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Heritage Advances To Region Finals Saturday
Nov 19, 2008 - 15:47:05 CST.
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TEARING UP THE TURF -- Heritage’s Thomas Hierholzer slips around the Brownwood Victory Life Christian School defense, picking up some of his 97 rushing yards in Friday’s first-round of the TAPPS six-man football playoffs. The Eagles won 58-8 and will next face Wichita Falls Notre Dame on Saturday in Trent. -- Standard-Radio Post Photo by Cathy Collier
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With their impressive 58-8 victory over Brownwood Victory Life Christian School Friday night in the regional semifinals of Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools’ six-man football, the Heritage Eagles are another step closer to another state title.
Next up for the Eagles will be Wichita Falls Notre Dame Catholic School. The two schools will collide on the gridiron in Trent (between Abilene and Sweetwater) Saturday afternoon at 1 p.m.
Notre Dame withstood a challenge from Houston Texas Christian School last week, 85-64, to continue in its post-season journey.
Heritage is currently ranked in the number one spot in Division II of the private schools’ listing by the website www.sixmanfootball.com, a position the Eagles have held for several weeks.
In addition, Heritage is ranked 32nd among all Texas six-man football schools, private and public (TAPPS, UIL, TCAF, TCAL and independents).
Wichita Falls Notre Dame is the tenth ranked team in the TAPPS Division II line-up.
When a team is firing on all cylinders, as are the Heritage Eagles in their quest for a fourth TAPPS state title in the last five years, praise comes more easily from the coach’s mouth.
“This team has really gelled,” said Heritage head coach Tim Shipman. “I am seeing upperclassmen encourage everyone. I am seeing lowerclassmen stepping up when it is their time.”
In addition, “the offense is well into the playbook and clicking. Defensively, we seem to be getting better and better every week.”
But despite the winning attitude hovering over his players, Shipman is also noticing a heaping helping of humility among his ranks.
“Most importantly, though, these kids love one another and they play with humbleness and class. It would be easy for this team to get cocky, but they don’t. These boys are ambassadors for the whole city of Fredericksburg. Their reputation precedes them, and their character is right there to back it up.”
Heritage 58,
Brownwood Victory Life 8
(Friday, Nov. 14)
The Heritage Eagles exploded for 42 first quarter points and never looked back as they defeated Brownwood Victory Life in the Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools’ Division II regional semifinals played at Harper High School Friday night.
Thomas Hierholzer paced the Eagles with 97 rushing yards on five attempts, scoring three touchdowns on the ground and returning a fumble 20 yards early in the third period to end the game under the 45-point mercy rule.
Also adding to the Heritage offensive charge were Chad Ham with 54 yards on five carries and Donovan Ledder, who contributed another 51 rushing yards on four tries. Ham ran for a TD and caught an Ethan Beall pass for another score. Meanwhile, Ledder carried the freight from eight and five yards out to two more touchdowns.
Prior to Friday’s game with Brownwood, Shipman said he and his staff “challenged the team to get out of the gate early and set the tone. They did an exceptional job of that, scoring 42 points in the first quarter.”
But as good as the Eagles were on offense, Shipman said he received an equally effective game from his defense.
“Defensively, you couldn’t ask for a better played game,” he said, adding that Brownwood Victory “came out in a formation we have never seen and the team adjusted well and played sound technique.”
Less than two minutes into Friday’s game with Brownwood Victory, Hierholzer put the Eagles up for good when he outran Warrior defenders on his way to a 42-yard touchdown. The failed kick left Heritage with a 6-0 lead.
Ledder and Ham alternated two touchdowns apiece during a five-minute stretch, building up the Eagle advantage to 34-0 before Hierholzer zig-zagged his way to the end zone from 26 yards out for his team’s sixth score of the quarter.
Tyler Thompson’s point-after kick brought the score to 42-0.
Brownwood Victory managed to hustle for its only touchdown of the game when Trey Valencia stepped in front of a Tate Powell pass at the Warrior 25 and went the distance. Frankie Valencia added the PAT to make the score 42-8 with 7:01 remaining in the half.
With time slipping off the scoreboard clock before intermission, Thompson uncorked a 36-yard field goal to give Heritage a 46-8 lead at the half.
It didn’t take the Eagles long to end the game early in the third stanza when, first, Hierholzer pounded out a 10-yard score, followed a minute later with a game-ending score when he picked up a Warrior fumble at the Brownwood Victory 20 and carried it to pay dirt.
Score By Quarters
Brownwood 0 8 0 x - 8
Heritage 42 4 12 x - 58
Game Statistics
Heritage Brownwood
13 First Downs 0
288-28 Yards Rushing-Carries 16-19
11 Yards Passing 11
1-2-1 Passes (Cmp-Atmp-Int) 1-6-0
299 Total Offensive Yards 27
1-0 Fumbles-Lost 3-3
0-0.0 Punts-Avg. 0-0.0
1-5 Penalties-Yards 0-0
Heritage versus
Wichita Falls Notre Dame
(Saturday, Nov. 22)
Coach Shipman and his staff know that the further a team advances in the playoffs carries with it the expectation of more difficult opponents on the horizon.
Such is the case with Wichita Falls Notre Dame.
“This is a team that is very hot as of late,” Shipman said. “Anytime you get to this level of the playoffs you better be ready to play solid ball.”
The Heritage brain trust has been doing its home work for Friday’s opponent.
“Notre Dame is a hard-running team that will eat up a lot of clock,” Shipman said, adding that his Eagles will, therefore, “have to take advantage of every opportunity we have.”
In addition, when Heritage is on defense, the Eagles will need to watch out for the tandem running back team of Clayton Gunnels and Chase Rosinbaum.
“Gunnels is a hard-nose running back who carries this team at times,” the Heritage coach said. But also carrying the ball much of the time will be the quick and mercurial Rosinbaum. “He will squirt out of nowhere. We will have to break down and wrap him up.”
When the ball belongs to the Eagles, Shipman expects Notre Dame to run “a nice 3-3 press scheme. You have to have the athletes to run that defense and they do. Coach Shane Calhoun is a great, classy coach. They have a very good program at Notre Dame and they will have our full respect.”
TAPPS Six-Man Football
Division II First Round Results
(Nov. 14-15, 2008)
Heritage 58,
Brownwood Victory 8
Wichita Falls Notre Dame 85,
Houston Texas Christian 64
Brenham Christian 67,
Wichita Christian 0
Dallas Tyler Street 44,
over El Paso Jesus Chapel 28
Arlington Fellowship 60,
Balch Springs 26
Bellville Faith 45,
San Antonio Towneast 0
Duncanville Christway 86,
Lubbock Christ the King 54
Amarillo Classical Heritage 64,
Heath -The Fulton School 6
Second Round Pairings
(Nov. 21-22, 2008)
Heritage vs. WF Notre Dame
(Saturday; 1 p.m.; Trent, TX)
Brenham Christian
vs. Dallas Tyler Street
Arlington Fellowship
vs. Bellville Faith
Duncanville Christian
vs. Amarillo Classical Heritage
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