Outgunned: Heritage dominates final game of the regular season against Northwest

Published 1:32 am Saturday, November 3, 2018

RINGGOLD, Ga. — If Friday night was a playoff preview, it was the home team that looked primed for postseason football.

Heritage High School (5-5, 4-2 in Region 6-4A) defeated Northwest Whitfield (6-4, 3-3) 56-28 in a cold final game of the regular season at Jeff Sims Field.

The playoff picture is set with Heritage earning the No. 3 seed out of Region 6-4A and Northwest earning the No. 4 seed. Northwest will travel to No. 1-ranked Blessed Trinity next Friday, a team that has not lost and has been the No. 1-ranked team in class 4A all season. Northwest coach Josh Robinson said his players will focus on getting healthy leading up to the game. Heritage will play at Marist, the state’s No. 7 team in Class 4A in the latest Georgia Sports Writers Association rankings.

The Bruins led 21-14 after one quarter as both defenses struggled. Northwest scored on three of its first four possessions and the game looked to be turning into a shootout as the second quarter began. Heritage took control of the game in the second quarter, however, and outscored Northwest 42-7 during the final three quarters. Dealing with numerous injured players, the Bruins’ defense was unable to slow down the Heritage passing game that totaled 393 yards and five touchdowns.

“We didn’t cover anybody,” Robinson said after the game. “We did a decent job of stopping the run but it was just bad all the way around.”

Heritage wide receiver Nolan Letzgus looked like the best player on the field. The senior finished his final home game of his career with nine receptions for 235 yards and three touchdowns. Letzgus also had a 75-yard punt return for a touchdown called back due to a block in the back penalty and had an 80-yard kickoff return that set up the first touchdown for the Generals.

“I thought it was going to be a dogfight to the end tonight,” Letzgus said. “That’s the way we played the whole game, our whole team was fighting. It’s a lot of momentum for us heading into the playoffs, if we play like that we can play with anybody.”

Heritage took a 28-21 lead into halftime and put the game away early in the third quarter. On its first offensive play from scrimmage, running back Jeffrey Curtis hit wide receiver Chandler Hill for a 42-yard touchdown pass on a halfback pass. It was one of a number of occasions when Heritage wide receivers got behind Northwest safeties.

Northwest was able to move the ball in the first half, but Heritage stifled the Bruins’ offense after halftime. Quarterback Ty Fisher finished 13-for-24 passing for 115 yards with one touchdown and one interception, but was sacked four times in the second half. Northwest had 49 yards of offense in the second half, and its backups were in the game on the final series.

“That’s a really good defense we scored on tonight, they haven’t given up points all year,” Heritage coach E.K. Slaughter said. “I always believe in our offense but I didn’t think we’d put up 56 on them, they’re good. I’m just really proud of our staff, that’s probably the best we’ve executed a gameplan all season long and to win like this gives us a lot of momentum heading into the playoffs.”

After the game, Heritage players, coaches and fans huddled around senior Thomas Owens. Owens, who suffered a brutal knee injury two weeks ago in a game against Southeast Whitfield, was released from the hospital earlier in the day. Slaughter said it was emotional having his senior defensive leader back with the team and said that Owens was still in a lot of pain as he watched the game from a wheelchair. Players openly showed affection for their teammate following the win and Letzgus said Owens’ presence was a big factor in the victory.

“We knew he was going to make it here tonight and we decided there was no chance we were going to lose this one,” Letzgus said. “He’s a big part of this team still and always a team captain.”