RINGGOLD, Ga. – Ethan Thompson, like many of the Heritage Generals, remembers the lowest of several low points in the football program’s first two years.
Losing 64-0 to Catoosa County neighbor Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe in Heritage’s first season has never left his and his teammates’ minds. In fact, that feeling of inferiority hung over the Generals like a burial shroud through two seasons, a period in which they one game and were outscored by nearly 700 points.
That shroud was obliterated with last week’s 28-0 win over LFO’s Warriors. Not only did the Generals avenge the embarrassing defeat, they improved to 2-0, a feat not lost on Thompson.
“We’ve been waiting for two years to get back at them,” said Thompson, who has rushed for more than 100 yards in each of Heritage’s wins. “We’re actually like a real high school football team. The school is behind us and we believe we belong. I’m proud to say we’re 2-0. We’ve never been able to say that before.”
Coach Tim James, while acknowledging the signficance of the rout of LFO, said the consistency shown so far, including the opening-week 27-7 defeat of North Murray, is far more important.
“To me it’s not so much beating LFO, it’s that we learned how to win two ballgames back to back and put two quality games together back to back,” James said. “As a coach, my concern now is that we’ve put together those two games and we might be feeling a little cocky. We need to stay grounded as a team.”
The sudden turnaround, players and coaches agree, isn’t as sudden as it appears. The players who were kicked around the field on a weekly basis the first two years have worked hard in the weightroom. Their maturation led to a switch to the spread option offense and the 3-4 defense. The offense, led by junior quarterback Jake Sampson and Thompson, showed signs of improvement last year and has taken to its new scheme with ease.
The defense, though, has surprised everyone, including the head coach.
“Our defense has been playing lights out,” James said. “Our first-team defense hasn’t given up a point yet. North Murray had about 50 or 60 yards of total offense against our first team, and though Lakeview moved the ball some, we held them in check. Frankly, it’s been a huge surprise. They’re swarming to the ball and really getting after it. The kids are picking up on the scheme we’re trying to use, and we’ve had very few missed assignments.”
The quick start even has sparked talk of the heretofore unthinkable.
“I think we have a really good chance to make the playoffs this year,” Sampson said. “The last two years we’ve been pretty much stomped by everybody, but this year people are going to have to compete with us.”