Brookville set to host rival Heritage

When Brookville and Heritage staged a Week 10 high school football showdown last fall, the Bees were decided underdogs against the undefeated Pioneers, who lost three of their final four games, starting with a 28-21 upset by Brookville at City Stadium.

Tonight, the roles are reversed as it’s the Bees who are unbeaten at 9-0, ranked No. 1 in the Associated Press Group AA state poll and no worse than a No. 2 seed going into the Region III, Division 3, playoffs, while the Pioneers (3-5) are battling for a postseason berth in Region III, Division 4.

Heritage coach Chris Jones is approaching tonight’s contest as a playoff game, knowing the Pioneers must beat the Bees and Amherst next week at home to have a chance to advance.

“Mathematically, we’re still in the playoffs,” Jones said. “We have to beat both teams. We’re going to come in there with some energy and excitement and try to get it done.”

But he realizes it’s going to be an uphill battle against a team loaded with size, speed and talent.

“They have more speed and more experience on both sides of the ball (and) they’ve got weapons all over the field,” Jones said. “We’re going to have to contain those guys, not give up the big play and make them earn what they get.”

In last season’s clash, the Bees utilized a few big plays on short passes from quarterback Logan Thomas to speedy receivers Chad Mason and Lorenzo Smith among others to take a 28-7 advantage before holding off a furious fourth-quarter Heritage rally.

“They got us last year and probably shouldn’t have,” Jones said. “We’re hoping to do the same. We’re their last obstacle in the way of being undefeated.”

That would be the first time in 37 years for the Bees, who are seeking their first Seminole District title since sharing it with Liberty in 2001.

Woody is anticipating a serious challenge.

“The past three years, we’ve had battles with Heritage,” he said.

The Pioneers won 23-20 in 2006 and 21-14 in 2005. Though it graduated many of its top skill position players and most of its linemen from last year’s team, Woody believes Heritage is fully capable of pulling off the upset.

“They’re going to be tough to beat,” he said. “They’ve got speed and their running back (James Carter) is hard to bring down. They’re a scrappy ballteam. They’re physical. They’ll get in there and hit you. Coach Jones finds something that works and he’s going to hammer it home. We’ve just got to make sure that we take away what they do best.

“We’ve got to match their intensity,” he added. “We’ve got to play our game.”

The Pioneers have self-destructed in a few if not all of their losses.

“Watching them play on film, it’s been one or two mistakes that have prevented them from getting wins,” Woody said.

Jones said Heritage obviously can’t afford to do that tonight at Stinger Stadium.

“We’ve yet to play an entire game without mistakes and we hope to accomplish that this week,” he said.

Brookville doesn’t have a lot to play for other than the 10-0 season, bragging rights against its Timberlake Road rival and momentum going into the playoffs. It has already clinched the top seed in the Region III, Division 3, playoffs and will have two weeks off before beginning its quest to get back to the Group AA state semifinals.

“That’s helpful,” Woody said. “We’ve got some guys that are banged up.”

That includes area-leading rusher Stacey Houston, who injured his left ankle on his last carry against Liberty two weeks ago and didn’t play at Staunton River last week.

“Stacey’s practicing, (but) at the same time, his practices are limited,” Woody said. “He’s jogging and catching passes.”

With backups such as Smith and sophomore Ben Simmons, who rushed for nearly 150 yards against the Golden Eagles, the Bees might not need him.