Playing Through a Pandemic

2020 has been a year filled with many ups and downs. Going back to school has been strange for a lot of people, but with everything going on it’s nice to feel some sense of normalcy with Friday Night Football. 

Amidst the curveballs this year has thrown at us, one thing has remained constant: football at Heritage. Sure, a few things have changed, we are on a hybrid schedule and we have to wear masks all the time, but all in all Friday nights are filled with the same excitement and thrill as always. The Generals have been practicing hard this year and playing even harder during the season. I believe the current situation has not only made them stronger as a team but stronger as a Heritage family. 

Season Overview

Lakeview Highschool (home): W 35-7

Ringgold Highschool (away): W 28-21

Temple Highschool (home): W 14-6

Dalton (Away): L 39-7

Darlington Highschool (Home): L 20-7

The team’s record is currently 3-2 overall, as you can see above. The Generals are  ranked 208th in the state and 23 in the Georgia division AAAA. 

Senior player and defensive lineman Jonathan Washburn identified the Ringgold game as the best game the team has had so far this season. “It was an amazing team effort between all my teammates and coaches,” he said. “We left it all on the field and came out on top.” Washburn noted that this season has required a lot of adjustments and sacrifices. “Personally, I had to move positions from inside linebacker to defensive line since the team lost some players this season,” he said. “Younger players, new faces, have also had to step up and replace players, plus there are new schemes on offense that we’re all having to learn and get used to.” Washburn identified senior Zach Brown, who has “always been a leader on defense,” and sophomores Paxton McCrary and Caden Swope as key players this season. “Caden and Paxton are only sophomores and already some of the best athletes on the team,” he said. “They’re fearless, and they give max effort. All three of them are part of the backbone of our team.” 

Coach Slaughter says that the team has done pretty well overall. “I think three things that we’ve done a good job of are being physical, giving maximum effort, and being coachable.” He thinks the best game the team has played this season was the Temple game. “It was the most intense game,” says Slaughter. When he was asked what the team could do better this year, his response was “Score!” 

The season isn’t over yet. The Generals still have more games coming up, including a game at Ridgeland next Friday during Fall Break. Heritage fans still have a chance to come out and support our Generals. I can’t wait to see what else this five-star team has in store for this year.