Shiflett out with ankle injury as Heritage rolls Northwest

Published 7:45 pm Friday, October 6, 2017

TUNNEL HILL — With one loss, Northwest Whitfield saw its opportunity to host a state playoff game dim dramatically. With one injury, the Bruins’ postseason aspirations may have been snuffed out as well.

Senior quarterback Luke Shiflett, who was already playing with an injured wrist to his non-throwing arm which required surgery, left Friday night’s 44-21 loss to Heritage with an ankle injury and his status for the rest of the season is unknown. He was scheduled to have X-rays and consult with physicians this morning to determine the severity of the injury.

Shiflett rolled his ankle on the first series of the game against the Generals, but played through the pain during much of the first half despite a noticeable limp and limited mobility. But on the Bruins’ final series of the first half, Shiflett rolled out of the pocket to avoid pressure and finally couldn’t take anymore as the ankle gave out and he crumpled to the ground.

“It popped a few times during the first half, and then it was just done,” Shiflett said.

He had to be helped to the locker room and spent the second half on the sidelines with crutches or on the trainer’s table.

“We will know more (this morning), but best-case scenario it is a high ankle sprain, which is bad enough,” Northwest coach Josh Robinson said. “I hate that for him. Things have not went well for him during his senior year.”

But Robinson said the team can’t be focused on the loss of one player.

“Our schedule hasn’t changed and we still have a game on the road next week and we have to be ready,” Robinson said. “I hate it for Luke, but it is football, and it is ‘next man up.’ We have a game next week no matter who is quarterback and Pickens isn’t going to feel sorry for us.”

Even with Shiflett, there was little the Northwest offense could generate and very few times the Bruins’ defense slowed the Generals. One busted coverage that allowed running back Dominique Sistrunk to get behind Heritage’s secondary accounted for Northwest’s only score in the first half.

Take away Sistrunk’s 80-yard catch-and-run for the score and Northwest (4-3, 1-2) had just 44 yards of total offense in the first half.

Riding a first-team defense which coach E.K. Slaughter said had given up just four touchdowns in seven games, the Generals (7-0, 3-0) will face Ridgeland at home this week with the Region 6-4A title seemingly on the line in the battle of unbeatens. The winner will emerge as the clear favorite for the title.

While the defense has been outstanding for the Generals, the offense hasn’t been bad either. Add in the fact that Heritage has scored a touchdown by either special teams or off of a defensive turnover in six of its seven games and it is easy to see why the Generals have become a viable threat to Ridgeland, which is state ranked and has been the consensus pick for the region title since the preseason.

“When you can play well in all three phases of the game, you end up playing in big games like next week,” Slaughter said. “It is hard to believe we would be here four years ago, and I couldn’t be prouder of this staff and this senior class.”

Both teams sputtered at the outset with Heritage fumbling the ball away on its first possession and Northwest only making a first down after Shiflett took a bad snap on a punt and turned it into something.

But Heritage scored on three of its next four possessions thanks to finding some rhythm on offense and a forced turnover.

Ryan Carter capped off an 8-play, 96-yard drive with a 6-yard run on a drive that saw quarterback Blake Bryan complete all four of his pass attempts for 68 yards.

Northwest’s defense was able to get a stop as Bryan was incomplete on a fourth-down pass attempt at the Northwest 32, but three plays later Heritage’s defense made a play to totally shift momentum to the Generals.

The defensive rush off the edge which gave Northwest fits all night forced Shiflett to fumble and Heritage recovered at the 15. Bryan hit Luke Grant on a 15-yard pass over the middle for a 14-0 lead.

Northwest seemed to get a stop it needed after Heritage’s next drive stalled at the Bruins’ 7, but the Generals converted on a fake field goal with a pass from holder Johnathon Hickman to Brody Campbell for a 21-0 lead.

In the second half, Northwest found little rhythm with freshman quarterback Matthew Redmond pressed into action. The Bruins’ first five plays of the second half went for negative 18 yards and a fumble.

Carter scored on a 22-yard pass from Bryan on Heritage’s first drive of the second half, and a 32-yard fumble return by Jeffrey Curtis gave Heritage a 35-7 lead with 1:53 left in the third quarter. Grant would add a 16-yard scoring reception and the defense added a safety when a snap went over Redmond’s head and he downed the ball in the back of the end zone.

Northwest got cosmetic touchdowns from Sistrunk on a 2-yard run and a 19-yard scoring run from Brady Hughes.