of scrimmage and he would just bounce through us.”
Heritage had its own freight train of a back in Jay Stevenson, coming off a 300-yard, six-total-touchdown performance last week, but Guidry was his equal and then some, running for three touchdowns in the win.
Both teams utilized the run early and often, but Oak Forest was able to expose and break down the Pats’ defensive line, breaking off big runs that made all the difference in the end.
At no point, however, was Heritage going to lay down and waive the white flag as quarterback Jack Ketchum made some great plays in the air, throwing for three touchdowns, all three of them 25-plus-yard plays.
Alongside those three touchdowns, Ketchum also threw two interceptions, both to Freche, including one with around three minutes left to play.
“Their defense was good,” Ketchum said. “They weren’t giving up many big plays. We came out and ran the ball well, but our defense just came by. Their offense was just so good. It’s hard to win a game when you give up 45 points.”
Daggers kept coming for Heritage, starting on the final play of the third quarter as Stevenson went down with a leg injury and was unable to come back into the game in the fourth.
Stevenson rattled off a 73-yard touchdown run earlier in the game, running for 194 yards on 19 carries overall, including two rushing touchdowns.
Not having him in the backfield took away a big part of the Pats’ defense in the most important quarter of the game.
“It was tough,” Ketchum said. “It didn’t hurt as much in the fourth quarter because we were down, we were just trying to throw it deep, but it was tough. I hope he’s alright for next year.”
The final nail in the coffin came on a third-and-30 that Oak Forest had gotten itself into with around 2:30 left in the game.
Heritage was down 45-33 at that point, so the Pats needed a stop, a touchdown and then a miracle for a comeback, but Guidry crushed that hope, pulling off a 50-yard first-down run.
All the Yellow Jackets needed was to kneel to run down the clock, and their spot in the title game was clinched.
Oak Forest Academy 45, Heritage Academy 33
Oak Forest Academy (9-3) 3 21 7 14 — 45
Heritage Academy (10-2) 7 14 6 6 — 33
First quarter
OFA — Ruston Relan 42 FG, clock 5:42
HA — Trey Naugher 28 pass from Jack Ketchum (Luke Fisher kick), clock 1:51
Second quarter
OFA — Stiles Guidry 25 run (Relan kick), clock 11:37
OFA — Guidry 9 run (Relan kick), clock 5:43
HA — Jay Stevenson 2 run (Fisher kick), clock 4:49
HA — Stevenson 73 run (Fisher kick), clock 2:53
OFA — Logan Freche 5 pass from Kaul Perkins (Relan kick), clock 0:25
Third quarter
HA — Naugher 32 pass from Ketchum (kick failed), clock 9:29
OFA — Lawson Hendry 8 run (Relan kick), clock 5:27
Fourth quarter
OFA — Guidry 59 run (Relan kick), clock 9:45
HA — Noah Madan 27 pass from Ketchum (run failed), clock 8:40
OFA — Hendry 1 run (Relan kick), clock 3:54
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