Heritage wins county clash against LFO
A weather delay of well over an hour and very wet field conditions for the last three quarters couldn’t put a damper on the night for the Heritage Generals as they posted a 31-0 victory at LFO this past Thursday night.
The Catoosa County clash was originally scheduled for opening night on Aug. 20, but was postponed due to COVID-19 issues. The two teams were able to get the game rescheduled as they both were originally slated for open dates this week.
The Warriors took the opening kickoff, but the Generals got on the board first with a defensive score as Drew Dietz returned an interception 25 yards for touchdown. The first of four Anderson Britton extra points made the score 7-0.
After LFO was forced to punt on its next possession, Heritage moved the ball to midfield where quarterback Kaden Swope connected with Peyton Newman for a 47-yard touchdown toss that boosted the lead to 14-0 with 8:36 left in the opening period.
Lightning and rain arrived shortly thereafter and delayed the game for approximately 90 minutes before play resumed with 34 seconds left in the first quarter.
Paxton McCrary got Heritage back on the board with 5:29 left before halftime as he ran one in from 40 yards out. The big gain added to a big night for the junior, who had a season-high 132 on 17 carries. It was third-most yards in a single game for McCrary in his career.
Heritage got the ball one final time to close out the half, but Warrior defensive back Trevon Gott picked off a pass at the LFO 7-yard line to prevent a score and give his team some momentum going into intermission.
However, that momentum was immediately taken back once the third quarter began as J.D. Black returned the opening kick 95 yards to the house to up the Generals’ advantage to 28-0.
The rest of the game was a sloppy battle of field position with Heritage getting the final score of the night with approximately five minutes left in the third quarter. Britton nailed a 32-yard field goal, which was set up by J.C. Armour, who got a hand on an LFO punt at the 13-yard line.
The Warriors’ best chance to score came in the fourth as they drove inside the red zone, aided by a pair of 15-yard penalties on Heritage. However, the Generals’ defense bowed its neck and stopped LFO at the 9-yard line for a turnover on downs.
Heritage quarterback Kaden Swope threw for 90 yards on 4 of 8 passing and added 87 yards on 10 carries. J.D. Black had two catches for 27 yards and McCrary pulled in one for 16.
Defensively, Trey Weldon had seven tackles, two for loss, and two assists. Collin Swearingin had five tackles, three for loss, with four assists and a fumble recovery, and Newman had three tackles for loss, including a sack.
Alex Slatton was 7 of 11 for 46 yards and one interception, while Keenan Walker completed 2 of 7 passes for 17 yards. Chase Rizzo led the ground with 48 yards on 12 carries. Will Carroll ran 11 times for 29 yards and Benji Valdes had five carries for 28 yards.
Valdes was also the team’s leading receiver with 26 yards on two catches, while Kenjuan Colbert picked up 15 yards on two catches.
Heritage (5-2) will look to go 3-1 in Region 7-AAAA when they host Pickens in their final regular-season home game of the season this Friday night.
Meanwhile, LFO (0-8, 0-6) will jump back into Region 6-AAA play against Murray County back at Tommy Cash Stadium in the final home game for the Warriors. That game will be played this Thursday at 6:30 p.m. in order to assure the availability of officials for the contest.