GameSetter: Week 5 vs Weatherford Eagles

When and Where:
4A Weatherford (4-0) at 4A #3 Heritage Hall (4-0)
September 29 (FRI) 7:00 PM
Charger Stadium

Most Recent Matchup:
The Weatherford Eagles hosted Heritage Hall in week five of the 2016 season, and the Chargers put on yet another show. Blake Adams and the offense exploded out of the gate, throwing two touchdown passes, including a 63 yard score to open the game. Weatherford responded with a two yard endzone run of their own, making the score 14-7 to begin the second quarter. Adams proved to be too much for the Eagle defense, however, as he continued to carve up them up, tossing two more touchdowns before halftime. Weatherford was able to to score one more time, cutting the Chargers' lead to 28-14 at the half. The Eagles opened the third period strong, scoring on a 41 yard touchdown rush, but it was all Chargers from that point on. Blake Adams, who ended the night with an outstanding 337 passing yards and five touchdowns on just 12 pass completions, guided his team to three straight touchdowns to push their lead out to 49-21. Grayson Wilson and Jaden McDaniel combined for 23 tackles total in the game as Heritage Hall figured it out defensively in the fourth quarter, holding the lead and picking up a 28 point victory.

Player Spotlight:
Weatherford was forced to find a new starting quarterback for the 2017 season after starter Ryan Terry graduated last summer, and the Eagles seem to have found their man. Sophomore Jaxon Ratterree has performed admirably so far for the Eagles, guiding them to a 4-0 start over some of the state's biggest schools, including a 9-6 victory over Piedmont three weeks ago. When the Chargers square off against Weatherford this Friday, look for Ratterree to toss the ball around field a lot throughout the game. In last year's matchup, the Eagles attacked through the air a lot, attempting 29 passes, but completing only ten. Heritage played great pass defense for most of the game, and will need to do so again as Ratterree looks to be much more efficient at quarterback than his predecessor the year before.

Outlook:
The Chargers are now 4-0 on the season and ranked #3 in class 4A after picking up an exciting win on the road at 4A #7 Clinton last weekend. Heritage Hall trailed for almost the entire game, but kept the pressure on the Red Tornadoes and eventually took the lead late in the fourth quarter and won 28-24. Billy Ross Jr. continued his tremendous season, racking up 131 yards and a touchdown on the ground, while power running back Morgan Dinwiddie added two rushing scores himself, including the game winner from the one yard line. The Charger defense struggled for the first thirty minutes, but put it together in the second half and allowed only three points after the break. It was a team effort for the Hall, as five players recorded at least six total tackles in the game. Freshman Melvin Swindle, however, stepped up big time, closing the game with two sacks to stifle the Red Tornadoes in the fourth quarter. After facing two triple option offenses in a row in Davis and Clinton, the Chargers may have a tough time adjusting to covering a pass heavy scheme like Weatherford. If the Heritage defense starts strong and proves they can limit Ratterree and Weatherford's air raid offense, the Chargers should be able to take care of the Eagles and improve to 5-0 on the 2017 season.

Article by Jake LeForce '19
Photos by Jake Steelman '19

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