Big-play Ridgeland powers past Heritage
For the Heritage Generals, the plan was simple enough. Grind out yards, chew up the clock and keep the highpowered Ridgeland offense off the field.
And for one quarter, the Navy-and-red did just that.
But after running just two plays, losing a fumble and finding itself down 7-0 one play into the second quarter, Ridgeland finally got on track in a big, big way.
The Panthers forced Heritage into turnovers on three straight possessions and scored on eight consecutive offensive possessions of their own, putting up 47 unanswered points en route to a 53-28 victory in the Region 6-AAAA opener for both teams at Bowers and Painter Field on Friday.
Heritage (1-4, 0-1) took nearly 7:30 off the clock to start the game, marching from its own 14-yard line to the Ridgeland 20. Julian Brooks would recover a Nick Hanson fumble to thwart a potential scoring drive, but Wes Lozano would get the ball right back for Heritage as he pounced on a Tanner Hill fumble. The Generals would then drive 50 yards in just over four minutes before Hanson plunged in from a yard out on the first play of the second quarter to make it 7-0.
The next two quarters, however, would belong to the Panthers.
Jordan Blackwell capped a 56-yard drive with a 2-yard touchdown run out of the wildcat formation and, after Heritage fumbled on the first play of its ensuing drive, Ridgeland (2-2, 1-0) would find the endzone again as Hill pump-faked to the left and found a wide-open Stephon Walker down the right side of the field for a 29-yard TD pass that gave Ridgeland its first lead at 14-7.
An athletic interception by Cyron Burse three plays later would be followed by a 37-yard TD run from Blackwell, who got the springing