(Free) Washington Defeats Christian Heritage 35-7
With the regular season nearing an end, most of the games played last night were simply for the love of the game and didn’t mean much in terms of playoff outcome. However, with both of these teams coming into last night with one or zero district losses, this game between Washington and Christian Heritage was a de facto district championship. Washington was certainly the favorite but with the stakes being so high this game figured to be at least competitive. That was not the case though as Washington controlled this game for the majority of the night and pulled away late to take the district title. Let’s take a look at what the difference was for the Warriors on Friday night.
First Half
The first quarter of this game was fairly quiet as both defenses held firm and forced a string of punts. However, the second quarter started with a nice drive capped off by an 8-yard touchdown run to give Washington the lead, which they would not give up for the rest of the game. The game was close in the first half in terms of momentum on the field and total yardage by both teams, but if you just looked at the scoreboard you would have never known because Christian Heritage was unable to capitalize on their opportunities to get on the board. Whether it was penalties, a stalled drive, or a turnover, the Crusaders could not finish drives with points. Washington, however, took advantage of every opportunity they got. The Warriors scored in the air and off a wild ricochet punt that landed in the chest of one of their gunners before being returned 72 yards for a score. At halftime, Washington led Christian Heritage 14-0.
Second Half
The second half of this game was more or less the same as the first half. Christian Heritage was held in check for most of the night in the run game, but they were able to get some big chunk plays through the air to set them up in the red zone on multiple drives. However, just like in the first half, the Crusaders could not produce once they got into the red zone. On the other side, Washington continued to pile it on with 2 touchdowns in the 3rd quarter and one in the 4th to put the game away with about 5 and a half minutes left. Christian Heritage would finally find the end zone in the 4th quarter, but by that point, the game was too far out of reach for the Crusaders to make a comeback. Washington cruised through most of the second half and would go on to win 35-7 to win the district championship.
Looking Ahead
With this win, Washington takes the district with an undefeated record in 2A. This record will guarantee them a high seeding and most likely a favorable route in the playoffs. There are some very talented teams in 2A this season, but if their defense can buckle down in the playoffs like they did in this matchup, Washington has the potential to make a very deep run.
For Christian Heritage, they will finish third in their district with this loss. They will have a tougher road than most due to their finish in the district, but with the expanded format this season, the Crusaders may get a couple of games to refine their game and fix some mistakes against some weaker opponents who might not have made the playoffs in previous years. If they can finish more drives that get into the red zone and minimize the number of big plays they allow on defense, the Crusaders could potentially bust some playoff brackets.