American Heritage Defeats Rickards For 5A Title

     The American Heritage Patriots beat the Rickards Raiders 24-6 in the FHSAA Class 5A state championship contest at Doak Campbell Stadium on Friday night. The Patriots captured their first state title since 2017 and their fifth overall in school history. Rickards was playing the game in their hometown of Tallahassee. 

     American Heritage(11-2) jumped out in front 7-0 with 5:55 left in the first quarter. Running back Mark Fletcher rushed the ball in from two yards away. 

     The Patriots expanded their lead to 14-0 with 19 seconds to go in the first. Quarterback Blake Murphy connected a 49-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Nicholas Whitton. 

     It became a 21-point margin for American Heritage at the 5:37 mark of the second quarter. Wide receiver Orande Gadsden II caught a three-yard touchdown pass from Murphy. 

     Rickards(9-2) reached the end zone at 10:53 of the third quarter. Quarterback Michael Townsend raced in for the score from two yards out. 

     In the fourth quarter, the Patriots made it 24-6 with 2:42 remaining. Chris Maron was able to boot a 29-yard field goal.