Published Saturday, September 13, 2008
Heritage's well of offense dries up
The Newnan Times-Herald
Had they known at the time, the Heritage Hawks football team might have scooped a handful of points from last week's blowout win, and put them in their pocket to save for a rainy day.
They certainly were needed Friday at home in a 39-28 loss to Monroe Academy, where the Mustangs scored three unanswered times in the fourth quarter after entering the final period both trailing and going backwards.
In the process, Class A Monroe nearly reciprocated last year's 37-28 loss to the Hawks while improving its record to 1-2. Heritage equally fell to 1-2 heading into next week's first road game of the season at Young Americans Christian in Covington.
After putting up 60 points last week against Curtis Baptist, the Hawks consistently came up short offensively against the Mustangs. While senior Christopher Rich rushed for his third-straight 100-yard performance, his 104-yards effort on 19 carries came in much shorter chunks as Monroe's defensive front seemed to get the best of the war in the trenches.
The only daylight Rich seemed to find all night came on a 90-yard kickoff return in the second quarter that directly answered the Mustangs first touchdown to open Friday's scoring. On a somewhat odd night, the Hawks took the upperhand in the first and third periods, but came away without any points to show for it. The hosts were 0-for-4 on fourth down conversions in the first half, including one on a 9-play drive that ended at the Mustang 11 yard-line.
Nevertheless, ahead 14-13 at halftime, Heritage seemed to be going for the knockout punch in the third after a personal foul on the final play of the first half had the Hawks kicking off in Monroe territory. The Mustangs finished the period with minus-18 yards offense on three drives that all ended inside their own 40. But Heritage fumbled the ball back on three consecutive possessions on a quarter played entirely on Monroe's end of the field.
A game of 'hot potato' where teams combined to put the ball on the ground nine times in the third period finally seemed to go the Hawks way. The latter of two bad snaps on punt attempts with 3:14 left in the quarter was downed at the Monroe 15. As the fourth quarter opened, Rich took Heritage's third snap of the possession and scored from 4-yards out. A two-point conversion pass from John Veal to Evan Graybill put the Hawks ahead 22-13.
For all of its struggles of the third quarter, Monroe's attack suddenly exploded for 20 points in just over four minutes while needing just five plays. The Mustangs, who had been held to five offensive snaps in the opening 15 minutes of play, converted on a 54-yard catch and run from Monroe senior quarterback Aaron Purser to receiver Dean Fabian that cut the lead to 22-21 with 11:15 to play.
The Hawks fumbled a fourth time on their next play from scrimmage at their own 17 yard line. Mustangs running back Simon Colwell took the next snap the rest of the way to give the visitors its first lead of the second half, 27-22.
After being forced to punt, the Mustangs again needed one play to reach paydirt, with Trey Epperson scoring from 60-yards, the first of his two 50-plus yard scores in the closing eight minutes. Epperson finished with 137 yards rushing, only 25 of which came in the first three quarters.
Sandwiched between Epperson's long runs, the Hawks tried to rally, down 33-22. Veal and Graybill connected twice more on a nine-play drive, including a 13-yard touchdown pass with 3:47 to play, only to see Monroe run out the clock from there.
