What We Saw: Belk, Heathwood Hall Cruise In Season Opener
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The Rick Reetz era at Heathwood Hall started off in grand fashion Thursday night as sophomore quarterback Patrick Belk Patrick Belk 5'11" | 200 lbs | QB Heathwood Hall | 2026 State SC accounted for five touchdowns in the first…
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Continue ReadingThe Rick Reetz era at Heathwood Hall started off in grand fashion Thursday night as sophomore quarterback Patrick Belk Patrick Belk 5'11" | 200 lbs | QB Heathwood Hall | 2026 State SC accounted for five touchdowns in the first half to lead the Highlanders to a 42-6 victory over Great Falls in the season opener.
Reetz was a long-time coach at Porter-Gaud before moving to Texas. He came back to take over the Heathwood Hall program and he has a game-changer in Belk.
The 5-foot-11, 200-pounder threw for touchdowns of 7, 9 and 9 yards and added scoring runs of 11 and 4 yards to stake the Highlanders to a 35-0 halftime lead.
Belk finished 7-of-11 for 98 yards and added four carries for 14 yards. He only played one series in the second half when they had the running clock.
“Patrick is a special player, no doubt,” Reetz said. “He’s a smart player, runs well and throws the ball well. He has a command of our offense. I think he’s going to be a lot of fun to watch.”
But it wasn’t all the play of Belk. The veteran offensive front of Cooper Horton Cooper Horton 6'4" | 245 lbs | DL Heathwood Hall | 2024 SC , Mitchell McKay, Ford Thompson, Coleman Dukes and Michael Tumlin was impressive on the five scoring drives.
Belk also has a plethora of skill guys. Grayson Hawn played well at running back. AJ King, a transfer from Keenan, caught the 7-yard TD and was nearly unblockable at defensive end. Thompson Dubose jumped over a defender to haul in one of the 9-yard TD tosses and Nicholas Nichols added the other 9-yard TD reception.
Nichols played quarterback some in the second half and ended the scoring for the Highlanders with an electrifying 61-yard run where one coach was urging him to run out of bounds, but he cutback, made several defenders miss, and reached the end zone.
Heathwood Hall had a shutout until the middle of the fourth quarter behind the play of King, Horton, Thompson and Spencer Thomas. The Highlanders didn’t allow a first down until 4:45 remained in the first half. Great Falls finished with 112 yards of total offense, and that included two plays that totaled 70 yards. JB Belk, the Highlanders best defender, missed the game with a dislocated elbow. He’s expected back in 2-3 weeks.
The Red Devils avoided the shutout when Ronrico McCullough hauled in a 37-yard TD strike from TreMaine Caldwell. Jaylyn Sanders was the most consistent offensive player with 25 yards on eight carries.