Chargers Cage Eagles, Stay Undefeated in District

The 2017 Charger football season has begun favorably, with the Hall dominating three of their opponents and narrowly defeating the last. No matter the score of the game, Head Coach Brett Bogert continuously preaches to his team that "a win is a win" – a blowout victory impacts a team's record just as much as a one point victory.

Flying under the radar, though, were the 4-0 Weatherford Eagles, boasting victories over the likes of Guymon, Piedmont, Woodward and Newcastle. The Eagles were also embarrassed on their home turf against the Chargers last season, elevating the stakes in this year's contest.

The Chargers opened Friday night's tilt with the Eagles sluggishly on offense, as neither the run nor the pass could find its stride.

Just when it seemed like the Chargers were bound to draw first blood, QB Blake Adams overthrew Billy Ross on an out-route, resulting in a tip-drill interception that was taken to the house from 80-yards out. The Eagles jumped out to the early 7-0 lead and many started to believe the Chargers might be in some trouble.

The Charger offense continued to struggle as penalties ruined the Hall's chances at competing for a score. However, Heritage Hall's defense came to play and had the offense's back when they needed it the most.

With under a minute left in the first quarter, defensive end Carson Orton made a fantastic move to get around the line and sack Weatherford in the end zone, resulting in a safety. This cut the deficit to five, but the chargers still trailed 7-2 after one quarter of play.

Five minutes into the second quarter, the Hall offense finally found paydirt as Morgan Dinwiddie ran off tackle to the end zone. Blake Adams then connected with Chandler Shapard for a two-point conversion to make the score 10-7 in favor of the Chargers.

Both defenses continued to play well in the second until Blake Adams tossed a deep ball to Conner Carey for six, giving the Chargers a 10 point cushion.

Weatherford responded quickly, with a touchdown pass on a post route which cut the Charger advantage to 17-14 entering the half.

In the second half, defenses dominated the game, as both teams continued to struggle to find a rhythm on offense. The only touchdown of the second half came on a Blake Adams 13-yard run for a score, which stretched the Charger lead to 10 points, at 24-14.

Though the offense struggled to move, it was a very good sign that the Charger defense played so well. As one of the Eagles touchdowns came off of a pick six, the Charger D only gave up 7 points in the game. If the Charger defense can keep this type of play up, and the offense can become more consistent, the Chargers will be a tough out for any 4A opponent.

Adams finished the night 18/32 with one touchdown and two interceptions. The senior quarterback has protected the ball well for the most part this season, so he'll be looking to tighten up his passing game at Chickasha next week.

Billy Ross, Jr., went down with an injury early and couldn't go, so senior tailback Morgan Dinwiddie picked up the load and ran tremendously well. Dinwiddie rushed 29 times for 146 yards and one score, propelling the Chargers to the win.

Garrett McGinnis led the defense with 9-tackles, while Carson Orton and Zane Wade recorded 8 tackles each. The defense also combined to sack the Eagles 6 times, a team season-high.

It wasn't the Chargers prettiest performance of the year, but they held on for a 24-14 victory over a tough Weatherford team. Heritage Hall has things they need to fix on both sides of the ball, but with the defense playing at such a high level, another undefeated regular season could be in the making for this team. If the offense finds a rhythm, this team is going to be very tough to beat.

This Friday, the Hall travels to Chickasha to face a Fightin' Chicks squad that is yet to win a game, at 0-5. The Chargers will be expected to open the flood gates early in this one, but they should not underestimate any opponent. Chickasha has nothing to lose in this one and will be playing in front of a home crowd.

Kickoff will be at 7 p.m. and will be streamed live on ChargerVision at http://hhchargers.tv.

Article by Rives Mitchell '19
Photos by Jake Steelman '19 / More pics on Flickr

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