When and Where:
3A #1 Heritage Hall (3-1) vs 3A #2 John Marshall (4-0)
September 28 (Fri) 7:00 PM
Taft Stadium in Oklahoma City

Game Notes:
Heritage Hall played well last Thursday in their victory over Mount St. Mary, a team struggling in the midst of a rebuilding year. Heritage Hall must regain their focus, however, as they now turn to prepare for a much more prestigious program in John Marshall this week. The Chargers defeated the Bears in their opening game of 2017 and carried that success throughout the entire year, completing a perfect 14-0 season and taking home the 4A state title. Heritage's big victory got them off to a hot start, which gave the team some much needed confidence to win every game and eventually win the gold ball. Despite the crushing loss, John Marshall rebounded well and rattled off 14 consecutive wins in route to a 3A state championship, their first since 1995. Currently sitting at 4-0 in 2018, the Bears will be carrying their 18 game winning streak and a lot of momentum into Taft Stadium on Friday with vengeance on the mind.

Not only is this week's contest a matchup of defending state champions, but it is also a monumental district game for both sides. Heritage and John Marshall are two of the top teams in all of 3A, as they are ranked #1 and #2 respectively, yet unluckily find themselves together in the same eight team district. There's almost no doubt that both schools will play their way into the postseason, but the result of Friday's game could potentially decide the champion of this top heavy district. If there's not already enough pressure, a Bear victory could snap the Hall's streak of four district titles in a row. All eyes will be on the #1 ranked Chargers as they attempt to pick up a statement win over John Marshall and gain a stronghold over the district.

Player Spotlight:
In 2017, the Bears' offense was extremely run heavy, mainly led by superstar Devonte Lee. The running back rushed for 2,175 yards and 35 touchdowns just last year while leading the team to their first state title in 22 years, and nearly totalled an incredible 6,700 yards and 90 scores over his entire career. Lee went on to play at Nevada University and will always be known as one of the most dominant running backs in Oklahoma history. Since his departure, the John Marshall offense has gone through a complete makeover and now features a dangerous air raid passing attack. Jarod Leviston returns as the starting quarterback in 2018, but has made drastic improvements in order to make this new look offense possible. Through the first four games, Leviston has thrown for 961 yards and 17 touchdowns with only three interceptions. The senior has been even better as of late, passing for 13 total scores in just the last two weeks combined. Leviston's great play and leadership has been the biggest reason why their offense has found so much success and is averaging 62 points per game so far. In the Bears' 41-20 defeat to Heritage Hall last year, Leviston had a more than below average performance. He completed 5/17 passes for just 15 yards, along with a crucial pick six in the second half to give the Chargers the lead. Leviston's inability to throw the pigskin allowed Heritage to solely focus on Lee's rushing attack, and may have cost his squad the game. The John Marshall quarterback will surely be wanting to turn his play around and may be the X-factor for the Bears in this year's matchup.

On the outside, Leviston has found his favorite target in sophomore Bryce Stephens. The wide receiver has displayed talent beyond his years, racking up 314 receiving yards and six touchdowns on the season.

Injury Report:
After getting some much needed rest in the blowout victory over Mount St. Mary last week, as well as an extra day off due to the early Thursday game, the Chargers appear to be back at full strength. Will Dunn and Connor Keith have both dealt with their fair share of injuries thus far, but are now back on the field and have absolutely shined on defense. Dunn, who has seen a lot of time on the defensive line recently, was a monster against the Rockets, as he recorded eight total tackles, including a pair for loss. The junior was even able to take a few snaps at quarterback again, which is relieving to see after a two week hiatus from the position. Linebacker Connor Keith has also returned to being a stabilizing force in stopping the run and made 11 total tackles last week.

Unfortunately for the Chargers, some news has come out of practice this week that could be a cause for concern. Out of seemingly nowhere, multiple players, including Billy Ross Jr. and Preston Nelson, have come down with some sort of illness over the past few days and will likely be dealing with its effects on Friday. We know the Chargers are tough and will attempt to play through whatever has been bothering them, but it will be interesting to see if these illnesses have an effect on the outcome of the game.

Overview:
John Marshall has jumped out to a super fast start in 2018, having won all four of their games so far in easy fashion. The Bears are defeating their opponents by an average of 55 points and have yet to score under 46 points in a single contest. Although the competition that John Marshall has faced may not be as tough as the Chargers' schedule, their complete domination is nevertheless impressive. Despite losing the historic Devonte Lee and others from their state championship squad, the Bears will definitely be a tough challenge for the Chargers on Friday.

This Heritage Hall offense, however, is nothing like what John Marshall has seen to this point in 2018. The Chargers possess weapons all over the field and a dynamic quarterback in Robert Mbroh, who seems to be getting more comfortable with the offense every week. In the Mount St. Mary game, Mbroh was very efficient with the ball, missing his target only twice on 12 total passes, and finished the contest with 138 passing yards and a touchdown. The sophomore only rushed the ball once against the Rockets, but may have to utilize his ability to run more against a better John Marshall defense. The Bears will also certainly have their eyes on Conner Carey, who has put together an amazing 2018 campaign. The versatile senior had a huge game against the Bears in 2017 and led the Hall to victory when he came down with nine receptions for 174 yards and a score. Carey and Mbroh will both need to be on top of their game in order for the Chargers to have success against the Bears.

Defensively, it will be key for Heritage Hall to slow down the Bears' passing attack and limit their amount of big plays. The defensive line may be the most important unit for the Chargers on Friday, because they must get pressure on Leviston in the backfield and not allow him a clean pocket to scan the defense when passing. Defensive linemen Jaden McDaniel and Melvin Swindle both played well last week, and will play big roles against the Bears. Defensive back Philip Smitherman, who made 10 tackles on Thursday, must be locked in all night too, as he is a key cog in the team's pass defense.

In order for the Chargers to take home the victory, they must play their cleanest ballgame of the year after facing some serious turnover and penalty problems so far. The Hall must let John Marshall be the team to make the mistakes, especially after they had an insane 20 penalties for almost 200 yards in their victory last week over Bridge Creek. If the Chargers are able to avoid shooting themselves in the foot and take advantage of the Bears' mistakes, then they should be able to pick up an impressive win.

Written by Jake LeForce '19
Photos by Cindy Ritchie / more at crpics.com