Patriots see signs of optimism in shortened football season

Strong safety Kyle Basham (5) makes the tackle for Heritage High Saturday night. (Photos by Amber Garcia)

By Doug Spoon, Editor

Nothing about the 2021 spring high school football season has been normal, so why should Heritage High’s season finale have been any different?

The Patriots showed up to Rancho Verde High for Saturday night’s game, only to learn that a gas leak in the gym was suspected. The team was bused to a nearby park while the situation was assessed. After a short time, everyone was rerouted to Orange Vista High for the game.

“This year has been interesting, to say the least,” said Patriots coach Adam Contreras.

Heritage lost the game, 26-12, a closer margin than the 28-7 score by which they lost at home three weeks earlier against the same Rancho Verde team, which finished the season undefeated. In a strange abbreviated schedule in which they played RV twice in addition to a strong Murrieta Valley team, the Patriots wound up with a 2-3 record.

More important than that, several returning players got valuable playing time and everyone on the team got a valuable life experience, Contreras said.

“I’m proud of our guys for battling, for sticking around,” Contreras said about the players’ persistence during a season delayed and shortened by the COVID-19 pandemic. “They learned some life lessons about how to overcome adversity. We grew as a team; I was excited to see the way they competed against Rancho, having some success.”

Running back Kanye Young and quarterback Hayden Lara ran for touchdowns in the team’s season finale. Both players will be back next year as part of the foundation of what will be an experienced team.

“Hayden threw the ball a little toward the end,” said Contreras. “He did a really good job last game in connecting on passes where he had to thread the needle. It was good to see him thrive in that respect.”

Contreras also is excited about the return of Young (43, above) and Frank Tavake at running back for next season. Both ran aggressively and showed consistent production during the season.

Another strong point of the team when it returns for the next season in August is the offensive line, which traditionally is a strength of Heritage football. Conan Tautala has been a starter since his freshman year. Nathan Guerrero has started since his sophomore year. Damian Sanchez anchors the line at the center position, and Anthony Fraund will be back at tackle.

The defense will miss senior linemen Nigel Cash and Dylan Dickey, but Aurelius Thomas has shown promise on the line. Young, Jakob Garcia and Joseph Nunez are strong at linebacker.

In addition, Kyle Basham will be back at strong safety. Basham had two interceptions against Rancho Verde Saturday night and is a solid tackler, Contreras said.

Getting in traditional spring ball preseason workouts could be a challenge this year, because virtually all Heritage sports are competing and field time is limited. Contreras is simply pleased that the team has something on which to build heading into a new season that will begin in less than four months.

Heritage running back Frank Tavake follows the blocks of Dylan Dickey (52) and Kanye Young (43).

 Patriots quarterback Hayden Lara prepares to hand off during the game against Rancho Verde.