RALEIGH — Heritage threw a scare into Leesville Road when they met in the regular season.
But the Pride would have none of that in the first round of the state 4AA football playoffs Friday, as undefeated Leesville blasted the Huskies 43-13.
Leesville (11-0) put the game out of reach in the first half. The Pride only had four possessions in the first two quarters but led 36-0 at intermission.
“We came out with a little bit of fire in us,” Leesville junior Braxton Berrios said. “They gave us our closest game of the season [17-14] so we wanted to come out and show our colors tonight and I feel like we did.”
While the defense held the Huskies to 52 yards in the first half, the Pride offense attacked with balance. Kamir Bowen scored first on a 17-yard run and then Berrios notched his first of three scores on a 9-yard run. Berrios then returned a fumble 50 yards for another score.
After Berrios added a 53-yard touchdown run, De’Rahjai Robinson out jumped a Heritage defender to pull in a pass from quarterback Evan Parker and he went the final five yards for a 44-yard touchdown play and the 36-0 lead.
“We really didn’t do a whole lot different than our previous game with them, just executed better,” said Leesville coach Chad Smothers. “Maybe the kids came out with a little something to prove. They weren’t real happy with the way they played a couple of weeks before and came out and redeemed themselves.”
“Dealing with an offense like Heritage, defense is about assignments and discipline and we played well on defense tonight,” Smothers added. “Our ends, Michael Williams and Selo Kuvuna, and linebackers, Kamir Bowen, Tucker Bell, and Brock Pyper, all did a good job. We played good assignment football.”
Heritage, with its first senior class, made the playoffs for the first time and finished the season 6-6.
“Leesville is a very good football team and we’re an up and coming football team,” Huskies coach Jason McGeorge said. “We had a very successful year and we’ll get better. I’m very proud we played until the end and these seniors mean a lot to Heritage HIgh School.”
Leesville faces Middle Creek in the second round.
