Pirates fail to plunder Chargers 22-game win streak

The Chargers faced the 3A Mannford Pirates in road trip battle that was the final regular season game of the year. The Hall took control of the Pirates early with a characteristic fast start.

On the first Charger posssesion, Jackson Jobe threw a 31 yard pass to Joe Washington to get the Chargers on the board. After a failed two-point conversion attempt, Coach Bogert's boys held a 6-0 lead.

On the next drive, the Chargers went "razzle dazzle." Jobe lasered a quick pass to Washington, who tossed the ball to Payton Earnest running down the sideline for a hook-and-lateral touchdown. Experimenting with unconventional two-point conversion attempts didn't work out, as the Chargers couldn't punch it in and settled for a 12-0 lead.

The Pirates continued to struggle throughout the rest of the first quarter and couldn't get their offense going. The aggressive Charger defense punished the Pirate ball-carriers and broke up several pass attempts.

The second quarter started well when Jobe threw a 45 yard cannon to Phillip Smitherman push the lead to 19-0 after a Luke Butler extra point.

Mannford broke loose on a 54 yard touchdown pass to stop the bleeding, but it was only temporary.

Smitherman didn't let this phase him he hauled in another 45 yard pass from Jobe for his second touchdown of the night, eclipsing the 1,000 yard receiving mark for the season.

Playing with a 26-7 lead, a confident Charger defense reasserted their dominance.

Inspired by the defense's physical play, junior tailback Jayden Williams went on a 9 yard power run to put the Hall up 33-7. Williams kept his momentum on the next drive en route to another tough 4 yard run to score the final touchdown of the half and go into the locker room with 40-7 advantage.

Heading into this game the Chargers knew that younger players would probably earn significant playing time – and they did in the second half. Fans caught a glimpse into the future of Heritage Hall football.

In the third quarter the Charger youth held their own against the Pirates. Neither team managed to score. The defense really stepped up and built some depth by providing younger players time to play alongside experienced teammates.

The fourth quarter was no different for the Chargers, as many of the younger players gained valuable experience and veteran leaders got much needed rest for the upcoming playoffs. The Pirates finally scored again during the final minutes of the game on a 7 yard run, but the score was too little, too late.

The Chargers secured a landslide victory, 40-14, making a sixth straight District Championship official and extending the program's current win streak to 22 games. The Blue and Gold are once again playoff bound as they begin the road to the Gold Ball.

Jobe led the air raid, connecting on 11 of 18 passes for 239 yards and 3 touchdowns. Smitherman was the prime receiver, tallying 109 yards and 2 touchdowns on 4 receptions. Washington had a season best 65 yards and a score. Williams led the ground game with 7 carries for 59 yards and two touchdowns.

Defensively, sophomore athlete Gavin Freeman was all over the field, notching 6 tackles, one behind the line of scrimmage, and recovering two fumbles. For his effort, Freeman was chosen as the Texadelphia MVP on the ChargerVision broadcast. Nick Keith paced the defense with 9 tackles, while starters Hardy Bowers and Phillip Smitherman notched 8 apiece in about a half of action.

The Hall advances to the first round of the playoffs this week and is set to play the Purcell Dragons at 7:00 at Pop Murray Memorial Field. The Dragons lost a close contest to Marlow last week, and finished the regular season 5-5.

The Chargers look to go 10-0 this week and advance to the Quarterfinals of the 3A State Playoff bracket. The Hall is in reach of another Gold Ball and show no signs of slowing down.

Go Chargers!!
#thestreak
#WHATEVERITTAKES

Written by Quincy LeNorman '21
Photos by Dawn Freeman

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