COLUMBUS – With the clock ticking down the final minutes, backup quarterback Brodie Watrous got his team onto the ball in the red zone and hastily took the snap.
With the ball in his hands he scanned downfield as he went through his progressions, but sensing pressure from his left, he was forced off his mark and high-tailed it to the right sideline. Keeping his eyes upfield he spotted an open target in the end zone and paused his trot to wind up his arm and throw. The ball wobbled as it flew between the outstretched arms of two East Rankin Academy defenders right into the awaiting hands of senior Brady Kimbrell, who clung tightly onto the pass for the touchdown as the entire Heritage sideline erupted.
Simply jumping and shouting was not enough and the team ran down the sidelines toward the end zone and mobbed Kimbrell, who took a second to stare off into the distance with the ball as if he was in the NFL and the camera was zooming in on him to watch his celebration.
“Brady. Brady. Brady,” the Patriots cheered.
After working his way up from being a team manager in eighth grade to being a backup wide out for all four years of his high school career, he had just hauled in his first-ever touchdown catch.
The team was dealt a penalty for its celebration, but they didn’t care. The game’s clock had been running since the Patriots took a 36-0 lead at halftime.
On a night that saw quarterback Joshua Tate throw for three touchdowns to lead Heritage to a 42-14 District 2-4A victory with the flair of homecoming pride in the background – Kimbrell was the one to steal the show.
“I had no idea it was coming to me,” Kimbrell said, who was still running on adrenaline and wet from sweat and an involuntary shower of water. “I ran to the sideline, then I saw a wide-open spot with nobody there and I just threw my hand up and God did the rest. … It was the biggest moment of my career. I have no words.”
It wasn’t just the players reveling in the moment with Kimbrell. Head coach Tobias Smith was right there cheering him in the team’s victory huddle after the game.
“Brady, he’s a senior. He’s a guy that is real special to our team,” Smith said with a giant smile. “I don’t know if there’s anybody besides (teacher) Miss Cindy Cline who loves Heritage more than Brady, and to see him score his first touchdown as a varsity player and senior on homecoming is special. Everybody loves Brady, everybody knows what Heritage means to him, and just to see him do it tonight, it was really good.”
It was just that kind of night for the Patriots (5-1, 1-0), who could do no wrong against a team they’ve faced only once before. Tate fired a scoring strike to Charlie Fowler early in the first quarter to get the scoring started, and he added another touchdown throw, this time to Chris Willis, about midway through the quarter and ran in a 2-point conversion for the quick 15-0 lead. The Patriots’ defense made quick work of ERA’s next possession and forced and recovered a fumble in enemy territory, which set up a 3-yard touchdown run by Tyler King.
“We upheld our standard,” Tate said. “That’s what we do; we come out, attack first and put points on the board.”
Xzavier Webber picked off East Rankin on its following drive, and Tate captained the offense down the field for another score through the air, firing a bullet to Arthur Dawson from 6-yards out for the 29-0 lead that already seemed insurmountable. Presley Gaskin came in at quarterback and added a 10-yard run just before halftime to initiate the running clock.
ERA didn’t cross midfield until the second half when Heritage’s backups made their debut in the contest. The visiting squad added two touchdown runs, one in the third quarter and one in the fourth, before Kimbrell added the finishing touches.
Washed away in the water bath of victory was the sour taste left in the team’s mouth after last week’s heartbreaking narrow loss against Magnolia Heights to end their nonconference slate. Smith gave his team credit for showing up in practice and working to fix their costly mistakes.
“Man, we had a really good week of preparation. They guys worked hard. We had to get back to the basics,” Smith said. “There were too many times when I saw on film of our last game where small things got us beat. I think we corrected them this week and the guys were able to come out and play a good game, and you see the results of a good week of practice.”
But nothing was sweeter than seeing Kimbrell getting the opportunity to put points onto the scoreboard for the school he loves.
“It was a great moment,” Tate said. “It’s probably a memory we’ll have for a lifetime.”
Kimbrell has another chance to find the end zone when the Patriots play at Pillow Academy next Friday.
“I just thank God for this opportunity and praise him that there will be more to come,” he said.
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