Longhorns no match for Chargers in district opener

The Chargers made a 2-and-a-half-hour drive down I-35 to open District play at Lone Grove. Despite the Longhorns 3-0 record, Heritage Hall had high expectations coming into this one after shutting out John Marshall 43-0 the previous week.

The game started with a 5-yard touchdown run from River Faulkner, which put the Chargers up 7-0. This game was also Faulkner's first game back, and he did what fans expected him to do – play great football and dominate the game. He torched the defense all night with 12 rushes for 109 yards and two touchdowns. The senior linebacker also filled the defensive stat sheet with four tackles, two sacks, three tackles for loss...and an amazing interception of a screen pass that he took to the house.

Barrett Travis was equally impressive carrying the ball for Heritage Hall. The sophomore's incredible performance included 12 attempts for 127 yards and a pair of touchdowns.

Andy Bass completed 16 of 21 attempts for 256 yards and three touchdowns, with just one interception. Orie Walker shined once again at receiver. He finished the game with 100 yards and a touchdown on his longest receiving play, a 46 yard strike. Fellow senior Liam Burton hauled in 5 passes for 71 yards and a touchdown. Junior wideout Rashaud Smith caught the other touchdown from Bass.

The game also featured a couple of crazy plays worthy of mention.

Early in the contest, junior quarterback Andy Bass scrambled into the Lonhorn secondary, but fumbled the football. Luckily for the Chargers, the ball sprung forward and landed right into River Faulkner's hands. With nobody behind him, Faulkner turned and sprinted 32 yards for a touchdown.

At halftime, the score was 42-7. Coach Brett Bogert '05 inserted many of the team's more inexperienced players into the game for some action. One of the wildest plays most fans have ever seen in high school football happened.

Walker Nelson punted the football from our side of the field. Instead of the football going forward on the punt, it shot straight up into the sky and the wind carried it backward. Both teams were utterly shocked and confused, not knowing what to do. Coach Bogert then frantically yelled at Barrett Travis to pick up the ball and run like Forrest Gump. By the time Lone Grove figured out what was happening, it was already too late. Travis took the ball in for a 68 yard touchdown run.

Defensively, the Chargers finally featured the complete starting linebacker corps for the first time this season. Senior inside linebacker Zach Fetrow led the team with 14 tackles on the night, while season tackles leader Cooper Cookson also registered double digits with 10. Junior cornerback Jordyn Harris snagged an interception in pass defense.

Carter Counts on his spectacular night of kicking. In his first season as a starter, Counts was a perfect 6 for 6 on PATs and was superb on his kicking. He racked up 386 yards total for kickoff with one touchback. Counts has yet to attempt a field goal on the season.

The final score of the game was 57-14. The Chargers completely dominated from the starting whistle to the end. Heritage Hall's offense amassed a total of 516 yards – 256 passing and 260 rushing. It is safe to say the Chargers did their thing in the air and on the ground.

Next up for Heritage Hall is a Homecoming showdown against Pauls Valley. The coronation ceremony is slated for 6:30 p.m. and kickoff will follow at 7:00 p.m. All the "Myths and Legends" Homecoming action can be watched live or on-demand, courtesy of the ChargerVision crew.

Onward, Chargers!

Written by K.B. Beck '24
Photos by Dawn Freeman

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