Elsinore proves to be too much for Heritage, 37-17

By Paige Mendez, Correspondent

The Heritage High School football team lost its first league match-up of the season at Elsinore High Friday night, 37-17.

The host Tigers (3-3) found their way into the end zone within the first minute after forcing a Patriot fumble and recovering it on the Heritage 16-yard line. They only needed one play to run it in and be the first on the scoreboard.

Josiah Smith brought the Patriots (0-6) into the red zone on the first play after that kickoff, though, with a 90-yard run to start their next drive. But even though he got them to first and goal at the 6-yard line, Heritage couldn’t convert that into a touchdown.

Luckily their kicker, senior Isaac Ahmed, was in position to kick a field goal and still get them on the board.

Elsinore scored two more times before halftime, going into the third quarter with a 21-3 lead.

The Patriots defense seemed to wake up in the third quarter and forced a punt in seven plays from Elsinore, but the Tigers turned it right around and forced a Patriot punt that was blocked in the end zone, resulting in a safety and increasing the lead to 23-3.

The Heritage defense was still wide awake, putting up an impressive fourth-down stop at their own 5-yard line, resulting in the first forced turnover on downs for Elsinore on the night.

The offensive line took that momentum from the defense and put up some crucial blocks for Smith on the very next play, a 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown to bring the score to 23-10.

“It felt good to make that play,” said Smith, who ended the night with 282 yards for his team. “But honestly, with the work I put in, I expect it.”

Head coach Rich McClure said Smith’s performance was something he has been waiting for.

“We’ve been challenging him and hoping to see him get to this level,” McClure said. “I think he’s grown a lot as a path runner and it’s nice to see his improvement.”

The Tigers had another touchdown on their next drive that was answered by another touchdown from Smith for Heritage, leaving the Patriots with a two-possession deficit with just under nine minutes left of game time.

But a quick Elsinore score in their next drive, followed by a forced Patriot punt, sealed the deal on the Tigers’ win.

McClure said overall he is proud of the improvement from a team made up of mostly underclassmen who are playing both JV and varsity football in order to learn the game more.

“We have them playing Thursday and Friday nights and that is really helping them grow a lot in the sport,” he said. “They’re starting to notice things on the sideline and in the other games and overall I’m proud of where they have come to and where they are at. It’s all about self discipline.”

On top of Smith’s performance on the night, McClure said he looked most fondly at the offensive linemen who put the team in position to make a comeback, even if that’s not how it panned out.

“This is a game decided by your offensive line and they did a great job tonight,” he said.

Offensive lineman Andrew Mercado said he wants people to realize how important his line is to this game.

“We’re the most important position in this sport,” Mercado said. “Honestly I feel like the whole line has improved so much since last season and we set the tone for this team.”

That tone was set most clearly in the second half of the game, where they outgained their first half performance by 35 percent.

The Patriots are looking to continue that improvement in their homecoming game against Temescal Canyon next Friday at 7 p.m.