ROGERS -- Rogers Heritage football coach Perry Escalante acknowledged his team's defense played well enough to win Friday's season opener on Friday night.
But a late fumble by War Eagles quarterback Joel Brackett opened the door for Olathe (Kan.) North and the Eagles were happy to step through to grab the 18-13 victory.
That Figures
5 — Quarterbacks used by both teams combined in Friday’s game.
2 — Turnovers by each team. First downs by Olathe North in the first half.
3 — Plays of 50 or more yards by the two teams combined.
Escalante just shook his head following the heart-breaking loss.
"I said coming in that our defense would be good and they proved that," Escalante said. "I thought we took care of their offense all night other than a couple of plays. I was pleased with a lot of things we did, just disappointed we lost. Just didn't want them to lose like that. Disappointed with the offenses execution at times.
"Defensively I can't ask for any more. They gave us every opportunity to put the game away."
Heritage (0-1) managed just 175 yards of total offense and senior running back Joey Saucier accounted for more than a third of that on one play. The War Eagles inexperience on offense showed up big, Escalante said.
"You hate to have growing pains as you go, but I guess that's the way it's going to be this year," Escalante said. "We knew we'd be limited in the passing game, but we missed a lot of assignments, not blocking the right guy or turning people loose. But we'll get that fixed. It's just real frustrating when you need a first down.
Escalante tipped his cap the Olathe defense though.
"They were real, real good," Escalante said. "After that first drive we just couldn't get much of anything going. They can run and are pretty aggressive. We won't see another defense like that for a while now, I don't believe. I'll take ours though."
Player Of The Game: Eric Grom accounted for more than 50 percent of Heritage's scoring with a pair of field goals and an extra point. The senior hit field goals of 43 and 49 yards in the first half and also punted seven times for an average of 37.6-yards per kick.
Play Of The Night: Heritage stopped Olathe North on fourth down deep in War Eagles territory twice in the fourth quarter, the second one with less than two minutes left in the game. Those two plays along with Saucier's 61-yard touchdown run to give them the lead were highlights for Heritage.
Injury Update: Saucier didn't play any of the fourth quarter, after tweaking his hamstring on his long touchdown run to end the third quarter. However, Escalante did not believe it was series.
"He got tangled up with a guy and came off kinda awkward," Escalante said. "He never did really accurate but just enough to score. I knew something was up there. He thought he popped a hamstring, but our trainer thought it was just a strain."
Notable: Olathe North returned an interception 99 yards for a touchdown in the first half, but had it called back because of an illegal block. ... North failed to convert a PAT in three tries on Friday.
Up Next: The War Eagles host Russellville next week. The Cyclones defeated Morrilton 42-21 in their season opener.
Sports on 09/07/2014