Chargers repel Warriors in District battle

Coming off of a huge win last week, the Chargers needed to remain hungry and stay focused on a tough opponent in Anadarko. The Warriors, who moved down from 4A last year, were in the thick of the District 3A-1 title race.The Chargers were focused on executing their scouting report and tackling well.

The homecoming showdown kicked off shortly after the coronation of King Omari Smith and Queen Helen Park. The Hall started off strong.

Junior speedster Gavin Freeman received a 20 yard pass from starting quarterback Will Paque to score the first touchdown of the night. Freeman then electrified the crowd with a spin move that looked straight out of a video game en route to a 2-point conversion.

The Charger defense was fired up and that led to some major stops in the first quarter. Anadarko's physical rushing attack couldn't get rolling at all. Brigham Evans had a huge sack deep in the backfield to frazzle the Warriors with a 13 yard loss and spur the defense to a first quarter shutout. When the quarter closed, the Chargers led 8-0.

The second quarter was high scoring for the Chargers. The Hall started very strong on both sides of the ball. Sophomore wide receiver Orie Walker continued his breakout season, catching a 45 yard pass from Paque to add another touchdown.

While the defense continued to dominate, the offense rolled. K.J. Evans darted up the middle to slam into the endzone for an 8 yard touchdown run to extend the Chargers' lead to 22-0.

The Warriors finally got a little bit of momentum going as the clock wound down on the first half. Wesley Circles scored Anadarko's first touchdown of the night on a 13 yard pass from Karsen Williams to make the score 22-7.

However, the Warriors left a little bit of time on the clock and the Chargers took advantage. River Faulkner powered his way to a long gain across midfield. Then Paque threw a laser over the middle to senior receiver Ford Stephenson who caught the ball in stride and raced toward the end zone before being tripped up at the 11 yard line. After a 5 yard illegal snap penalty, junior kicker Luke Butler split the uprights on a 34 yard field goal as time expired. The defense and special teams really stepped up to propel the Chargers to a 25-7 halftime lead.

The Hall came out of the locker room and picked up right where they left off. In the first half, Heritage Hall racked up 11 penalties and was bent on fixing that issue. They also knew that the Warriors would not bow down and give up.

Early in the third quarter, Paque went back to Stephenson on a 12-yard touchdown pass to put the home team up 32-7.

As expected, the Warriors made adjustments at halftime and finally answered with a touchdown drive to make it 32-13 after a failed 2-point conversion.The third quarter drew to a close with the Chargers holding a large lead.

As the Warriors offense picked up momentum, the Charger offense struggled to pick up first downs. On their first possession of the fourth quarter, the Warriors scored on a 2 yard run to pull within two scores.

The Chargers continued to churn some clock, but the Warriors keyed on the run and came up with another stop. With good field position, Anadarko struck quickly on a 39-yard pass to add another touchdown and keep their comeback attempt on track. After running in a 2-point conversion, The Hall clung to a 32-25 lead.

The Chargers knew they needed to respond and gained good field position on a 30 yard kickoff return by Freeman. Walker hauled in a low throw from Paque on 3rd and 5 to get to the Anadarko 34 yard line. Faulkner rushed three straight times to churn the clock and then followed blocks by Omari Smith and Joe Washington to score from 19 yards out. Luke Butler booted the extra point to close the night of scoring for the Hall.

Anadarko drove, but the Charger defense held the Warriors at the goal line and closed out a 39-27 victory. The district win against the Warriors positioned The Hall in the driver's seat for the District title race.

Paque led the air attack for Heritage Hall, connecting on 10 of 17 passes for 233 yards, 3 touchdowns, and an interception. His favorite targets this week were Walker, Freeman, and Stephenson. Walker racked up 73 yards on 3 catches. Freeman sped his way to 69 receiving yards. Stephenson ended the night with 54 yards on two catches. Robert Mbroh returned to action, playing tight end much of the game, and hauled in a couple of clutch grabs for 37 yards.

Faulkner carried the load for the Chargers on the ground, amassing 88 yards on 14 attempts. Freeman carried 5 times for 35 yards and Mbroh added 15 yards on a few quarterback keepers.

A.J. Sirls was dominant on the defensive side of the football, registering 13 tackles on the night. Faulkner and Keith each tallied 11 takedowns. Brigham Evans and Mason Georgia joined Sirls in dropping Karsen Williams behind the line of scrimmage, for one sack each.

Overall, the Chargers had an exceptional game that was a complete team win. Heritage Hall stretched their season record to 6-1 and travels to Kingfisher for a Week 9 showdown that could clinch a 7th straight District Championship. Kingfisher currently sits at 5-2, but there is a huge rivalry between the two squads! Take a road trip up Northwest Expressway and bundle up to cheer your Chargers onward.

Go Chargers!!!

Writen by Quincy LeNorman '21
Edited by Luke Steelman '93
Photos by Dawn Freeman

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