COLUMBUS — The opening round of the MAIS Division 4A playoffs brought a different kind of spotlight to Heritage Academy on Friday night. Head coach Tobias Smith was unavailable due to a one-game suspension, and former head coach Sean Harrison stepped back in to lead the Patriots. The situation could have introduced confusion or hesitation, but it never did. Heritage was aggressive, organized and confident from the opening series and rolled to a 35-7 win over Oak Forest Academy.
Oak Forest received the ball first and tried to settle in with quarterback Braxten Waskom and running backs Blake Bennett Jr and Elisha Saragusa. Heritage shut it down quickly. Three short plays produced only three yards and the Yellowjackets punted. The Patriots took over near midfield and immediately tested the edge with Xzavier Webber, who broke loose and drew a pass interference penalty that moved Heritage inside the red zone. Oak Forest held strong and forced a turnover on downs, but the momentum never shifted.
After another quick defensive stop by the Patriots, Joshua “Juice” Tate returned to the field and went right back to work. Tate connected with Chris Willis down to the twenty five and then scrambled in on his own to put Heritage in front for the first touchdown of the night.
The second quarter continued the same direction. After another stop and another short field, Tate found Willis deep down the sideline for a touchdown that stretched the lead to 14-0. Following yet another three-and-out by Oak Forest, Heritage struck again. Tate looked downfield and hit Willis once more for a 70-yard touchdown that pushed the margin to 21-0 midway through the second quarter.
Harrison said this is what they had been waiting to see consistently.
“I think we are hitting our stride. Juice did a great job last week and he followed it up with an even better performance tonight,” Harrison said.
Oak Forest answered with its most productive sequence late in the half. Waskom stepped into a throw down the seam and hit a target inside the 25, but the Yellowjackets ran out of time and never finished the drive. Heritage carried a three-score lead into the locker room and had full control of the tempo.
The second half opened the same way the first half ended. On the second snap of the third quarter, Tate broke loose on a long scramble to move the ball deep into Oak Forest territory. A few snaps later, he found Willis near the pylon to make it 28-0. The Yellowjackets tried to lean back into inside carries from Saragusa and perimeter touches for Bennett Jr, but a fourth down throw near midfield fell incomplete and Heritage took over again.
The Patriots kept pushing. Tate hit Isaiah Clark twice to move the chains and then delivered another touchdown strike to Willis to make it 35-0 late in the third.
Oak Forest broke the shutout early in the fourth when Waskom found a receiver in the flat for a short touchdown. The Yellowjackets followed with their best sustained possession of the half, using carries from Saragusa and Kade Perkins to move the chains and get inside the red zone, but the drive ended with a fumble. Heritage brought in fresh legs like Caleb Unruh and ran out the remaining time to secure the win.
Harrison praised how his defense held firm for four quarters.
“I was very proud of how the defense played tonight. They never let up,” Harrison said.
Heritage Academy handled a postseason moment without flinching. Tate was efficient with the ball, Willis won consistently downfield and the Patriots defense dominated early downs. Even with a temporary change at the top, Heritage looked steady and sure of itself.
In the first round of the playoffs, Heritage showed discipline and confidence. The Patriots move on to round two where they will travel to face Magnolia Heights at 7 p.m. Friday in Senatobia.
Heritage Academy 35, Oak Forest Academy 7
Oak Forest (3-7) 0 0 0 7 — 7
Heritage Academy (9-2) 7 14 14 0 — 35
First Quarter
HA — Joshua “Juice” Tate 7-yard run (Cole Shelton PAT)
Second Quarter
HA — Chris Willis 25-yard pass from Tate (Shelton PAT)
HA — Willis 70-yard pass from Tate (Shelton PAT)
Third Quarter
HA — Willis 10-yard pass from Tate (Shelton PAT)
HA — Willis 28-yard pass from Tate (Shelton PAT)
Fourth Quarter
OF — short touchdown pass from Braxten Waskom (PAT good)
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