Heritage vs. Gilmer

On Friday October 18, 2019, the Heritage Generals football team traveled to Ellijay, Georgia to take on Gilmer High School. Heritage ended up beating Gilmer, with a score of 35-22. Heritage was in the lead after the first half with a score of 22-7. Then, in the second half, Gilmer attempted to catch up, scoring 8 points in the third quarter and 7 points in the fourth quarter, but in the end Heritage won. 

To get more insight on the game last Friday, we interviewed two coaches and one football player and asked the following questions: what are some things the team could’ve done better, what were some strengths in this game, and what player(s) stood out and why? The first coach questioned was Coach David Gibson. When asked the first question, Coach Gibson responded, “I think we could’ve been offensively more physical, especially with blocking. We have performed better, so when you aren’t performing to that level, it’s disappointing for sure.” When asked about the highlights of the game, Coach Gibson said, “Passing game was a definite highlight. Nick Hansen was on fire. Our receivers have been running great routes this year and really getting themselves into those passing windows. Defensively, we still have things we need to work on. Every team is a work in progress, every week.” 

The last question asked was about players who stood out. Coach Gibson noted that “Nick Hansen, quarterback, was spinning the ball pretty good, even under pressure and delivering the ball when needed. Maddox Rose also had 13 tackles and 3 tackles for fall. He was outstanding.”

The next football coach interviewed was Coach Alan Broom. Coach Broom said that one thing the team could have done better was that they “could’ve finished off an opponent we were clearly better than when we had the chance.” A strength in Coach Broom’s opinion was that “the secondary played well, which is abnormal because usually they suck.” The last question he was asked was, what player(s) stood out and why? Coach Broom spotlighted Pete Padgett, “because he does his job, always hustles, and makes plays even when he probably shouldn’t. He’s the best player I got.” 

We decided to talk to Senior Pete Padgett, based off how well coach Alan Broom spoke about him.  When asked about things the team could improve on, Pete said, “We could’ve had better contagious positive energy and loving each other. We should’ve played for each other and the team.” The best strength of the team, according to Pete, was the defensive. “We’ve got the best defense in North Georgia,” he said.

Finally when asked about a player that stood out in his opinion he said, “Maddox Rose on defense because he took control and showed leadership. Also, our offensive line for dominating.”