Heritage hammers JC

MONROEVILLE — Jay County’s defense held its own in the first quarter on Friday night.
Such was not the case in the final three, as the host Heritage Patriots scored on six straight possessions on their way to a 42-6 victory over Jay County in the regular-season finale.
“It’s the story of the season, where we do good things and get ourselves in favorable positions,” said JCHS coach Tim Millspaugh, whose team stopped Heritage on its opening two drives. “We’re not executing … when the odds are stacked in (our) favor. That’s disappointing. It’s tough.
“We’re going to watch the film and see some really good stuff that we’re excited about, and then the next play will happen. We have to overcome that.”
The visiting Patriots (2-7, 1-5 Allen County Athletic Conference) forced Heritage (6-3, 5-1 ACAC) to turn the ball over on downs deep in their own territory on its opening drive. On the next possession, Heritage quarterback Branson Dossen found Jailon Parrish down the right sideline on third-and-13, but the junior fumbled at the Jay County 18.
Heritage wouldn’t turn the ball over again.
Dossen connected with Austin Conrad for a 6-yard score with 2:35 left in the first half, and two minutes later Justyn Hart punched it in from 2 yards out for his first of two scores.
Hart, who returned a punt 83 yards to the Jay County 3-yard line to set up his first touchdown, ran 17 times for 143 yards. His second touchdown came early in the fourth quarter, extending the host Patriots’ lead to 35-0.
“He’s all blood and guts, and he’s been held together with binding twine and bailer wire for the last five weeks,” said Heritage coach Dean Lehrman, whose team is now 4-1 all-time against new conference rivals Jay County. “He’s kind of hobbled around and I think he might be above 80 percent now. He kind of took (the game) on his shoulders tonight.”
The Heritage junior also added a pair of catches for 38 yards. Dossen finished 8-of-17 for 153 yards and pair of scores, including one to Parrish to open the third quarter.

After two holding penalties backed the host Patriots up to their own 49, Parrish beat a Jay County defender on an out route, turned upfield at the JCHS 30 and scored less than three minutes into the third quarter.
Jay County — which had 236 yards of total offense — only went six yards in as many plays on the ensuing drive, turning the ball over on downs at the Heritage 43. Hart scampered 38 yards on the next play from scrimmage, setting up a 1-yard score by Parrish five plays later to put the host Patriots up 28-0.
The visiting Patriots were finally able to break the shutout midway through the fourth quarter on a 10-play, 72-yard drive, highlighted by a 44-yard run by Cole Stigleman. The JCHS freshman broke up the middle on a third-and-8, crossed midfield and hustled down the left sideline before he was dragged down at the Heritage 27.
He finished with 127 yards on 16 carries.
Four plays after he got the visiting Patriots into enemy territory, senior quarterback Joey Link connected with Stigleman for a 5-yard score, just the second touchdown pass of the season for Jay County.
“It’s nice that we were able to get a score on the board,” Millspaugh said. “We’ve just got to — same as the defense — we have to be more consistent. There are times where we start to move the ball, and then we’re doing stuff that gets us behind the chains.
“That’s difficult, because we’re a team right now that can’t afford to get behind the chains.”
Jay County opens sectional play Friday on the road at Marion (1-8). The Patriots defeated the Giants 50-16 in the opening round of the postseason last year.
“Our focus (now) has to be on Marion,” Millspaugh said. “We have to have a great week of practice from an attitude and effort standpoint.
“If we do, we’ve got a chance.”