Lions No Match for Chargers in State Semifinal

Heading into the semifinal showdown with Blanchard, the Heritage Hall Chargers had been the most dominant team in Class 4A. Behind the arm of Blake Adams, the legs of Billy Ross Jr., and the strength of the defense, the Chargers entered the semifinals unblemished and for the most part, unchallenged.

Standing in the Chargers path to the state championship were the Blanchard Lions, coming off a colossal win over perennial powerhouse Wagoner. Boasting the best statistical defense in 4A, allowing just 10 points per game, Blanchard felt they had the perfect scheme to slow down the dangerous Charger offense.

The Chargers caught the Lions off guard to start the game, as Blanchard's offense was shut down and forced to punt.

The Hall came out with an impressive drive, capped off by a 2-yard catch and score from Adams to Ross.

The Lion offense continued to struggle, and the Chargers continued to take advantage of their opportunities. Adams found Zane Wade in the back of the end zone near the end of the first quarter to stretch the Heritage lead to 14-0.

Early in the second quarter, Adams found Carson Orton over the middle for a touchdown from 16-yards away. The Chargers now owned a 21-0 lead and had complete control of the game.

As the game looked like it was about to get out of control, the Lions responded to play a great rest of the half. This started off with a busted coverage by the Hall, resulting in a 57-yard score.

With the score now standing 21-7, Blanchard was right back in the game.

The next Charger series was halted by the Lion defense, as Heritage Hall failed to convert on 4th and goal. With the momentum at their backs, it looked like the Lions had an opportunity to get another score before the end of the half. After a trick play resulted in a 30-yard gain into Charger territory, the drive stalled and the Lions headed to the locker room unable to take advantage of another missed Charger defensive assignment.

Unable to capitalize to end the half, Blanchard's momentum fizzled and nothing else went right for the mighty underdogs on the day.

Heritage Hall came out of halftime firing, scoring two touchdowns in the third quarter to put the game out of reach.

Carson Orton toed-the-line with another receiving score and Adams ran one into the end zone to account for two Charger touchdowns in the third.

Heading into the final period, the Lion momentum had been squashed as the Hall's advantage grew to 35-7.

The fourth quarter was dominated by the defenses, as no offensive points were recorded. The only score came on a botched punt snap by Blanchard, which resulted in a safety for the Chargers.

As the clock wound down, the Chargers secured a trip to the State Championship game with an impressive 37-7 win.

Adams lead the Chargers with 308 yards passing and 4 touchdowns through the air. The senior quarterback also added one touchdown on the ground, and for the first time this season, led the Chargers in rushing with 62 yards. Chandler Shapard had a big day catching the ball, going off for 9 receptions and 201 yards.

Defensively, Grayson Wilson lead the team with 13 tackles, followed by Garrett McGinnis with 10. Behind 7 stops, Adams moved into 10th place in the Charger record books. Heritage Hall recorded 5 sacks in the game, 2 coming from Jaden McDaniel, to break the single-season team sack record of 56 by the 2015 State Championship team.

A dominant performance by the Chargers fueled a semifinal victory over Blanchard, but more importantly punched a ticket to the State Championship. Heritage Hall will face off against Ada, who claims the most state championships in Oklahoma history with 19. This should be a dandy from Choctaw High School, as the Chargers look for their sixth title, and first championship since 2015.

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

Print Friendly Version