Division 3 Region C Championship
Heritage avenges earlier loss with 22-17 win over LCA in regional finals
Williams Stadium, Liberty University, Lynchburg, VA – Under the bright lights of Liberty University, Heritage high school took the Region 3C championship from the powerhouse that is LCA. The Pioneers came close to a victory earlier in the season but fell 14-6. Bulldog Sophomore RB 8 Gideon Davidson played a key role in that win, but the sensational talent suffered a season ending ankle injury in LCA’s only regular season loss to EC Glass. In this contest the points went on the board in somewhat unconventional ways. LCA jumped out to an early lead after K 15 Ryan Pettit booted in a 28-yard field goal and added another two points when a high-snap forced Heritage’s QB 9 Hov Bateman to redirect his kick out of the end-zone for a safety, 5-0 LCA. Pioneer head coach Brad Bradley made some adjustments, scoring after DB 1 Dimitri Jones picked off Bulldog QB 7 Joe Borchers pass and trucked his way 31-yards to the LCA 44 yard line. The Pioneers offense did the rest, culminating in a Bateman TD for a 5-6 lead. The next two drives were polar opposites of each other. LCA opted for a ground and pound approach, with RB 2 Justice Belford picking up 45-yards over 5 carries and the score. Heritage took to the air with Bateman completing five of nine passes for 66-yards, ending with a TD pass to WR 6 Elijah Tucker. When the fourth quarter rolled around, Heritage struck first via a high-light reel, 43-yard TD run by Bateman to put Heritage up 11-22 with 3:20 left in the game. But there’s not quit in LCA and the Bulldogs quickly picked 65-yards, capping off the drive with a Borchers TD pass to WR 11 Dalton Nesselrote to make it 22-17. LCA had one last chance to win but their last attempts fell incomplete in the end zone. “This was very personal for us,” Heritage’s Coach Bradley said, “They’ve got a great football program, great coach… but this [Heritage] group is different and we came here and won a championship.” – Graham Whitaker
