Jackets hang tough, but can’t keep up with Heritage Hall

Kingfisher kept hanging and kept hanging.

Finally, second-ranked Heritage Hall proved to be too much.

The Yellowjackets kept within striking distance for the better part of three-plus quarters Thursday night, but Heritage Hall tacked on a pair of fourth quarter touchdowns to pull away for a 46-23 victory in Oklahoma City. “We just made too many mistakes against a good team,” coach Reagan Roof said. “When you play a team like that, you almost have to play a perfect game and we made too many mistakes at critical times.”

The Jackets led 10-7 early in the second quarter and trailed by 10 at halftime.

After Heritage Hall’s Porter England scooped up a Jhett Birdwell fumble and returned it 61 yards for a score to open the second half, the Charger lead was up to 16 points.

But the Jackets didn’t fold. Birdwell came right back to find a wide open Paytun Burnham for a 75-yard touchdown. The Jackets’ two-point conversion failed, but they were still within 26-16 less than three minutes into the third. Heritage Hall marched back down to go up 33-16 before the mid-point of the third as Barrett Travis scored his fourth rushing touchdown of the game.

But, again, Kingfisher answered.

Birdwell found Santiago Ortega for a 36-yard pass on a fourth down play to set KHS up at the Charger 31. On the next play, the junior QB hit Kasen Blair for a touchdown pass, bringing the Jackets within 10 points once again.

But the answers stopped there for the Jackets.

The Kingfisher defense forced a turnover on downs, but Kingfisher’s next pos- session ended with another fumble.

The defense stiffened again, forcing yet another turnover on downs, but KHS couldn’t capitalize and gave the Chargers the ball back at the Kingfisher 32 with 9:29 to play in the game.

This time Heritage Hall took advantage and used a three-plus minute drive to go up 39-23.

Birdwell found Ortega for another long pass play, this one for 68 yards, to give KHS first-and-goal at the 10, but the Charger defense again turned away KHS.

Three different times in the game Kingfisher had goal-to-go, but managed just three points out of those drives.

“I thought we played hard and competed, especially in the second half,” Roof said. “But we’re just not playing very fundamentally sound football on a consistent basis.

“We do it at times, but not consistent enough and it hurt us at times.”

Heritage Hall added a touchdown with less than two minutes to play to pull away.

The home team struck first as it drove 80 yards on the opening drive, one that was capped by a 45-yard run by Travis.

Kingfisher also scored on its first possession.

Birdwell found Willbanks for a 10-yard TD pass to cap a 73-yard drive.

After a Charger punt, Willbanks struck again, this time on a 63-yard catch, but he was shoved out at the 5-yard line.

The Jackets settled for a 36-yard field goal by Jake Sisk for the 10-7 lead early in the second quarter.

The momentum was short-lived as Heritage Hall’s Terrance Johnson returned the ensuing kickoff 82 yards to give his team first-and-goal at the 8. Travis scored on a 6-yard run for a 13-10 Charger advantage.

He added a 7-yard TD run with 2:13 left in the half for a 20-10 lead.

Travis had a big night as he ran it 32 times for 185 yards and the four scores.

A bulk of Kingfisher’s 399 yards came through the air.

Birdwell was 10 of 21 for 318 yards.

Burnham completed his lone pass attempt for 31 yards.

Ortega’s three receptions covered 133 yards while Willbanks caught four passes for another 88 yards.

The Jackets’ 29 carries covered just 50 yards.

Heritage Hall had 174 through the air and 214 total on the ground.

The Chargers moved to 5-1 overall and 3-0 in District 3A-1.

KHS dropped to 2-4 and 1-2.

With four games remaining, the Jackets likely need to win at least three of them to qualify for the playoffs, something Roof stressed to his team after the game.

“We’re in now or never time,” he said. “We’ve been saying we’re close all year, but being close doesn’t count anymore.”

The Jackets host Star Spencer this Friday night. The Bobcats are 2-4 and 0-3 after Thursday’s 56-7 loss to Plainview.

After that, the Jackets close out the season at North Rock Creek and then at home against Anadarko and Plainview.

All three of those teams - like KHS - have legitimate playoff aspirations.

“We’ve got to start playing complete games from here on out and at some point we have to beat someone as good or better than us,” Roof said. “We haven’t done that yet.”