The charter buses rolled out of The MAC parking lots en route to Blackwell, and the football team didn't stop rolling until they returned to OKC with a win and a fifth consecutive District Championship.

On the first offensive possession for The Hall, Phillip Smitherman took a reverse handoff from Jackson Jobe and raced 59 yards untouched for his first rushing touchdown of the year. The Chargers lined up for an extra point, but shifted into an unconventional formation and handed the ball off to bruiser Melvin Swindle who powered into the end zone for the two-point conversion to give Heritage an 8-0 early lead.

After the Charger defense forced a second Blackwell three-and-out, Jobe found Billy Ross out of the backfield to get into the Maroons red zone and Conner Carey carved up the defense on a 27 dash for six more. On two-point conversion attempt, Gavin Freeman scooped the snap to Smitherman wide left and the receiver tossed the ball over the Blackwell defense to a wide open freshman Brigham Evans to extend the lead to 16-0.

Coach Bogert's defense hasn't been racking up the turnovers this year, but that changed on this misty night in Blackwell. With Jayden Williams pressuring, the Maroons quarterback fumbled the ball and Conner Keith pounced on it. The Chargers would end the game with 4 takeaways, nearly more than their previous total of 6 in 8 games.

With the ball already in the red zone, Ross took a reverse down to the 4 yard line and Dunn capped off the short drive busting through an arm tackle and bulldozing a defender at the goal line. Parker Kays added the extra point to put Heritage in front 23-0 midway through the first quarter.

The defensive onslaught didn't stop as a Carey and A.J. Sirls recorded back-to-back sacks. On third and long, Dunn hurried the Maroon quarterback into a throw away to give the ball back to the offense.

Sensing the opportunity to deliver an early knockout blow, the Charger offense pounded the ball with Carey punishing the interior of the defense on the ground and Ross receiving the ball out of the backfield. After a horse-collar tackle gave Heritage the ball inside the five yard line, Ross powered into the end zone. As the first quarter ended, The Hall had a commanding 30-0 lead.

With more Charger reserves trickling onto the field to play defense, the Maroons were able to move the ball into Heritage Hall territory for the first time. But their bid for points was thwarted when Carey stepped in front of a slant and burst down the sideline for an 80-yard pick six and a 37-0 lead.

Blackwell's struggles returned as the Charger defense held on downs. Carey continued his assault on the Maroons with a 60-yard sweep before punching it in from 4 yards away to stretch the HH lead to 44-0.

Still unable to move the ball effectively, the Maroons punted with 5:33 to play in the first half. The Chargers would turn to Jayden Williams to carry them into halftime. The sophomore power back started the drive with a 10 yard dash and ended it with a 4 yard score. In between, quarterback Robert Mbroh broke off an impressive 38 yard keeper. The Hall had things on cruise control with a 51-0 lead going into halftime.

The Maroons would score twice in the third and once in the fourth, but it was way to little and way to late.

The Hall's quarterbacks only attempted 8 total passes on the night, and Jobe connected on 3 of 4, all to Ross, for 52 yards. The Chargers racked up 341 yards on the ground, paced by Carey who had 9 rushes for 149 yards and 2 touchdowns.

Defensively, Heritage Hall was led by Hardy Bowers, Robert Mbroh, Mason Georgia, and Gavin Freeman who all notched 7 takedowns. Carey, Dunn, Sirls, and Conner Keith each sacked the Maroons quarterback. The defense tallied 4 takeaways on interceptions by Carey and Davis Duncan, and fumble recoveries by Keith and Preston Nelson.

The Chargers victory clinched a fifth consecutive District Championship and pushed the current win streak to 8 games. An improving Mannford Pirates squad will attempt to pillage Pop Murray Memorial Field on Senior Night on Friday at 7pm, but the Chargers are looking to finish another stellar season on a high note. Fans can catch all the action live on ChargerVision.

Onward, Chargers!

Written by Luke Steelman '93
Photos by Jake Steelman '19