Heritage Hall streaking continues

A streak was going to end in Kingfisher last Friday night.

The one that’s nearly a dozen years old stayed intact.

Heritage Hall kept itself atop the District 3A-1 standings with a 26-7 victory in Kingfisher.

The Chargers moved to 3-0 in district games and control their own fate in claiming a district title.

They’ve now won 82 consecutive district games dating back to 2013.

KHS, meanwhile, saw its four game win streak come to a halt.

The Jackets fell to 4-2 on the season and 2-1 in district games. They control their own fate, too, but only to host a first-round playoff game with a runner-up finish in the district.

They’d need help to dethrone the Chargers from the top spot.

“Winning out is definitely possible,” KHS coach Reagan Roof said. “It definitely won’t be easy, but if we can stay healthy, it’s certainly attainable.”

That trek begins this Friday night when Kingfi sher plays Star Spencer at Douglass High School’s Moses F. Miller Stadium. The Bobcats are 1-5 on the season and have lost their three district games by a combined 174-8.

The Chargers had beaten their two previous 3A-1 foes by an average of 50-13, but found themselves in a dogfight with Kingfisher well into the second half.

The visitors took the opening drive 81 yards for a touchdown and were having to grind their way to it until Hudson Ferris hit Jerrod Williams Jr. for a 44yard touchdown.

Heritage Hall was flagged for a pair of unsportsmanlike penalties on the extra-point attempt, some 30 yards that were enforced on the ensuing kickoff.

That set up Kingfisher at its own 49 and the Jackets answered Heritage Hall with a scoring drive of their own.

Jhett Birdwell hit a multitude of receivers to get KHS to the Charger 1. Birdwell plunged it in from there and the game was tied 7-7 at 3:24 of the first quarter.

Heritage Hall marched right back down the field again and went up 14-7 early in the second quarter on Max Everett’s 1-yard run.

The Jackets didn’t have an answer on their next drive and turned it over on downs at the Heritage Hall 43, but this time the defense was able to force a punt.

Kingfisher drove well into Heritage Hall territory and was threatening to tie the game late in the half with the knowledge KHS would also get the ball to start the second half.

“If we score there, it’s a different game,” Roof said. “I’m not saying we definitely go on to win, but it changes a lot of things.”

But the Jackets didn’t score. A handoff between Birdwell and Cade Hightower went awry and the Chargers pounced on the miscue.

That gave them the ball at their own 35 with 3:08 to go in the half. With 19 seconds left, Ferris connected with Rhett Davis for an 18-yard touchdown.

“Just a few plays made a huge difference in the game,” Roof said. “When they needed a big play, they got it. When we needed to, for the most part we didn’t get it.”

Further proof was on the opening drive of the second half.

Facing 4th and less than a yard at their own 30, the Jackets couldn’t get it, giving Heritage Hall the ball in great field position.

The Chargers turned it into a short scoring drive and 26-7 lead at 6:55 of the third.

Heritage Hall finished with 386 total yards, which included 219 through the air and 167 on the ground.

Kingfisher struggled to run it and picked up just 43 yards on 20 carries.

Birdwell threw for 201 yards on 17 of 31 passing.

“There were a few instances where it could have been more,” Roof said. “We had some guys running wide open down the field, but the throw was either off or we had a complete protection breakdown and didn’t have time to throw it.”

Jackson Willbanks had his best game of the season… on both sides of the ball.

He hauled in eight of Birdwell’s passes for 102 yards. He also had a teamhigh 11 tackles and a forced fumble on defense.

“He’s really coming around on the defensive side of the ball,” Roof said.

Kasen Blair added five receptions for 40 yards.

Roof said the defense is a better unit this season than he projected, despite losing starting middle linebacker Mauricio Valles to a torn ACL in the season’s first game.

Part of that is the emergence of guys like Stryker Sallee and T.J. Washington on the interior of the defensive line. Both saw extensive snaps on Friday and Washington provided a career- high 10 tackles. Sallee was in on three stops.

Hayes White also had 10 tackles while Brody Boeckman added seven.

It wasn’t a win, but there was something gained from the loss, Roof said.

“It was a good measuring stick for us,” he said. “And it showed we’re further along than maybe we thought we were.”