SENATOBIA – The Heritage Academy Patriots got started slow and trailed all but the last two minutes to take a 22-18 win over the Magnolia Heights Chiefs and advance to the MAIS 4A Division II championship game next week.
What started as a defensive struggle finished as an offensive thriller for Heritage.
“I don’t have words, I truly don’t have words for this team and what they did tonight,” said Heritage interim coach Sean Harrison, who was filling in for the suspended Tobias Harris. “These guys didn’t quit and they won it! I’m so proud of them, so proud of them.”
The Patriot win salved a loss to Magnolia Heights early in the regular season and as Harrison pointed out, leaves Heritage with one game left to win for a championship season.
The game started with both sides trading possessions and no score at the end of the first quarter. Heritage did push to the Chiefs’ 19 but couldn’t punch it in and turned the ball over on downs.
The battle for field position, and just to get going, continued into the second frame for Heritage. The Chiefs put together an 11-play drive and Magnolia Heights’ Cash Jackson kicked a 38-yard field goal as the halftime buzzer sounded.
Magnolia Heights carried a three-point lead into the locker room.
“We may have played our worst first half this year,” Harrison said. “We have gotten better every game this season and tonight was no different. We got better as the game went on.”
Magnolia Heights scored a touchdown on a 10-play, 77-yard drive in the third and Heritage responded with their first TD with 13 seconds to go in the third.
Joshua “Juice” Tate passed to Xzavier Webber to move down the field and Tate ran the QB keeper from three yards out to narrow the score to 10-7.
“Webber is the one we go to and lean on when we need yards and points,” said Harrison. “He and Tate delivered tonight.”
Magnolia Heights got their final TD early in the fourth and a bobbled snap to the holder on the extra-point attempt saw him jump up and run for the two-point conversion. The Chiefs looked to be in control at 18-7.
But the Patriots came back on their next two possessions to score the touchdowns, make a 2-point conversion and extra point.
Tate scrambled repeatedly but seemed to find his man when it counted. Tate also rolled out, pumped the pass and would run when the coast was clear.
Both of the Patriots’ last two touchdowns were passes. The first an 8-yarder on third-and-goal to Webber and the second a 21-yard pass to Webber, who ran his route, and as Tate scrambled, found the open spot and caught the pass untouched for the TD.
The Patriots were finally on top, 22-18.
Magnolia Heights then went to the air on six straight passes to take the ball from their 30 to the Patriots 32. The Chiefs threw an interception to Patriot defender Charlie Fowler to seal the game for Heritage.
“We lost to these guys five weeks ago and we knew Magnolia Heights would be ready,” said Harrison. “We’ll see who we draw in the next round. This team will be ready.”
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