Heritage puts it all together in Menifee Bowl victory, 47-10
PUHSD superintendent Grant Bennett congratulates coach Andre Smith and the players for winning the Menifee Bowl. (Photo by Doug Spoon) By Do...
By Doug Spoon, Editor
The streak continues – but it wasn’t really about that.
Both the Heritage High and Paloma Valley High football teams are in rebuilding mode. These players were in elementary school at the peak of Menifee Bowl madness, when Heritage was first starting to build a perfect record that improved to 11-0 in this rivalry game. They likely had more important things on their mind Friday night.
Things like showing their coaches they are developing into a team that can compete for a league title, that can show improvement each week, that can adapt to a new head coach and new expectations.
Yes, there was that city trophy the Patriots held high after being presented it by Perris Union High School District superintendent Grant Bennett. The final outcome was a 47-10 victory for Heritage, and a celebration was held on the opponent’s field. But there was a sense that the real victory on this night was in how the Patriots showed that everything is coming together just in time, with Ivy League play beginning next week.
The defense was solid, as it has been in most games this year, even though Heritage’s record is just 2-4 heading into next week’s league opener at home against Temescal Canyon. While the offense has come along more slowly in adapting to coach Andre Smith’s new system, the defense has been a strength – and this game was no different.
After giving up a long scoring drive ending in Paloma running back Stephen Gallegos’ 3-yard touchdown run late in the first quarter to fall behind 7-0, the Patriots defense tightened and refused to give up another TD. Paloma Valley’s only other score was a 30-yard field goal by Diego Guerra late in the second quarter.
Otherwise, moving the ball against Heritage was a challenge for the host Wildcats, a young team that is still looking for its first win heading into next Friday’s home Sunbelt League opener against North High of Riverside. Against an aggressive Patriot defensive rush, Wildcats quarterback Noah Howard often had to scramble to get free, and many of his passes missed the mark. Unfortunately, one of his connections was with Heritage linebacker Kanye Young, who returned an interception 35 yards for a touchdown and a 27-10 lead in the final minute of the first half.
Heritage came up with another interception in the end zone to end a Paloma Valley threat in the third quarter. Other Wildcat possessions ended in punts, and their final possession ended in a fumble in the final seconds.
Meanwhile, Heritage’s offense showed more balance than it has in previous games. Smith’s desire to bring the passing game more into focus was evident in the play of quarterback Hayden Lara, who completed 8 of 10 passes for 120 yards and one touchdown, a 19-yard toss to Akillis Sio. That was an impressive complement to the rushing of Jason Chupany, who carried 15 times for 82 yards and 4 touchdowns in what could be called his breakout game. Jaylen Tanniehill also scored a touchdown for the Patriots on a 29-yard run.
Jason Chupany ran for 82 yards and 4 touchdowns in the Patriots' win over Paloma Valley. (Photo by Kristi Jo Aguirre)
“I thought we did some good things on offense,” Smith said. “We’re trying to develop that passing game, and Hayden Lara did some good things tonight. We have a great defense, the guys play hard … they’ve bought into a lot of things that are working for us.
“We have a lot of guys who didn’t get a ton of playing time last year. Chupany’s a guy who was a JV player last year. He’s a dynamic football player. We saw that in the San Pedro game (a 21-16 loss last week), and it’s all about getting your best guys the ball.”
Sometimes it’s about putting your best guys on the other side of the ball. Young, who played a lot of running back last year in addition to linebacker, is excelling now that Smith has him playing defense exclusively.
“Kanye Young is a Division 1 guy,” Smith said. “I told him, ‘You’re not going to play running back this year. You’re going to be a great defensive player.’ And he is.”
Young agreed that the move has paid off for him.
“Playing one side of the ball gives me more time to catch my breath,” Young said. “It gives me a lot more energy. We’re starting to pull together. Defense -- that’s my goal.”
