Branham Haynes goes up for the catch for a critical first down. (Post Photo by Kacy Kincaid)
By KACY KINCAID
Sports Writer
WHITE HOUSE — In a thrilling offensive showcase Friday night, the Forrest Rockets (4-1) faced off against the White House Heritage Patriots (3-2), with the Patriots handing Forrest its first defeat of the season in a nail-biting 35-31 contest.
While the goal of maintaining an undefeated record was tempting, Forrest head coach Justin Palmer believes this loss might be a necessary turning point for his team.
“I hope we learn from this,” said Palmer. “It’s really hard for teenagers to learn when they win. We’ve done some of these same things and we’ve won, and so they weren’t punished. Everyone tells them they did a great job, and we’re watching film, and they see no they didn’t do good, or we didn’t do this right. We got away with it, but at some point we’re not going to. We played a good team, and they made us pay for those things. I think we will learn more from this. I think we will grow from this. And we will be better off for it.”
White House Heritage set the tone early, marching down the field on its opening possession for a five-minute drive that culminated in a 13-yard touchdown pass, giving the Patriots the first lead of the game.
Not to be outdone, the Rockets responded with their own drive.
Facing a critical fourth down, quarterback Aiden Cantrell connected with Branham Haynes on a 20-yard pass that brought Forrest into the red zone.
This set up Quincy Mitchell for a 4-yard touchdown run, evening the score at 7-7 with just over three minutes l
Freshman Quincy Mitchell carries for the Rockets. Mitchell had 194 yards on the night. (Post Photo by Kacy Kincaid)
eft in the first quarter.
The Patriots capitalized on their next possession, starting deep in Rocket territory.
As the quarter neared its end, quarterback Andrew Murray found Aric Lopez for a 9-yard touchdown pass.
Curtis Qualls added the extra point, pushing White House Heritage ahead 14-7.
The Rockets continued to push back, with Cantrell finding Haynes on a 37-yard pass to close the first quarter on a high note.
A few plays later, a key 11-yard reception by Eli Bell and a penalty on the Patriots set up a 23-yard field goal by Isai Garcia, narrowing the gap to 14-10 early in the second quarter.
White House Heritage answered right back, with Murray orchestrating an eight-play drive that ended with a 6-yard touchdown pass to Lopez.
Qualls’ kick extended the Patriots’ lead to 21-10 with just over four minutes left in the half.
Forrest fought back once more, with Mitchell powering his way from the Rockets’ 35 to the Patriots’ 14-yard line.
Despite stalling on third and 12, Cantrell again found Haynes for a crucial first down.
With under a minute left in the half, Cantrell followed his offensive line into the end zone on a two-yard run. However, the 2-point conversion attempt failed, leaving the Rockets trailing 21-16.
White House Heritage attempted a 41-yard field goal before the half but missed, keeping the score unchanged as both teams headed into the locker room.
Late in the third quarter, Forrest regained momentum.
Jason Patrick capped off a drive with a 5-yard rushing touchdown, followed by a successful 2-point conversion, putting the Rockets ahead 24-21 with just over two minutes left in the third.
The back-and-forth continued into the fourth quarter.
Starting deep in Rocket territory, the Patriots reclaimed the lead when Murray connected with Cale Hunt on an 8-yard touchdown pass just a minute and a half into the final frame.
Qualls’ extra point put the Patriots back on top, 28-24.
On the next drive, several Rockets helped move the chains to the Patriot 32-yard line, Mitchell taking it from there to put another six on the board for Forrest.
After Garcia’s kick, the Rockets once again had the lead at 31-28 with just over six minutes remaining.
With time winding down, White House Heritage mounted one final drive.
With less than two minutes left on the clock, Hunt barreled into the end zone from one yard out to seal the victory for the Patriots, 35-31.
“The defense didn’t play very well, which we’ve been worried about for a while,” said Palmer. “They’ve got to get better. That’s all there is to it. We’ve got to get better defensively.”
The Rockets will look to bounce back next Friday night when they host the Cascade Champions in a Region 4-2A matchup.
Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.
Forrest 7 9 8 7 — 31
WHH 14 7 0 14 — 35
First Quarter
W — Dominic Malich 13 pass from Andrew Murray (Curtis Qualls kick), 7:11.
F — Quincy Mitchell 4 run (Isai Garcia kick), 3:27.
W — Aric Lopez 9 pass from Murray (Qualls kick), 0:10.
Second Quarter
F — Garcia 23 Field Goal, 10:11.
W — Lopez 4 pass from Murray (Qualls kick), 4:35.
F — Aiden Cantrell 1 run (run failed), 0:49.
Third Quarter
F — Jason Patrick 5 run (Patrick run), 2:19.
Fourth Quarter
W — Cale Hunt 8 pass from Murray (Qualls kick), 10:22.
F — Mitchell 32 run (Garcia kick), 6:17.
W — Hunt 1 run (Qualls kick), 1:59.
