Football Game Preview: Citrus Hill Hawks vs. Heritage Patriots

The Citrus Hill Hawks are taking a road trip to challenge the Heritage Patriots at 7:00 p.m. on Friday.

It's never fun to lose, and it's even less fun to lose 50-21, which was the final score in Citrus Hill's tilt against Canyon Springs on Friday. The Hawks haven't had much luck with the Cougars recently, as the team has come up short the last three times they've met.

Although Citrus Hill took the loss, they still got scores from Ricky Green, Demerius Norman, and Cody Bowie.

Heritage never got on the board in their matchup two weeks ago, but that sure wasn't the case in their game against Lakeside on Thursday. They blew past the Lancers 55-27. The Patriots' offense stepped up their game for this one, as that was the most points they've scored all season.

Citrus Hill better keep an eye on Hayden Hill. He was instrumental in Heritage's win, rushing for 312 yards and four TDs while picking up 16.4 yards per carry, and also picking up 52 receiving yards. Those 312 rushing yards gave Hill a new career-high. Elijah Sanchez was another key player, throwing for 145 yards and three touchdowns.

Heritage was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 334 rushing yards. That's the most rushing yards they've managed all season.

Heritage's defense made their presence known, laying out Robert Arellano eight times. The heavy lifting was done by Dane Ortiz and Austen Willison, who racked up five sacks between them.

Heritage's victory ended a three-game drought on the road and puts them at 2-6. As for Citrus Hill, their defeat dropped their record down to 6-2.

Citrus Hill came up short against Heritage in their previous matchup back in October of 2024, falling 12-6. Can the Hawks avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.