CLASS 7A PLAYOFFS Heritage Hangs On

WAR EAGLES DEFENSE STANDS TALL

By Paul Nielsen

Posted: November 14, 2009 at 4:55 a.m.

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ROGERS — A couple of late miscues nearly cost Rogers Heritage on Friday night.

But as they had done all night, the War Eagles defense steppedup when it mattered most. The result was a historic victory for the second-year program.

Linebacker Stephen Reed intercepted Little Rock Catholic quarterback Zach Conque with 1 minute, 47 seconds left and the War Eagles then stopped another last-ditch effort by the Rockets in the final 12 seconds as Heritage posted a 17-10 victory in the first round of the Class 7A playoffs in Gates Stadium. It was the school’s fi rst-ever postseason win.

Heritage (9-2) will face North Little Rock next week in the quarterfinals in Quigley Stadium. North Little Rock received a first-round bye after finishing second in the 7A-Central Conference. North Little Rock is coached by former Rogers High defensive coordinator Brad Bolding.

Heritage’s defense shut down the Rockets for most of the game, but two losses by the War Eagles offense, including one for 21 yards on a bad punt snap, and a quick 34-yard touchdown pass from Conque to Tate Seachris allowed Catholic to cut theWar Eagles lead to 17-10 with 2:41 left in the game.

Catholic then recovered the onside kick, but defensive lineman Conor Bolton got a piece of Conque’s arm and Reed came down with the interception that all but sealed the victory.

Catholic managed just 172 yards of offense, 74 rushing and 98 passing. But 54 yards of that total came in the fi nal three minutes of the game.

“What a defensive effort, they played great except for a couple of plays,” Heritage coach Perry Escalante said. “Our defensive line really took it to them. We had the batted ball and we came up with that.”

The Heritage defense also forced a Catholic fumblemidway through the final quarter and the War Eagles took advantage by marching 50 yards for a 17-3 lead. Quarterback Reed Brown capped the drive with his second touchdown pass of the night to Travis Entwisle.

“Our kids never gave up and that is what you have to admire about them,” Catholic coach Scooter Register said. “We had a chance. Bad coaching there at the end, had them in the wrong formation when they intercepted the ball. But that’s been the story of our season, turnovers.”

Brown finished with 183 yards passing after completing 20 of 38 passes. Zac Stewart led the rushing attack with 155 yards on 23 carries, but most of that total cameon runs of 56, 35 and 32 yards. Heritage finished with 155 yards rushing on 31 attempts.

“We kept pounding it, pounding it and pounding it and I was getting frustrated,” Escalante said. “But then Zac would pop a couple. We got enough (on the ground) and it took the pressure off of us.”

Catholic quarterback Taylor Bartlett, who was starting his 34th game for the Rockets, left the game with a broken ankle with just over nine minutes left in the fi rst half. Bartlett avoided a sack on the play but was dragged down out of bounds for no gain.

Bartlett was 3 of 3 passing for 19 yards before being injured.

Sports, Pages 7 on 11/14/2009

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