Heritage Hall Team Preview

<em><strong>Get 25% off your subscription by entering Knight25 in the coupon code area. Enjoy!</strong></em> Stay tuned to Prep Redzone Oklahoma every day as we release more individual team previews as we get closer to the start of the 2021 football season. In case you missed it, you can check out our Preseason Rankings <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2021/06/2021-preseason-rankings/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>RIGHT HERE</strong></a>. <span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>Overview (Class 3A Preseason Ranking: #5) </strong></span>Heritage Hall does not lose often during football season so it was widely known that the Chargers were going to storm into 2020 after getting blown out <span style="font-size: 1rem;">by Lincoln Christian i</span><span style="font-size: 1rem;">n the 2019 semifinals. They didn’t jump out the gate as dominant as they would have liked to, but they still entered district play at 2-1 after losing a close one to John Marshall in week 3. That loss must have been a wake-up call of some sorts for the Chargers because once they got into district play they averaged over 40 points a game and did not allow a single opponent to come within single digits on the scoreboard. That would continue through the playoffs for the most part as they rolled through Plainview and handled Verdigris despite only scoring about half of their season average. However, history would repeat itself in the semifinals as Heritage Hall once again had their season ended by the Bulldogs. But as they usually do, the Chargers will reload and get ready for their next opportunity. With most of their team from last year returning, including the majority of their top playmakers on offense, Heritage Hall should be right at home competing for another gold ball in 2021.   </span> <hr /> <span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>2020 Results (12-2 Record – Lost in 3A Semifinals)</strong></span> <strong>Sept. 3 –</strong> Beat Millwood 20-6 <strong>Sept. 11 –</strong>  Beat Clinton 14-7 <strong>Sept. 18 –</strong> Lost to John Marshall 14-12 <strong>Sept. 25 –</strong> Beat McLoud 35-8 <strong>Oct. 2 –</strong> Beat Perkins-Tryon 37-20 <strong>Oct. 8 - </strong>Beat Bridge Creek 1-0 (Forfeit) <strong>Oct. 15 –</strong> Beat Douglass 49-12 <strong>Oct. 23 –</strong> Beat Anadarko 39-27 <strong>Oct. 30 –</strong> Beat Kingfisher 47-21 <strong>Nov. 6 –</strong> Beat Mount Saint Mary 43-17 <strong>1st Round –</strong> Beat Little Axe 1-0 (Forfeit) <strong>2nd Round –</strong> Beat Plainview 49-21 <strong>Quarterfinals –</strong> Beat Verdigris 21-7 <strong>Semifinals –</strong> Lost to Lincoln Christian 35-27 <hr /> <span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>Players To Watch</strong></span> [player_tooltip player_id="48668" first="Gavin" last="Freeman"] <strong>- 2022</strong> <strong>Wide Receiver/Defensive Back </strong>Freeman entered the 2020 season as a player with lots of breakout potential and breakout he did. He was about as spectacular as anybody in the state while contributing in all 3 phases as a receiver, defensive back, and return man on punts and kicks. His size has always been essentially the only negative that most can come up with to justify him being as underrated as he is but that doesn’t stop him one bit. Last week, the Charger Senior committed to play for the Air Force Academy where we’re sure he will use his speed, agility, sticky hands, and work ethic to prove that he belongs on the division 1 stage while also preparing to serve our country. [player_tooltip player_id="155875" first="River" last="Faulkner"]  <strong>- 2023 Running Back/ Linebacker </strong>A standout at the inaugural Prep Redzone Oklahoma showcase, River may be the most dynamic weapon on Heritage Hall’s offense outside of [player_tooltip player_id="48668" first="Gavin" last="Freeman"]. Faulkner has the size to play at the next level without getting beat up, he is very nifty with his movements and cuts in space, and he backed up his play speed on tape with a time of 4.50 in the forty-yard dash this June in Owasso. Additionally, River uses a lot of the same traits described above on the other side of the ball as a rangy and athletic linebacker who can plug holes with consistency while also having the capability to chase guys down sideline to sideline. [player_tooltip player_id="108887" first="Brigham" last="Evans"] <strong>- 2022 Linebacker </strong>The last player on this feature is another Charger linebacker who figures to make life pretty difficult for 3A offenses this season. Similar to River, Brigham takes a lot of snaps on offense at fullback for Heritage Hall and the translation from each position to the other is seamless. In 2020, he was in on the majority of the plays that were run in his direction when lined up on defense. Brigham racked up over 80 total tackles with double-digit tackles for loss and just under 10 sacks. If Evans and Faulkner can stay on their game and play together throughout the season there aren’t many teams that will have success on the ground against the Hall this fall. <span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>More Names</strong></span> <strong>Gavin Wilson – 2022 Offensive/Defensive Lineman</strong> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="133434" first="William" last="Paque"] – 2022 Quarterback</strong> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="133327" first="Mason" last="Georgia"] – 2022 Offensive/Defensive Lineman </strong> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="157524" first="Orie" last="Walker"] – 2023 Wide Receiver/Defensive Back</strong> <hr /> <span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>Notable</strong></span> At this point, it is fair to say that Heritage Hall is one of the top programs in the state. Since 2014, the Chargers nearly have as many state championships as they do losses. The score currently sits at 4 titles to 6 losses. Additionally, these titles span across multiple classes. From 2A all the way to 4A, Heritage Hall has been dominant regardless of who or where they have played. Although they have not been to a title game since 2018, they have not gone anywhere. The Chargers have faced back-to-back semi-final disappointments in 2019 and 2020 at the hands of Lincoln Christian, but that playoff rivalry is nothing new and is one that Heritage Hall has won their fair share of times. The Bulldogs are ranked above them currently heading into this season, but as we’ve seen many times, rankings don’t always matter once it’s playoff time. <hr /> <span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>2021 Schedule/Games To Watch</strong></span> <strong>Sept. 2 – Millwood </strong><strong>- </strong>Millwood had a bit of a weird season in 2020 due to Covid. The Falcons were only able to play 7 regular-season games and had a few stretches of a week or more without competition. Regardless, they were still able to keep it close with Heritage Hall last year and they return some major talent like 2023 running back [player_tooltip player_id="57205" first="Rickey" last="Hunt Jr"]. Slowing him down may end up being one of the keys to victory for the Chargers. Sept. 10 – Clinton <strong>Sept. 17 – John Marshall </strong>- The good news here for Heritage Hall is that they get a chance to avenge a rare non-district loss. The bad news is that they will have to take on a John Marshall team that will likely be even better than the one that defeated them last September. With stars like [player_tooltip player_id="101412" first="Kane" last="Donovan"] coming into their own as the season and off-season progressed, this game should be another dog fight that could easily be decided by one or two plays when it is all said and done. Sept 24 - McLoud Oct. 1 – AT Perkins-Tryon Oct. 7 – Bridge Creek Oct. 15 – AT Douglass <strong>Oct. 22 – AT Anadarko </strong>- They do not have the recent resume that some of the schools who have stolen a win from Heritage Hall in past seasons do, but Anadarko was by far the closest team in the district to defeating the Chargers in 2020 and they return guys like [player_tooltip player_id="157510" first="Kenyon" last="Bigbow"] who have the ability to change some games by themselves defensively by disrupting the backfield on a consistent basis. Heritage Hall will still be the likely favorite depending on who you ask, but they could get into some trouble if they let Anadarko hang around for too long. Oct. 29 – Kingfisher Nov. 5 - AT Mount Saint Mary <hr /> <strong>Championship History</strong> <em><strong>7 State Championships</strong></em> 2018 - Beat Sulphur 50-14 2017 - Beat Ada 14-0 2015 - Beat Lincoln Christian 38-14 2014 - Beat Cushing 37-14 2010 - Beat Kingfisher 28-21 2008 - Beat Chandler 37-7 1998 - Beat Tishomingo 35-34