Seniors lead Chargers to 6th straight District title

Week nine brought a Senior Night district matchup between the Chargers and the Blackwell Maroons. Coming into the game the Hall knew that they would most likely dominate in all phases of the game.

Facing a fourth and two early in the first quarter, Coach Bogert decided to gamble and it paid off. Phillip Smitherman received a cannon of a screen pass from Jackson Jobe, broke an ankle tackle, and raced 70 yards to get his first touchdown.

The Charger defense forced a three-and-out on Blackwell's first possession.

Shortly after, Jobe found Smitherman wide open on the sideline for a big gain into the red zone. After a penalty moved the Chargers back, Jobe sliced and diced his way down to the 5 yard line. On the next play, Jobe handed off to Mbroh ran off tackle and pitched to Smitherman along the sideline to put the Chargers up 14-0.

On the Maroons next drive, A.J. Sirls blocked a punt and freshman River Faulkner scooped it up for a 20 yard touchdown to stretch the lead to 21-0 with several minutes still left in the first.

As the quarter drew to a close, sophomore Gavin Freeman leapt between Marrons to snag a 32 yard pass from Jobe for a beautiful touchdown and a 28-point lead.

The Chargers didn't skip a beat in the second quarter. Senior tailback Payton Earnest, freshman Hunter Boyer, and season leading rusher Jayden Williams pounded the ground to eat some clock and put The Hall back to the red zone. Then, Jobe threw a 14 yard strike to Harvard commit Smitherman who skyed above the defender to pull down another Charger touchdown.

Smitherman didn't stop there, using his drive and motivation to quickly score another touchdown. He received another quick screen pass from Jobe, following a team of 7 blockers along the sideline before cutting back and picking up a great block from Joe Washington to collect his 4th touchdown of the night, a 71 yarder. In a Senior Night special, Baker Burns attempt the extra point kick for the Chargers and made it to put the Hall up 42-0.

Going into halftime the Charges had lots of momentum and confidence in their ability to secure another win, but they stayed focused and aware of the task ahead.

The Charger defense played strong and kept the Maroons on their half of the field to help maintain the 42 point lead.

With a running clock in the second half, Coach Bogert decided to put in some younger players to give them experience in real game situations.

Freshman tailback K.J. Evans broke off a long run into Maroon territory. Fellow freshman Faulkner and Boyer ran aggressively for large gains and the Chargers were knocking on the door again. However, Blackwell player Ramon Dominguez recovered a fumble at the 8-yard line to fire up the visitors.

This glimmer of hope led to nowhere for the Maroons, as the stingy Charger defense almost earned a safety and ultimately kept Blackwell off the board going into the fourth.

The final quarter was a breeze for the Hall. The Chargers got good field position to start it off, and found themselves in scoring position again. The Hall couldn't capitalize after a fumbled third down snap and a fourth down screen that didn't garner enough yards to keep the drive alive.

As time expired, Blackwell's Mikey Riley connected on a 4-yard pass to Brett Lenon for the first and only touchdown of the night. Despite the lost shutout, the Chargers secured a 42-6 victory and a sixth straight district title, and 21st win in a row.

There were many overall standout players for the Chargers. Jobe finished the game 12 of 15 for 264 yards, 4 touchdowns, and 1 interception. Boyer led the rushing attack with 44 yards. Jobe also rushed for 43 yards. Smitherman had a huge night receiving with 178 yards on 4 catches, 3 of which went for touchdowns. Senior linebacker Hardy Bowers led the team in tackles with 9, but freshman River Faulkner was right behind him with 8 takedowns. The defense recorded 9 sacks, with 2 each coming from seniors Max Baetz and Connor Keith, and junior Jayden Williams.

Heritage Hall travels to Mannford this upcoming week to face the Pirates in the final district game of the season. The Pirates enter this week with a 3-6 record after their 27-13 win over Bridge Creek on Friday. With a win, the Chargers can finish the regular season undefeated at 9-0. After taking care of business, The Hall will be in the driver's seat for the road to another Gold Ball.

Onward, Chargers!!
#TheStreakReturns

Written by Quincy LeNorman '21
Photos by Dawn Freeman

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