Heritage's regular-season winning streak ends at 40 games

Heritage running back James Phillips looks for yardage in Friday night's game against Orange Lutheran. Photo by Amber Garcia

It took a very good Orange Lutheran High School football team to do something to Heritage High that hadn't been done in four years.

The host Lancers jumped out to a 20-7 lead and held off a Heritage rally in the second half to score a 34-21 win over the Patriots Friday night at Orange Coast College. The defeat was Heritage's first in the last 41 regular-season games.

Heritage (4-1), which has never lost a Sunbelt League game, has dominated almost as completely in nonleague games in recent years. The last time the Patriots lost a regular-season game before Friday night was Sept. 20, 2013, when they were beaten by Great Oak, 43-40.

By the time Orange Lutheran scored its third touchdown of the game with a minute left in the first half, the Lancers led 20-7. The only Heritage score of that half came on an 80-yard touchdown run by Sherod White (Julian Gonzalez PAT) early in the second quarter.

Heritage scored first in the third quarter on a 5-yard TD run by quarterback Devan Freedland and PAT kick by Gonzalez. But less than three minutes later, late in the third quarter, Orange Lutheran increased its lead to 27-14 with another touchdown.

Ryan Hilinksi's touchdown run midway through the fourth quarter gave Orange Lutheran a 34-14 lead. Heritage's only other score came on a 35-year touchdown pass from Freedland to Rashoud Shelton with three minutes remaining.

Heritage has a bye next week before opening Sunbelt League play at home against Lakeside Oct. 6.