Blog Game Blog - Heritage-Lynchburg 15, E.C. Glass 14 (OT)

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City Stadium is the place to be tonight as the annual Jug Bowl Classic features two title contenders with the unbeaten E.C. Glass Hilltoppers (8-0), ranked atop our Class 4 State Top Ten, taking on the defending Class 3 State Champion Heritage Pioneers (7-1) of Lynchburg, checking in at No. 3 in our latest Top Ten.

Jeff Woody's Hilltoppers ended an eight-game losing streak in the series in 2017 with a 14-12 victory, but the Pioneers responded with a 25-22 win last year. This series dates back to 1976 and Glass leads it 31-25-1. Coach Brad Bradley of Heritage goes for career win No. 200 this evening. He's had stops of course at William Campbell and Patrick Henry-Roanoke before his arrival at Heritage, where he's guided the Pioneers to back-to-back State Final appearances.

Some records could be set tonight as Glass QB DreSean Kednrick is 29 yards away of the school rushing record of 4206 set by Scott Dovel in 1977. In addition, he's 177 yards shy of the all-purpose mark of 6947 that his father, Andre Kendrick, set before going on to play at Virginia Tech, where he was a Hokies teammate of one Michael Vick on their way to reaching the National Championship Game against Florida State.

We'll have updates here and via Twitter @ hatfieldsports throughout the night ...

 

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It'll be E.C. Glass kicking off first and their onside / squib is recovered by the Pioneers at their own 45 about.

An encroachment penalty on Glass puts Heritage at midfield before they even take their first snap from scrimmage. Not bad field position to start for the reigning State Champs.

 

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Heritage has a nice opening drive working with QB Kameron Burns, only a sophomore, completing 3 of his first 4 passes for 18 yards. They've mixed in KJ Vaughan.

On 4th & 1 from the Glass 12, it's Vaughan up the middle with some great running room and he gets down to the 3. An excellent drive for Brad Bradley's team out of the gate.

 

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A total of 12 plays - 6 runs and 6 passers - and that's as balanced as it gets folks. The E.C. Glass defensive front is very large and has created issues for foes all year. But that Heritage offensive line with Zackariah Ferguson, Emerson Komen, Shant'e Giles, Michael Williams and Chriostopher Colbert set the tone on the opening possession.

 

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E.C. Glass starts its first possession at their own 43. DreSean Kendrick, the terrific dual-threat QB for E.C. Glass, bobbles the first snap and loses 4 yards. On the next play, he's hit immediately by two Heritage defenders. BreAndre Horsley and Jermoine Morris are make their presence felt.

On 3rd & 11, it's Kendrick hitting Marquise Woodruff and it's a fumble. Believe it's Kenneth Crawford forcing the fumble and Spencer Goolsby recovering for the Pioneers.

So the takeaway gives the Pioneers the ball for their second possession at the Glass 48 with 6:30 to go in the first quarter and trying to add to their 7-0 lead.

 

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Heritage-Lynchburg goes 3 & out on their second series and it wasn't as simple as that though. On the first play, Kameron Burns appeared to have Brian Trent for a huge completion inside the 5. A holding penalty backed them up to their 35.

So the Pioneers punt it away on 4th & 23 and Glass begins their second offensive possession at their own 19 with 5:33 to go in the opening stanza.

That holding penalty might've swung momentum to the Hilltoppers.

 

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On 3rd & 6 from their own 38 and in need of a big play, QB DreSean Kendrick finds WR Quoterrus Craighead for an incredible 51-yard completion. Craighead bounced off a tackler and raced all the way down to the 11-yard line before he was caught, believe by Jaleel Carthorne.

Ty Foster had a solid run bouncing it outside for 12 yards just three plays before the giant completion.

A couple of false start penalties put Glass back to the 11 of Heritage. Then Kendrick kept it and ran to the outside for 10 yards, diving for the pylon. The officials say he is a yard short. After a brief pause, the refs add a few seconds to the clock with the opening period nearing the end. We've got 1:13 left in the quarter.

A plus for Heritage on defense is they are getting three to four hats to the football on runs between the tackles, limiting the long gainer.

 

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Big response for Jeff Woody's bunch in this one as the opening quarter nears the end.

 

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Heritage starts their third possession at their own 38 with 59.1 seconds left in the opening quarter. KJ Vaughan rushes for 5 yards to begin the possession. Then on 2nd & 5, the Pioneers take a shot and it's incomplete. The Glass defense is settling in against QB Kameron Burns, who's just 4 of 9 following the solid start.

On 3rd & 5, Burns hands it off and Vaughan is met by Markevus Graves-Franklin. Punting time when the 2nd quarter begins.

 

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Glass begins their third possession from their own 35 with 11:53 to go in the second quarter. Don't be surprised to see them take another shot or two down the field with the passing game since Kendrick's first completion yielded a significant gainer.

 

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A great punt by Tyler Garrett pins Heritage-Lynchburg at the 5 to begin their fourth series.

Already, Kendrick has run it 11 times tonight from the QB spot for just 24 yards. He's taken some tough hits, too.

 

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And following the runs of 4 yards each by KJ Vaughan, he powers ahead for a pick up of 9 before Quoterrus Craighead tackles him. A false start puts Heritage at their own 17, facing a 1st & 15. Now, they could be forced to throw as opposed to milking clock and wearing down some of the two-way contributors for this Glass team.

 

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The first play not named K.J. Vaughan (who has 12 rushes for 52 yards) to carry the football for the Heritage Pioneers tonight will be Krystian Rivera, the hard-hitting linebacker who made a key play earlier in the quarter. He gains just a yard. On 3rd & 14, the pass by Kameron Burns picks up only 6 yards.

Keshawn Colbert's punt will be downed at the E.C. Glass 46, where they will begin their 4th series with 4:46 till half-time.

 

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A nifty maneuver in the pocket by Glass QB DreSean Kendrick buys him time to find City C - that's Quoterrus Craighhead - for a completion of 13 yards to the Heritage 41.

Some have commented to me that they think Kendrick is a much better runner than passer, and a defense will expose that in a big spot. Well, tonight he's dispelling that notion with a 3 of 3 start for 81 yards passing. That's proving to be the difference as Glass is in position to possibly take the lead before the break.

 

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The Glass drive stalls as Ty Foster rushes for 4, then a pair of incomplete passes by the Hilltoppers - one bouncing off a receiver - has them likely punting it away on 4th & 6 from the Pioneers 37 with 3:01 till intermission when we come out of this time-out.

Remember, the only loss to date for Heritage came in the opener to a talent-rich Vance High team out of Charlotte, North Carolina, ironically coached by a former Virginia HS Head Coach in Glenwood Ferebee (who previously directed Indian River).

After the punt, the Pioneers will begin their 5th series at their own 11 with 2:52 to go in the second quarter. Let's see if they can establish another weapon outside of Vaughan.

 

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A much-needed third down conversion comes for Heritage-Lynchburg as Krystian Rivera uses his speed on the outside on 3rd & 5 from the 16 to get up to the 25-yard line with a pick up of 9 yards. Kameron Burns has missed intended deep play wideout Brian Trent by a hair on a couple of occasions. If he's able to connect with Trent or WR Jahee Blake - a junior that has an offer from Old Dominion and is the younger brother of former QB / State Player of the Year Jabari Blake - then it can change this game around.

Rivera is stopped for no gain by Glass defenders Jadan Merriman and Connor Dunlop. Glass Coach Jeff Woody uses a time-out before a 3rd & 10 from the 25 with 1:37 to go in the second quarter.

 

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Another third down conversion for the Pioneers as QB Kameron Burns finds Kyron Thomas for 12 yards. He's their leading receiver tonight with 4 grabs for 30 yards.

However, the pass protection breaks down for Burns with stud DT Holden Fretz coming through and almost sacking Burns. Well, it essentially was a sack as Burns flings it out of bounds and the officials call an intentional grounding.

On 3rd & 25, it's Krystian Rivera rushing for 19 yards. Heritage punts it away on 4th & 6.

With 38.5 seconds, Glass takes over at their own 25. The pass is broken up by Thomas on first down. The Hilltoppers aren't content to run out the clock as they go with trips right for the right-handed dual-threat Q who slings one deep for Marquise Woodruff, but it's incomplete. The coverage from the Pioneers was pretty darn good on that play with Thomas, Calvin Johnson (not MegaTron kids) and company.

 

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Ty Foster runs out of bounds to his left for 13 yards, stopping the clock with 17.2 seconds left in the second quarter. Glass will try to throw, but a sack by BreAndre Horsley will end the half with us deadlocked in this good ballgame.

 

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Very cool to see longtime television reporter in Lynchburg / Danville / Roanoke - Dennis Carter - get honored at half-time with a combo E.C. Glass / Heritage-Lynchburg jersey. Carter is retiring later in the year and has been one of the most respected reporter on television in the state for decades, providing lots of High School Sports coverage of the year.

We'll have some numbers soon... stay with us!

 

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Some half-time stats...

HALF:

E.C. Glass 7:
DreSean Kendrick - 3-7 for 81Yds.
Ty Foster - 5Car. 35Yds.
Quoterrus Craighead - 2Rec. 64Yds; 2Car. 1Yd. TD; 8 Tackles (3 Solo)
Marquise Woodruff - 1Rec. 17Yds.
Cameron Robinson - 5 Tackles
Holden Fretz - 3 Tackles, Sack

Hilltoppers - 27 plays for 136 total yards (3-7 for 81 pass yards; 20 rushes for 55 yards, 1 fumble); 1 turnover; 3 penalties for 15 yards


Heritage-Lynchburg 7:
Kameron Burns - 6-16 for 43Yds. 0-0 TD/Int. ratio
KJ Vaughan - 13Car. 57Yds. TD
Krystian Rivera - 4Car. 29Yds; 5 Tackles, TFL
Kyron Thomas - 4Rec. 30Yds.
Jermoine Morris - 8 Tackles (1 Solo), TFL
Breandre Horsley - 5 Tackles, Sack

Pioneers - 33 plays for 129 total yards (6-16 for 43 pass yards; 17 rushes for 86 yards); 0 turnovers; 4 penalties for 42 yards

 

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Just a simple screen with the Hilltoppers starting at their own 25 and a big play results...

 

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After the great completion, E.C. Glass has to feel sick that they didn't get points on the board. First, a 12-yard RD pass to Graves-Franklin is called back due to illegal touching. Kendrick runs for about 8 and then he hits D-Moe Mosley for 6 yards.

Coach Woody trots on Tyler Garrett for a 20-yard field goal try on 4th & Goal from the 3. But it's no good.



By the way, Kendrick has now broken the school all-time rushing record and all-purpose yards mark.

 

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Following an incomplete from their own 20, Heritage hands it off to KJ Vaughan and he gets 5 yards, then just 2 on 3rd & 5 with Connor Dunlop and Xavuis Hager on the stop.

DreSean Kendrick with a solid punt return, but a block in the back penalty will have the Hilltoppers beginning at their own 20 with 6:57 to go in the third period.

 

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There have been some center to QB exchange issues a couple times tonight and that hurts E.C. Glass on 2nd & 7, following a false start penalty. On 3rd & 10, they settle for a minimal 3-yard run from Kendrick.

Glass punts it away. So Heritage Head Coach Brad Bradley has to feel pretty good about where they are, tied at 7-all with 4:44 to go in the third quarter and with the football at their own 39 after the Hilltoppers punt.

 

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Heritage had a good drive going, beginning with a 12-yard completion from QB Kameron Burns to Kyron Thomas on a sideline route that put them in E.C. Glass territory. They then did some punishing running between the tackles with KJ Vaughan, but Jadan Merriman and Holden Fretz combined for a tackle for loss. A near fumble by Heritage put them in 3rd & long, and Burns was almost picked.

The Pioneers punt and the second offensive possession for Glass will begin at their own 20 with only 1:48 to go in the third quarter. It's time for Glass to get Ty Foster going; he has only 5 rushes for 35 yards tonight and his 13-yard gain before the half could be an indication he's ready to break one.

 

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It'll be 2nd & 8 from the 38 of Heritage to be exact as the fourth quarter gets underway. That was a very quick moving third period I'll also say...

 

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Here we go...

Pass is incomplete with Calvin Johnson and Brian Trent providing the coverage for the Pioneers.

 

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Six straight runs - 3 apiece by KJ Vaughan and Krystian Rivera - gets Heritage all the way to the E.C. Glass 3 when they decide to go to the air. It's incomplete. Why they threw there for the life of me I don't know.

They go back to the ground game and Xavuis Hager has been making almost every tackle on defense the past couple possessions for Glass. I've got him at 13 total tackles with 7 solos.

BIG fourth down coming up....

 

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This one might be a pass with how Glass has buckled down on the run. Look for Thomas underneath.

 

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Pass is incomplete. E.C. Glass takes over. However, the Hilltoppers don't possess the ball long and will be punting it away with 4:56 to play and the game still tied at 7.

They had a chance after a 9-yard run from Ty Foster brought up 3rd & 1, but the Heritage defense was ready with Krystian Rivera and BreAndre Horsley making a tackle for a short loss.

Fair catch on the punt and Heritage has it at their own 33 with 4:50 remaining in this Jug Bowl.

 

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Much as they did in the early stages of the opening quarter, Heritage is leaning on their sturdy o-line. Krystian Rivera and KJ Vaughan have combined for 180 yards rushing on 36 carries and they wearing down the E.C. Glass defense. The Hilltoppers need some kind of spark.

 

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A major turn of events. Glass may just try to take care of the ball and be content to go to OT in this one.

 

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Glass won that 2008 contest by a count of 43-36 in OT I'm showing. Captains headed to midfield for the coin toss.

 

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It's Glass ball first. They hand it off to Ty Foster, runs left and hit out of bounds by Brian Trent. Gains about 7 or 8.

On 2nd & Goal it's Q Craighead plowing forward and don't know he didn't get in.

On 3rd & Goal, when it looks like Glass will try to ram it up in the middle, QB DreSean Kendrick decides to use his athleticism, get to the edge and find the end zone for a touchdown.

They'll try the PAT. I might go for 2 given the short field goal miss earlier in the half.

 

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Don't be surprised at all if Brad Bradley of Heritage goes for 2 and the win should Heritage score.

 

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KJ Vaughan busts up the middle for a powerful run of 8.

The Pioneers now have some options here for 2nd & Goal from the 2. They go with the direct snap with Vaughan for the touchdown from 2 yards out.

Now let's see if Heritage goes for the tie and the PAT or the win and the 2-point conversion...

 

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Remember now, the 2-point run is from 3 yards out. Vaughan is strong enough to take it, but they also may consider Rivera with his ability to use his speed and get outside. Glass has never needed its defense to make a stand more than now.

 

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Wild formation where Heritage audibles and literally the offensive lineman at the line of scrimmage is the center with others motioning out. But the Pioneers call a time-out of their own before snapping the ball.

What a chess match this has been between Brad Bradley of Heritage and Jeff Woody from Glass. I could watch about 4 or 5 more overtimes between these two teams. We may see them both make it to Liberty University for the State Finals in December, too (one in Class 4 and one in Class 3).

 

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Glass coaches were yelling as were players that he didn't get in... from my angle, it did appear he crossed the goal-line and just barely, maybe by a couple of centimeters. That's all that matters.

What a battle and fitting that it's Vaughan - who was an absolute beast tonight with 28 rushes for 137 yards and he accounted for 14 of his team's 15 points when you throw in the game-winning 2-point rush to go with the pair of touchdowns.

Let me catch my breath and I'll try to come back and post some final numbers folks... hope you enjoyed it as much as me!

 

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Glass coaches were yelling as were players that he didn't get in... from my angle, it did appear he crossed the goal-line and just barely, maybe by a couple of centimeters. That's all that matters.

What a battle and fitting that it's Vaughan - who was an absolute beast tonight with 28 rushes for 137 yards and he accounted for 14 of his team's 15 points when you throw in the game-winning 2-point rush to go with the pair of touchdowns.

Let me catch my breath and I'll try to come back and post some final numbers folks... hope you enjoyed it as much as me!

Good report. Glad you came all the way to see Glass and Heritage play!