At Heritage High, winning is an attitude -- and a habit

Running back Sherod White, scoring a touchdown here against Corona, is one of the team leaders of Heritage High. Photos by Amber Garcia

Heritage High football coach Kraig Broach remembers preseason practice, when the Patriots were trying to replace 18 graduated starting positions in trying to make another championship run.

"We had a lot of 'no names'," Broach recalled with a laugh. "We had a lot of guys put into different roles they hadn't experienced before.

"The talent was there -- no question. But they were unproven."

Sound familiar? At a level where turnover through graduation is a constant, some high school football teams struggle from year to year. Others thrive. And heading into Friday night's "Menifee Bowl" game against crosstown rival Paloma Valley (7:30 p.m. at Heritage), the numbers tell the story about Heritage's continued success.

Under Broach (left) -- the only head varsity coach the team has ever had -- the Patriots have compiled an overall record of 81-8 over the last seven seasons. They have never lost a Sunbelt League game, posting a 34-0 record heading into Friday night's game. They are ranked No. 1 in CIF Southern Section Division 2. They have outscored the opposition, 366-67.

Yes, they are that good. And regardless of how many new players had to adjust to new roles, the winning culture created at Heritage has resulted in another crop of winners.

Take Javier Luna, for instance. The 6-foot, 170-pound senior came into the season expected to be one of the team's top running backs. He has done that, rushing for 776 yards and 8 touchdowns. But he has also answered the call as a linebacker, making 49 solo tackles. And that's not all. He also does the punting and kickoffs.

"Javier has just been awesome for us," Broach said. "He had the right kind of skill set to play linebacker, so we thought maybe he could do it. It's a credit to the assistant coaches for recognizing that. The kicking? One day we just said, 'Come over here and try this.' "

Luna (right) said he was more than willing to do what was asked of him.

They pretty much just put me out there to see if I could do it," he recalled. "I used to play soccer, so they wanted to see if I could kick. It was weird at first. I wasn't kicking very well in the scrimmage. But I showed I could do it."

Junior Sherod White is the team's leading rusher with 940 yards and 11 touchdowns. He spoke more about his improved defense this season, however.

"I wanted to be a better safety," said White, who has 8 interceptions this season. "I wasn't satisfied with how I did last year. I've done much better this year at staying deep and driving on the ball."

Broach can't stress the value of White (left) enough.

"He's a fighter," Broach said. "He's hungry in what he does on the field. At running back, he fights for every inch he gets. On defense, it's him making plays back there or it's a touchdown. There's a lot of responsibility on him and he handles it well."

Another standout on defense is senior Jayden Dawson, who has 4 interceptions and 27 solo tackles. He said the team's work ethic is one of its strengths.

"We have great practices," he said ."We always stay focused no matter what."

Broach is also high on junior quarterback Devan Freedland, a transfer student from Norco High who has passed for 883 yards and 10 touchdowns and has led the offense capably.

"Devan is a great kid with a calm personality," Broach said about Freedland (right). "He doesn't shy away from the moment. Our offense is a little different than what he was used to, but he picked it up well. That's a credit to his work ethic."

As far as the league winning streak is concerned, Broach has managed to keep that statistic low profile this week in practice.

"That's a big deal for everybody on the outside," he said. "That is about No. 95 on our priority list. We're playing for the league championship. You don't need any more hype than that."

The starting time for Friday's game at Heritage has been moved back to 7:30 p.m. It will be televised by Prime Ticket on a delayed basis beginning at 8 p.m.