By Micheal Rios, Tulalip News
Under the bright lights of the Tulalip Sports Complex, with Tulalip Bay just beyond the field, the Heritage Hawks delivered their most emphatic victory of the young season. In a matchup featuring two Top 10 ranked teams, Tulalip Heritage dominated the Darrington Loggers in all three phases of the game and rolled to a 38-0 shutout victory. The win improved the Hawks to a perfect 3-0.
“Last year, we went up to Darrington, battled hard, but ultimately came up short. We remember that loss. We’ve discussed it a lot in the leadup to this rematch with them,” said head coach Shawn Custis pregame. “Our recent practices emphasized our technique, alignment, and assignments. We knew that as long as we stay home on coverage and don’t bite on misdirection, then we would win this game.”
From the opening possession, Heritage set the tone. Darrington received the kickoff but was stopped on fourth down. The Hawks immediately capitalized on their second play from scrimmage when senior running back #9 Jaedynn Zackuse broke loose for a 55-yard touchdown run. Fellow senior, #15 Ziggy Myles-Gilford, powered in the two-point conversion for an early 8-0 lead.
Special teams quickly created another opportunity when Darrington was caught off guard by the ensuing onside kick. Heritage special teamer #3 J.J. Gray quickly pounced on the loose ball and recovered it for home team. A long Hawks touchdown was called back because of a holding penalty, and a Heritage fumble briefly gave possession back to the Loggers. The Hawks defense responded by forcing another fourth-down stop.
Ziggy, at running back again, provided another explosive play, breaking through multiple tackles on his way to a 30-yard touchdown run. Quarterback Josh Davis connected with junior tight end #1 Peyton Hatch for the two-point conversion, making it 16-0 with 1:52 remaining in the opening quarter.
Peyton, playing middle linebacker on defense, closed the first quarter with a tackle for loss and fired up the Hawks Nest faithful. The opening 12 minutes was just a foreshadowing of things to come as the second quarter belonged entirely to Heritage.
After Darrington converted a clutch fourth-and-two, the Loggers botched a snap and the Hawks recovered the loose ball. On the very next play, sophomore quarterback Josh Davis showed off his arm strength with a beautiful 60-yard touchdown pass to a wide open J.J. with nothing but daylight in front of him. Another successful two-point conversion, this time a QB scramble off left guard, pushed the lead to 24-0.
“Our O-line has been doing their job and giving me a clean pocket to throw out of, and our receivers are executing their routes and catching the ball,” shared QB1 Josh. “Plus, our ground game has been effective, which opens up the passing game. Everything is just meshing really well for us.”
Ziggy continued his standout night on defense when he intercepted a Darrington pass from his middle linebacker position. Heritage followed with another touchdown pass, a 30-yard strike to sophomore receiver #10 Julian Lopez, to stretch their advantage to 30-0 with 8:15 remaining in the half.
The Hawks secondary struck again when safety Jaedyn Zackuse intercepted a Darrington pass on fourth-and-long and returned it 25-yards to give Heritage excellent field position. With the first half winding down, J.J. moved from receiver to quarterback and showcased the quickness and athleticism he has become known for. Taking the shotgun snap, the senior standout kept the ball on a quarterback draw and zigzagged through multiple defenders for one of the night’s most memorable touchdowns.
J.J.’s 35-yard touchdown run and another successful two-point conversion made it 38-0 with 13 seconds remaining before halftime. By then, Heritage had scored through nearly every avenue possible. Long rushing plays, deep passes, forced turnovers and special teams execution all contributed to the commanding advantage.
“Coach really does his best to put us in the right spots, and we’ve been working a lot at our ability to make open field tackles. That’s been key to our early success and especially here in this game,” described linebacker Peyton of the Hawks stellar defense.
In a last gasp of desperation, Darrington opened the second half with a surprise onside kick attempt. The well-coached Heritage square was more than ready and recovered the ball. With the outcome firmly in hand, the Hawks focused on protecting the shutout. The Heritage defense held strong throughout the second half, keeping the Loggers off the scoreboard through the third quarter and all the way to the final whistle.
The victory showcased the versatility of a Heritage roster filled with versatile skill players who can play multiple positions and contribute on both sides of the football. Jaedyn made plays at running back and defensive back. Ziggy scored on the ground and recorded an interception. J.J. caught a touchdown pass before later scoring from behind center. Peyton contributed as both a tight end and linebacker.
All the while, sophomore sensation Josh Davis directed the Hawks offense with confidence as their primary quarterback. He repeatedly made Darrington pay through the air.
“Our team expects this kind of result every week,” said Coach Custis. “Their dedication and I.Q. have grown so much from last season to this season, and we’re seeing just how good we can be collectively when everyone is on the same page and playing for each other.”
When the final horn sounded, the scoreboard still read 38-0. Three games. Three wins. And plenty of momentum building at Tulalip Bay.