Heritage hasn't had much luck against Newton recently, but that could start to change on Friday. The Patriots will look to defend their home field against the Rams at 7:30 p.m. Heritage has given up an average of 32.6 points per game this season, but Friday's game will give them a chance to turn things around.
Heritage is headed into the game out to prove that what happened against South Gwinnett on Thursday (when they were outscored in every quarter) was just a minor bump in the road. The Patriots were dealt a 47-14 defeat at the hands of the Comets. While losing is never fun, the Patriots can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Georgia football rankings (they are ranked 311th, while the Comets are ranked 75th).
Despite the loss, Heritage got top-tier performance from Joshua Taylor, who rushed for 156 yards while picking up 8.7 yards per carry. Taylor's longest rush was for an incredible 84 yards.
Meanwhile, Newton owes their defense a big pat on the back after their performance last Friday. They breezed past Grovetown to the tune of 30-0.
Newton found their leader in sophomore Kevin Hartsfield, who rushed for 100 yards and a pair of touchdowns on only nine carries. Hartsfield is becoming a predictor of the Rams' success: when he posts at least 80 rushing yards the team is 3-1 (and 1-2 when he doesn't).
On the defensive side of the ball, a lot of the credit has to go to Newton's defense and their eight sacks. Grovetown's QB won't forget Cameron Horne anytime soon given he sacked him twice. Horne has been hot recently, having also posted seven or more total tackles the last four times he's played. Newton got some further help from Zacari Lawrence: he picked up a sack, forced two fumbles, and made 11 total tackles.
Newton's victory ended a three-game drought on the road and puts them at 4-3. As for Heritage, their defeat dropped their record down to 1-6.
| Rushing Yards | 664 |
| Rushing Touchdowns | 6 |
Friday's contest will pit two of the most dominant backs against one another: Taylor and Hartsfield. Taylor just won't slow down this season and has run in 6 touchdowns while averaging 110.7 rushing yards per game. Hartsfield has been a dominant force too and has run in 6 touchdowns while averaging 120.4 rushing yards per game.
Heritage took a serious blow against Newton in their previous meeting back in October of 2024, falling 46-6. Will the Patriots have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.
