North Posey Vikings VS Heritage Hills 10-09-26

North Posey Vikings VS Heritage Hills 10-09-26

North Posey gave one of the state's top-ranked Class 4A teams a battle through the first two quarters Friday night, but Heritage Hills took control in the second half, scoring five unanswered touchdowns to defeat the Vikings 49-10 at Heritage Hills High School.

The Vikings entered the halftime break trailing just 14-10, keeping themselves within striking distance against a Patriots program ranked 11th in Class 4A. However, Heritage Hills found its rhythm offensively after the break, using a powerful rushing attack and several big passing plays to put the game out of reach.

North Posey struggled to slow down the Patriots' ground game, which produced approximately 280 rushing yards on the night.

Heritage Hills junior Jackson Smith delivered the biggest performance, rushing for 144 yards on 17 carries and scoring five touchdowns. Smith found the end zone on runs of 6, 1, 18, 44 and 8 yards.

Senior Andrew James added 110 yards on 20 carries, consistently moving the chains and helping the Patriots control the line of scrimmage.

Quarterback Tyce Winchell also contributed through the air, completing 7 of 12 passes for 138 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. Winchell was particularly effective in the second half, completing all three of his pass attempts, including touchdown throws of 41 and 31 yards.

Asa Palmer finished with two receptions for 46 yards and a touchdown, while Jayden Worley added two catches for 21 yards.

The turning point came early in the third quarter.

Heritage Hills opened the second half with a touchdown to extend its advantage to 21-10. North Posey responded by moving the football into Patriots territory, but a high snap resulted in a 12-yard loss, putting the Vikings behind schedule offensively.

The drive eventually stalled, and Heritage Hills took advantage of the opportunity, scoring again to make it 28-10.

From there, the Patriots continued to dominate offensively, scoring on five consecutive possessions to close out the game.

For North Posey, senior quarterback Carter Schickel completed 11 of 20 passes for 119 yards and two interceptions.

Sophomore Camden Clowers led the Vikings' receiving corps with four catches for 84 yards. Clowers was particularly effective early in the contest, although Heritage Hills held him without a reception in the second half.

Junior Remi Johnson added four receptions for 32 yards before leaving the contest with an ankle injury. Bret Buecher finished with two receptions.

Senior running back Cade Mauck found the end zone for North Posey's lone touchdown but faced tough running conditions throughout the evening. Mauck finished with 33 yards on 16 carries, a total that included a 12-yard loss after recovering the high snap.

Despite the final score, North Posey showed its ability to compete against a larger, established football program during the opening half.

Heritage Hills has historically been one of the toughest opponents on the Vikings' schedule, and Friday's victory marked the Patriots' 43rd win in the all-time series.

The loss does little to change North Posey's postseason expectations. The Vikings remain among the favorites in Class 2A Sectional 40 and will look to clean up mistakes and get healthy before tournament play begins.

The IHSAA football sectional pairings will be announced Sunday evening at 6 p.m. Central Time, with the selection show available on IHSAAtv.org.

North Posey will close out its regular season next Friday with a county rivalry matchup against Mount Vernon.