Many head coaches shy away from Week 1 matchups with tough opponents. Brett Bogert '05 has no fear in that regard.

To kick off the 2023 season, the defending Class 3A champs and preseason favorite Chargers hosted the Millwood Falcons, last year's Class 2A state runner-up and preseason number one team. The stage was set for an epic showdown between cross-town rivals.

The Falcons tried some trickery to open the game, but the onside kickoff was recovered by Bladen Vogel.

Just days after announcing his commitment to play football at the University of Oklahoma, quarterback Andy Bass took command of the offense. The senior traded carries with Barrett Travis as The Hall moved the ball with ease, then put the ball in the air. Rashaud Smith hauled in a quick throw and made a nifty move on the sideline to get the Chargers into the red zone. On the next play, Bass threw back across the field on a tight end screen to Rhett Davis who lumbered into the end zone for the first score of the game. Cal Welker tacked on the extra point.

With Millwood facing a third and short, defensive end Zavier Freeman was able to break through the line and sack C.J. Turnbull to force a punt.

After a Chargers three-and-out, Turnbull lofted a pass deep into the red zone area, but Rashaud Smith hawked the ball and hauled in an interception to ground the Falcons.

On the next play, Bass exploded through a huge hole in the middle of the line and showed off his state championship speed, racing 90 yards for a touchdown. However, a downfield holding penalty brought the play back. It didn't take long for the Chargers to erase the mistake though, as Bass found Harris behind the Millwood secondary for an 89-yard scoring strike. The Falcons stuffed the two-point rushing attempt, though, and The Hall had a 13-0 lead late in the 1st quarter.

The Charger defense continued to dominate, as Bladen Vogel made a tackle for loss on first down and Carter Counts blew up a receiver to dislodge a second down pass. The Hall linebackers sniffed out a third down screen, and the Falcons had to punt once again.

After chewing up the remainder of the first quarter clock, the Charger offense struck again one play into the second frame. Bass spun out of trouble, rolled to his right, and dropped a perfect pass into the hands of Smith in the back corner of the end zone. A Cal Welker extra point made it 20-0 Chargers.

With Millwood desperately trying to get star-receiver Jaden Nickens involved, the Heritage Hall defense cranked up the pressure and forced another three-and-out.

On fourth down from the Millwood 46-yard line, Bass found a wide open Welker on a slip-out pass to keep the drive alive. A few plays later, Bass broke a tackle in the backfield and darted into the end zone for a 27-0 advantage.

The visitors finally got some offensive momentum, breaking into the red zone just before the half, but were unable to score after penalties derailed their drive and the clock ran out.

Following halftime adjustments, the Falcons came out scratching and clawing as speedster Xzavier Thompson broke an early tackle and found the sideline, appearing to be en route to a touchdown before narrowly stepping out of bounds at the 45 yard line. Grinding through a slew of penalties, Millwood eventually converted a 4th and 20 on a pass to Nickens. A few plays later, the Falcons punched in their first touchdown courtesy of a short Anthony Keys touchdown run and added a 2-point conversion pass to bring the score to 27-8.

The Chargers answered quick though. Bass connected with Fuller on a long pass into the red zone, then punched in a short touchdown run. Welker booted in the PAT and The Hall held a 34-8 lead.

The teams continued trading penalties, as the referees made their mark in the game. Trailing as time continued to dwindle, Millwood went in "four downs" mode sidelining their punt unit and going for it on 4th down. The Charger defense was up to the challenge and took the ball back on downs.

Bass ran for a first down, then found Knowles on a crossing pattern for a first down, and then nearly scored from outside the red zone before being knocked down at the 2 yard line. The senior quarter turned and handed of to Travis to punch in the Charger touchdown. The PAT was moved back on a penalty, which resulted in a rare and narrow extra point miss by Cal Welker and a 40-8 lead heading to the 4th quarter.

The Falcon quarterback began to find his rhythm connecting with Nickens and Chance Davis on passes, and finishing the drive with his legs. After a 2 point conversion, Millwood trailed 40-16. On the ensuing Charger drive, the Falcons capitalized on a rare fumble by Bass and Thompson lobbed a pass high to Nickens who pulled down the ball in the end zone to close the gap to 40-24.

However, Bass took the field looking to redeem himself and slam the door on a Millwood comeback – and did just that. After a few penalties, and clock-churning runs by Travis, Bass found Welker in the flat and the wideout carried the ball back into the red zone. On the next play, Bass ran right, weaved back to the left, made a sharp up-field cut, trucked a Falcon defender near the goal line, and fell forward to paydirt. The highlight reel touchdown run put the game on ice for The Hall, as they went onward to victory, 47-24.

Bass finished the game an efficient 21 of 28 passing, for 346 yards and three touchdowns. He connected with six different Charger receivers. Jordyn Harris was the top target on the night. The senior wideout hauled in 11 passes for 111 yards, including the 89-yard touchdown reception early in the game. Cal Welker (4 receptions, 66 yards), Carter Knowles (4 receptions, 34 yards), and Boston Fuller (3 receptions, 49 yards) emerged as new targets this season for Bass. 

Bass led the rushing attack, amassing 90 yards and three touchdowns on 14 carries. Travis carried a heavy load with 11 carries for 70 yards and a score.

Defensively, Jordyn Harris recorded 10 stops from his cornerback position, while Travis, Welker, and Hillman Browne tallied 6 tackles each to lead the Chargers. Freeman notched two sacks on the night and Jack Harris made two tackles for loss. Smith's interception was the lone takeaway in the contest.

The Kickoff Week classic offered a strong test for the Chargers to open the season, which they passed with flying colors. Now, Heritage Hall will travel west to face a new and more physical challenge at Clinton. Last year, the Red Tornadoes ended the The Hall's 37-game home winning streak and were the only team to beat the Chargers in 2022 with a 28-7 win at The Pop.

Bogert's boys will be on a quest to get revenge when they storm the Tornado Bowl on Friday night at 7:30. The game will be livestreamed on ChargerVision at hhchargers.tv; join Paul Jackson '87 and Lance Keller for pregame at 7:10pm and stick around to watch another epic showdown in a highly competitive series between Heritage Hall and Clinton.

Onward, Chargers!