Everyone Gets into the Act in Heritage's 56-7 Victory

Heritage football coach Kraig Broach addresses the team after it completed another perfect league season Friday night.

The latest stop on the Heritage High School victory tour was truly a family affair Friday night.

Having watched the starters dominate the competition week after week, the Patriots' reserve players took advantage of an opportunity to show their stuff in the final three quarters of a 56-7 rout of host Lakeside in the regular-season finale.

Handed a 21-0 lead over an outmanned Lakeside team to start the second quarter, some eager second- and third-string players showed just how much depth Heritage has. Sophomore running backs Cornelius Holifield, Jayden Dawson and Dylan Morris ran for touchdowns and members of the backup defensive units excelled as Heritage completed a 10-0 regular season.

How well equipped are the Patriots to keep building on the success they've shown in recent years? Well, the entire football program went through the regular season undefeated. The varsity, junior varsity and freshman teams all finished 10-0.

As for the varsity squad, it enters next week's CIF playoffs with a state-best 20-game winning streak after completing its fifth consecutive perfect Sunbelt League season. The Patriots, who won the Central Division CIF championship last fall, were placed in the Inland Division this year and will find out their first-round playoff opponent on Sunday.

Patriots coach Kraig Broach certainly had nothing to complain about after a game in which his team piled up 341 yards total offense in the first half alone, featuring first-quarter touchdowns by Isaiah Morrow (53-yard TD reception, 15-yard run) and CJ Newman (38-yard TD reception) and a 90-yard kickoff return for a touchdown by Aleva Hifo in the second quarter.

"The players just took care of business," Broach said. "The most pleasing thing was that a number of kids got an opportunity to play. It was very rewarding to see them execute.

"They took responsibility and they owned up and did their job, and they did it well. Just watching guys who don't normally get an opportunity go in there and do well ... that was fun to see."

Quarterback Brett Virgil once again handled the offense effectively, even though he wasn't left in for long. He passed for 131 yards in less than two quarters. Meanwhile, the Heritage defense held Lakeside (0-5, 2-8) to 67 yards total offense in the first half. The second half was played with a running clock.

So having dispatched of every opponent in their path this season, the Patriots now have a week to get ready for a first-round home playoff game and begin a bid for another CIF title.

"The attitude's been great," Broach said about his players. "Playoff time is really a time to focus. You can't look outside who we're playing that night. We just have to be ready to play our best football next Friday night."

Sophomore Jayden Dawson scores on a 1-yard touchdown run in the second quarter Friday night.