Blake Kirby stood tall behind his offensive line during pregame warm-ups and stared down the field at his counterpart, Heritage Academy sophomore quarterback Mack Howard. Like old west gunslingers, both quarterbacks stared at the other warming up, looking for a tell or weakness that would help them defeat their rival. In this battle, however, it would be Heritage Academy that would have the final draw, defeating Magnolia Heights 35-21 and giving the Chiefs their first loss of the season. Magnolia Heights wasted little time, scoring early in the opening quarter to take a 7-0 lead. The advantage would be short-lived though, as Heritage linebacker Noah Maden intercepted Kirby’s pass and scampered down the Magnolia Heights sideline and into the end-zone, tying the game at 7-7 late in the first quarter. Magnolia Heights moved the ball downfield on a drive that was capped off by a Kirby touchdown strike down the middle of the field to Hunter Jones. Parker Bright’s extra point attempt was unsuccessful, leaving the score 13-7 in favor of the visiting Chiefs. Howard and the Patriots took possession of the football with 6:53 left to go in the first half of play, adding a touchdown of their own when Howard connected with Trey Naugher to give the Patriots at 14-13 lead. MHS took over on offense following a 19-yard kickoff return by Wells Finke that put the ball on the Chiefs’ 40-yard line. From there, Kirby wasted little time in connecting with Grayson Crumbley to recover the lead 19-14. A two-point conversion gamble paid off for the Chiefs and MHS regained the lead at 21-14. Two plays into Heritage Academy’s next possession, Howard connected with Miller on a touchdown pass that would tie the contest at 21 apiece at halftime. Heritage Academy would control the ground game for most of the third quarter with the Patriots maintaining possession of the football for nearly eight minutes. The lengthy possession ended with a touchdown, giving the Patriots a 28-21 advantage. Neither team was able to cross the goal line in their following possession until Howard connected with Sam Hannon in the right corner of the end-zone to make it 35-21 late in the third quarter. Game play broke down in the fourth quarter with both teams being flagged for holding and pass interference. The Chiefs turned the ball over on an interception, regained the ball on a Heritage fumble, and then turned the ball over again on another interception all in a stretch of 1:49. The Chiefs did not surrender easily, however, and the game continued to be a battle with neither team able to score before time ran out in the contest. Magnolia Heights had 320 yards total offense with 300 yards passing and 20 yards on the ground. The Chiefs were 2-10 on third down conversions and turned the ball over four times. Kirby posted 300 yards passing once again, despite the loss, and finished 22 of 40 with three interceptions. Crumbley led the Chiefs’ receiving corps with seven catches for 105 yards and a pair of touchdowns, followed by seven receptions for 117 yards and a touchdown from Hunter Jones. Defensively, Hunter Pugh led the way with 12 total tackles, while Asa Moore came up with eight total stops. Gavin Woods also collected seven total tackles. Magnolia Heights now sits at 2-1 on the season as of press time.
