It’s safe to say that Tanner Heckman’s second half performance against Anna will rank with the area’s best by season’s end, and gives hope that there’s a lot more to Fort Loramie’s season before the season actually does end.
Fort Loramie, OH – Afterwards, behind the biggest surprise win of the young football season so far, Fort Loramie football coach Spencer Wells sighed deeply during the post-game interviews, and said, “Boy, we really needed a win.”
And trailing 12-7 at halftime, when the Redskins came out for the second half he put the game in the hands of his junior 6’4″ quarterback, Tanner Heckman.
And Heckman responded, leading three time-consuming drives that ate the clock and shortened the game…and in the final five minutes he led a 91-yard drive that consumed the clock and culminated with a one yard burst by sophomore running back Wyatt Holthaus as time ran out to beat the heavily-favored Anna Rockets, 13-12.
For the game, unofficially Heckman ran for 82 yards, all in the second half, including the game’s longest play from scrimmage, a 42-yard bolt through the middle of the Anna defense to set up the final minute and Holthaus’s game-winning score. For that, he is this week’s Press Pros ‘Who’s Hot’ honoree for services rendered.
“He handled some adversity,” said Wells, following the game. “The guys played their guts out because they wanted to win this football game. We needed a win. And they just kept responding. To beat a MAC team like Anna, this was just a blast.”
“We just took things one play at a time,” said Heckman, when it was his turn to share his thoughts.
Quarterback Tanner Heckman rips off he longest run of the game with this 42-yard sprint in the fourth quarter to set up the winning score.
“And when we came out for the second half I knew I had negative yards in the first half. I was hitting the wrong holes. But I cleaned some things up in the second half and he [Wells] said, ‘You’re our guy.’ They did it, I ran it the whole second half, and Wyatt came through there at the end.”
It turned out to be Holthaus’ first varsity touchdown, having been moved to running back in practice earlier in the week.
“Coach Wells got our minds right all week. He’s a great coach and we wouldn’t want to have anyone else,” added Heckman, a genuine model of teenage behavior bespeaking class. “Mentally, now we know that we can do it. And we know what we can do for the rest of the year.”
For his performance when it meant the most to his team and for headlines in area football, we congratulate Tanner Heckman for this week’s Press Pros ‘Who’s Hot’ distinction.
For stepping up…at winning time!
Peace of mind is as easy as the relationship you have with your local bank, and the St. Henry bank is small enough to know you, and big enough to serve you. The St. Henry Bank joins Press Pros Magazine in recognizing this week’s “Who’s Hot” honoree…quarterback Tanner Heckman, from Fort Loramie High School.