BY DANIEL SCHMIDT
THE LAFAYETTE SUN
CAMP HILL — Southern Preparatory Academy was 3 yards from taking the lead early in the third quarter. One snap later, it trailed by two touchdowns.
A goal-line interception turned into a 96-yard TD run for The Heritage School, and the Rangers (3-7) never recovered in a 35-14 loss on senior night at Ranger Stadium on Oct. 30.
“Quote,” Southern Prep head coach J.R. Rodriguez said. “Quote.”
Jayke Bouchard caught both of Southern Prep’s TD passes in his final home game and finished with five catches for 89 yards. Josh Wilson added three catches for 83 yards.
Southern Prep threw for 204 yards but managed only 37 rushing yards on 19 carries. Enrique Burguete went 5 of 10 for 85 yards, a TD and two interceptions before Brayden Pace took over late in the first half. Pace went 5 of 23 for 119 yards, a TD and an interception. Jaydon Allotaye-Babington ran for 31 yards on 14 carries. The Rangers committed three turnovers and were penalized 13 times for 95 yards.
The Hawks (3-7) ran for 278 yards on 36 carries. A.J. Bassett ran for 139 yards, and Cru Watson added 104. Masen Biggs caught eight passes for 27 yards and a TD, and intercepted a pass.
Trailing 13-7, Southern Prep opened the second half with its best drive of the night, a march of more than 4 minutes that started at its own 33 yard line. Allotaye Babington opened it with a 29-yard run and later ran 17 yards to the Heritage 3 yard line, but two plays after that, Nathan Eade intercepted a pass at the goal line.
On the next snap, Bassett ran 96 yards for a TD, and Watson’s two-point run made it 21-7 with 7:11 left in the third quarter.
It got worse on the kickoff. The Rangers mishandled an onside kick, and Heritage recovered at midfield. After Watson’s 37-yard run and a Southern Prep penalty, Bassett threw a 7-yard TD pass to Biggs. In 61 seconds, a one-score game had become a 27-7 deficit.
“Quote on the goal-line interception and third-quarter swing,” Rodriguez said.
Southern Prep answered. Two 15-yard Heritage penalties — a pass interference and a personal foul — kept the Rangers’ next drive moving, and Pace hit Bouchard for a 28-yard TD on third-and-1. Matheus Noleto’s extra point made it 27-14 with 22 seconds left in the third quarter.
Heritage responded right away. The Hawks returned the ensuing kickoff 38 yards to the Southern Prep 40 and scored six plays later on Alex Harris’ 27-yard reverse. Bassett’s two-point run made it 35-14 with 8:43 left.
The Rangers’ last chance came in the final two minutes, when Bouchard’s 29-yard catch moved the ball to the Heritage 18 yard line. However, Southern Prep got no closer.
The Rangers’ defense spent most of the first quarter on the field. Heritage opened the game with a 20-play, 65-yard drive that consumed 8:04 of clock, converted on fourth-and-2 and scored on Watson’s 6-yard run on fourth-and-1.
Southern Prep’s first possession then ended with an interception. Biggs dropped into the throwing lane and picked off Burguete at the Heritage 32 yard line, then returned it to the Southern Prep 26, but a Heritage penalty wiped out the return and moved the ball back to the Heritage 33 yard line.
The Southern Prep defense stiffened from there. David Bampeledi intercepted a pass at the Southern Prep 33 yard line to end that drive, and Emmanuel Odi’s sack helped force a punt on the following series.
The Rangers’ offense then tied it 7-7 with 6:03 left in the half. Wilson turned a tunnel screen into a 34-yard gain to the Heritage 11 yard line, and two plays later, Burguete threw a 16-yard TD pass to Bouchard.
The tie lasted less than three minutes. Heritage’s Landon Allen intercepted a pass and returned it 39 yards for a TD with 3:38 left in the half. Bampeledi blocked the extra point to keep the deficit at 13-7, and Southern Prep’s last drive of the half reached the Heritage 38 yard line before ending on downs.
“Quote on the defense,” Rodriguez said.
The Rangers will now prepare to face Monroe Academy (5-4) in the first round of the Alabama Independent School Association Class AA playoffs. That game will be held at Volunteer Stadium in Monroeville on Friday, Nov. 6, at 7 p.m.
The Volunteers are coming off a bye week and most recently defeated Southern Academy (5-3) 42-12 on the road on Oct. 23.
“Quote about the playoff game,” Rodriguez said.
