Heritage passes over Plainsmen

VANCOUVER — Michael Taras threw four touchdown passes, and Robert Meadors was big on offense and defense Friday, leading Heritage to a 34-7 win over Evergreen in non-league high school football action at McKenzie Stadium. Taras finished with 216 yards passing as well as a team-high 91 yards on the ground as the Timberwolves improved to 2-0 this season. Taras and Meadors put Heritage up in the first quarter, and the two connected again early in the second quarter, this time on a 52-yard touchdown pass for a 16-point Heritage lead. Meadors would end up with six receptions for 132 yards.  

Heritage went up 22-0 before the end of the first half when Taras found Neithan Stanley alone for a 32-yard touchdown pass.   At the half, Taras had 169 yards through the air.  

Evergreen would find some hope early in the second half, but Meadors stepped in front of an Evergreen pass for an interception to kill one scoring chance.   Later in the third, Eli Vaa-Leiataua took over a drive for the Plainsmen, scoring on a 2-yard run to make it 22-7. Vaa-Leiataua would finish with a game-high 113 yards on the ground. The Evergreen defense would get the ball back to its offense, still down by two touchdowns, but another turnover would doom the Plainsmen. This one was a gem by Heritage’s Mekhi Belcha, who not only stripped the Evergreen ball carrier, but he also recovered the fumble. That set up a 29-yard touchdown pass from Taras to Ammon Garrison — on a fourth-and-17 play — to put Heritage up 28-7 early in the fourth quarter. The turnover-to-touchdown pretty much secured the victory for the Timberwolves. Kahai Umiamaka capped the scoring with a 1-yard touchdown run inside the 2-minute mark of the fourth quarter.

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HERITAGE 34, EVERGREEN 7

Evergreen 0 0 7 0 - 7 Heritage 8 14 0 12 - 34 First quarter

Her - Robert Meadors 5 pass from Michael Taras (Meadors pass from Taras)

Second quarter

Her - Meadors 52 pass from Taras (Taras run)

Her - Neithan Stanley 32 pass from Taras (pass failed)

Third quarter

Eve - Eli Vaa-Leiataua 2 run (Triston Fich kick)

Fourth quarter

Her - Ammon Garrison 29 pass from Taras ( pass failed)

Her - Kahai Umiamaka 1 run (kick failed)

Individual statistics

RUSHING: Evergreen: Vaa-Leiataua 23-113, Daniel Moltisanti 6-46, Zyell Griffin 8-46, Fich 11-6, Miguel Cruz 1-0. Heritage: Taras 15-91, Isaac Roa 5-18, Umiamaka 8-4. PASSING: Evergreen: Fich 7-16-2-94. Heritage: Taras 14-24-0-216. RECEIVING: Evergreen: Griffin 3-61, Luke Allen 2-26, Jerontae Burns 1-4, Nadil Hodzic 1-3. Heritage: Meadors 6-132, Garrison 2-38, Stanley 1-32, Chase Hendy 1-11, Umiamaka 4-3.