Heritage suffers 'frustrating' loss in football season opener

Heritage running back Kenny Teter (21) fights through a crowd to cross the goal line with the Patriots' first touchdown. Menifee 24/7 photos by Doug Spoon

By Doug Spoon

Heritage Legacy Ceremony: Check

No. 9 preseason ranking: Check

Obligatory "Heritage tradition" media interviews: Check

Three weeks of preseason practice: Check

First game of the season?

Reality check.

The Heritage High School football team did something Friday night that it never does -- well, almost never. The Patriots lost their season opener, 21-18, at Etiwanda. That hasn't happened in 10 years. And going back to the two losses that ended last season, Heritage has also now lost three straight for the first time in 10 years.

Maybe the fact we're still talking about all this is part of the problem. Maybe it's time to talk more about the task ahead, not the accomplishments of the past. At least that's what offensive guard Phillip Cyr, a team captain and four-year varsity player, seemed to say after the Patriots missed several opportunities that could've led to a victory.

"I think our heads are too big right now," Cyr said. "We’re Heritage ... I feel like guys think we’re going to roll over everyone, but it’s not like that anymore. It really comes down to effort and wanting it. We need to humble ourselves real quick."

Over the course of the game, the Patriots had one drive end on an interception; three "three and out" possessions; a 10-play drive that covered just 22 yards; two missed 2-point conversion attempts; and an apparent last-minute touchdown pass that was in and out of the receiver's hands at the goal line.

Meanwhile, Etiwanda was grinding out yardage on the ground behind running backs Jerry Brown and and Santana Zuniga, and quarterback Isaiah Vasquez was hitting clutch passes to keep drives alive. Vicente Garcia kicked field goals of 45 and 34 yards in the first half, Vasquez threw a 13-yard touchdown pass to Jordan Williams for a 13-6 lead late in the second quarter, and Vasquez hit Williams again on a 31-yard touchdown pass with just 1:54 left in the game for a 21-18 lead (after a 2-point conversion).

Heritage cut the Etiwanda lead to 13-12 on an 11-yard touchdown pass from Tyler Basham to Adrian Robles in the third quarter and took an 18-13 lead on a 14-yard TD pass from Basham to AC Rondon with 3:26 left. The Eagles came right back six plays later with the second Vasquez-Williams TD pass, however.

The Patriots nearly pulled out the victory with about a minute remaining but Kenny Teter just missed catching a 42-yard pass at the goal line.

Etiwanda, which finished last season with a 4-6 record, celebrated the victory in Nick Baiz's first game as head coach.

"Overall, we just didn’t get it done," coach Kraig Broach said. "It falls on me, and the kids are frustrated ... but it doesn’t change the quality of kids we have. They’re an awesome group. They’re frustrated about it, so am I, and we’re going to have to find a way to fix it.

"As I was just telling them, you can’t hide from what happened tonight. And you can’t pin it on this player, or this one play. We just need to get better."

(Above photo: Coach Kraig Broach talks to quarterback Tyler Basham and running back Kenny Teter during a timeout).

Teter finished the game with 113 yards and one touchdown rushing, but he missed much of the third and fourth quarters with a cut on the bridge of his nose.

"Kenny goes out and yes, he’s a great player, but that’s not a deciding factor," Broach said. "We just have a lot of self reflection we need to do. But to be clear, the attitude of the kids are great, so that’s what makes it hopeful for us."

In an unusual move, with the Patriots trailing 13-6 at halftime, Broach kept his players on the field rather than taking them into the locker room. They spent the break in one end zone, meeting with their position coaches in groups.

"I think coach was trying to make a point," Cyr said. "It’s a team game. We can’t blame it on anybody else.

"It just comes down to effort. We can all say we didn’t do this, I missed that, we didn’t catch this, I didn’t make the block, but it just comes down to effort. We just have to have a better practice next week."

Dominic Cyr (3) finds some running room against the Etiwanda defense Friday night.

Heritage defenders Kyle Basham (20) and Isaac Hernandez (22) close in on Eagles ballcarrier Santana Zuniga.