Pictured above: The Patriots charge onto the field at Woodlan for their game last week against Woodlan in the first round of sectional play. Photo by Sabrina Innis.
MONROEVILLE, IN: After a dominating 35-0 victory last week in the first round of sectional competition against ACAC foe, Woodlan, the Patriot football team will play on home turf tonight against Garrett in the sectional semi-final.
At Woodlan, the Pats came in hot. They scored 35 points in the first half compared to Woodlan’s zero. The defense dominated the whole game. The Patriots had five interceptions and two were returned for touchdowns by Braden Walter and Caleb Abbott.
Braden Walter came down with this interception at Woodlan last week and ran it back the length of the field for a touchdown.
The Heritage defense had more return yards after interceptions than the entire Woodlan offense had during the entire game. The Pats held the Warriors to 30 passing yards and 40 rushing yards.
With the game out of reach for Woodlan, there was a running clock after halftime. The Patriots offense only was on the field for 20 plays during the first half.
The game would end with a Patriots win, 35-0, with the team jumping to a 9-1 record for the season.
Now, the Patriots are set to play a home game against the chippy Garrett Railroaders in the sectional semi-final this evening. The young Garrett squad is coming into the game with a 5-5 record.
The Pats are looking to get to 10-1 and advance to the sectional championship game for the first time since 2012. 10-1 would be something for the record books, as the best seasons in Heritage football history were the 1998 and 2004 seasons, with those teams finishing 12-1.
Senior defensive tackle Logan Teichman, when asked about how he feels headed into the game, said, “I’m super excited for a chance to make history. They [Garrett] are a dangerous team, like an injured animal, and they have nothing to lose. We know they are going to come out with some fire and we need to be ready to play. I love the feeling of knowing it's a home game and we will have tons of our fans there to support. We are undefeated at home and looking to keep it that way.”
The game will kickoff at 7:00 p.m. at Heritage.