Heritage High School: December 2011 Archives

Summit won the school's first-ever CIF title in any sport, defeating Menifee Heritage 24-17 in the Eastern Division football championship game on Saturday night at Heritage. QB Bernard Porter's 5-yard touchdown run with 8:33 to play snapped a 17-17 tie and sent Summit to victory.

Here are some stats, notes and observations, much of which didn't make it into my story.

First, the stats:
SUMMIT
Sr. Jamaal Williams 16-187 rushing, 1 TD
Sr. Donte Deayon 13-66, 0 TD, 1 reception-10
Sr. QB Bernard Porter 1-4-0, 10 yards passing, 9-23 rushing, 1 TD
Jr. Tarik Myles 5-29, 1 TD before leaving with an injury.
Total yards: 315
First downs: 12
Penalties: 4-20
Fumbles-lost: 4-1

HERITAGE
Sr. QB Chad Virgil 8-14-0, 120 yards passing 0 TD, 0 INT, but 2-6 for 46 yards in the second half.
Jr. RB Jamal Morrow 23-carries, 113 yards, 1 TD
Sr. FB Tony Hifo, who at 5-10, 255, was talked up by many before the game as the second coming of Mike Alstott. He was a nonfactor on offense with six carries for 5 yards.
Total yards: 281
First downs: 13
Penalties 4-22
Fumbles-lost 2-1

Key moments:

1. Late in the second quarter, Summit was protecting a 10-7 lead and looking to extend it to 17-7, when Deayon fumbled and Heritage recovered on the Heritage 4 with 2:49 left in the half. Two plays later, Morrow fumbled and Summit's Charles Okonkwo recovered at the Heritage 9. The two turnovers were the only two in the game. Two plays later, Jamaal Williams scored to make it 17-7 with 1:09 left in the half.


2. Now trailing 17-7, Heritage drove down the field for a first-and-goal at the 2 after Summit misplayed a long pass into a 28-yard completion to the 2. After one pass was barely called incomplete in the end zone, only 2.8 seconds remained. Summit coach Tony Barile called timeout, to set up a field goal block. Instead given more time to think about it, Heritage coach Kraig Broach decided to go for it and Morrow scored on a 2-yard run on the final play of the half to make it 17-14.


3. Heritage took its second drive of the second half from its 19 to a fourth-and-1 at the Summit 13. Broach decided to go for it, and Morrow's 4-yard run made it a first-and-goal at the 9. But after Hifo ran for 2 yards, Morrow was thrown for a three-yard loss to the 10 on a hit by Summit's Cody Pantages. Looking to avoid a costly turnover, Heritage kept it conservative on third down and Morrow only got to the 9. Deciding it was too far to try to go for it on fourth down again, Heritage then had Logan Nutter's successful 26-yard field goal to make it 17-17 with 10:29 to play in the game.


4. I'm not sure if this was intentional or not, but Heritage then kicked very short on the kickoff. The ball eventually was pitched to Deayon, who ran about 40 yards back to the Heritage 40. Four plays later, Porter was in the end zone with a go-ahead score. Heritage's next drive was a three-and-out so when Heritage got the ball back with 3:04 to play, it was panic time. And the panic did not win.