The first half wasn’t pretty, but Heritage exploded for 27 unanswered points in the second half and cruised past Staunton River, 40-3, Saturday at City Stadium, snapping a five-game losing streak.
“It’s been a long dry spell for us,” Heritage coach Chris Jones said. “The first half we were sloppy but I’m proud of that second half.”
The Pioneers (3-5, 2-2 Seminole) were flagged 12 times in the first half for 85 yards. They also had their only turnover, a fumbled exchange between quarterback and running back, in the first half.
Even on its first score, Heritage wasn’t crisp as quarterback O’Shawn Bryant lost the handle on the ball before snatching it out of the air and running 17 yards. Stefan Phelps added the extra point for a 7-0 lead with 52.7 seconds left in the first quarter.
Staunton River (0-7. 0-3) answered with its best drive of the game. The Golden Eagles marched 59 yards on 16 plays to set up Stephen Hardy’s 20-yard field goal.
But the Pioneers wasted no time in answering as Montez Hamlett took the first play from scrimmage straight up the gut and exploded through the secondary untouched for a 51-yard touchdown run.
“It was just speed,” Hamlett said. “I was just looking for that touchdown and wanted to put some points on the board.”
Even with all the mistakes, Heritage still took a 13-3 lead into halftime.
Staunton River got the second-half kickoff, but fumbled the ball away to the Pioneers.
Heritage needed four plays to cover the 34 yards as Hamlett’s 32-yard run set up his 3-yard TD plunge.
The Pioneer quarterbacks took turns completing TD passes to Lawrence Blake on fourth down for the next two scores.
Bryant connected with Blake for a 43-yard score before James Womack hit him on a 46-yard pass that made it 34-3 after the PAT by Phelps.
Blake finished with four receptions for 93 yards and two scores. Hamlett accounted for the final score with a 35-yard dash.
“I’m just glad we got the win after losing all those games,” said Hamlett, who finished with 169 yards and three touchdowns on just 10 carries.
“We’ve got two tough games left with Brookville and Amherst,” Jones said. “There will be a lot pats on the back for the good stuff tonight but we’ve got to continue to work. We’re not eliminated (from the playoffs) yet, but we’ve got to win the last two games for sure.
“We need to play with a sense of pride,” he added. “It’s been a difficult season, but you learn from those difficulties in life and I’m proud that we’ve played hard every game.”
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