Jonathan Levinsky is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Heritage Academy High School for AZPreps365.

 The Heritage Academy Heroes rose back above .500 with a victory over the St. John Paul II Catholic Lions Friday night. 

After dropping two straight games where they allowed 77 points, while only scoring 20 total in that time frame, the Heroes responded with a resounding 26-12 win.

The story of the game came from the defensive side of the ball, as the Heroes defense forced four turnovers.

“We put a really strong emphasis this week on our defense and really challenged them,” Heritage coach Stephen Hemming said. “If we can’t step up defensively, we’re gonna have a tough time the rest of the year.”

Hemming, who is in the middle of his first season with the program, said they knew it was going to be a “big, physical week” with St. John Paul’s run-heavy offense. This scheme worked, as three of the four turnovers came in the form of fumbles on running plays. 

Heritage Academy's defense came up big to help preserve the win over St. John Paul II Catholic on Friday, Sept. 19, 2025. (Jonathan Levinsky/AZPreps365)

Defensive Coordinator Wayne Corricelli, also in his first year with Heritage Academy, said his defense worked on communication during practice. By doing so, defenders were able to recognize which player had the ball and attempt to knock it free.

“We worked all week on just attacking the ball,” Corricelli said. “More specifically, attacking the ball carrier as a team.”

Like Hemming, Corricelli knew exactly what he was going up against. Having described the Lions’ offense as “95% run, 5% pass,” he ensured that his defense stacked the box at all times and sent a minimum of four-to-five pass rushers every play. By doing so, they controlled the line of scrimmage for most of the game. 

“There were a couple of times that we could have contained the triple-option a little bit better,” Corricelli said. “But with the adjustments that we made at halftime and with the personnel and [the] scheme, I think we did pretty well.”

While 26 points was enough for the win, it was far from a perfect night for the offense. It committed three turnovers, one of which resulted in a touchdown for the Lions, keeping the game close. 

Where the offense faltered, sophomore Kaelan Williams made up for. The receiver/ defensive-back hybrid hauled in two touchdown grabs (85, 39 yards). He also had an interception on a 2-point conversion and a fumble recovery to boot. After missing last week’s game as well as part of last season due to injury, Williams was glad to be back to form.

Sophomore WR/CB Kaelan Williams wears the coveted "I'm Him" turnover chain after a fumble recovery on Friday, Sept. 19, 2025.

“It was a big mental thing for me, but I had to pick it up, be there for my teammates and try to do whatever I can to help us win,” Williams said. 

After his first score, Williams marched back to the sideline and proclaimed to his coaches and teammates, “I’m back.” Hemming was ecstatic to have his No. 1 weapon back on the field.

“We’re really blessed to have him back,” Hemming said. “He’s definitely an X factor. At times, our goal is to always just get him the ball as much as we can.” 

Not to be overlooked is fellow receiver sophomore Levi Allen. He had a touchdown called back in the first quarter, but made the play of the night to put the game out of reach for good with a long catch and grab for a score. 

“I’m glad I was able to get another touchdown,” Allen said. “[I’m] grateful that my teammates were able to get their blocks so we could put some more points up on the board.”

Even though Hemming’s original game plan going in was to try and run the ball more, the passing game ended up being the moneymaker. All four touchdowns came through the air; each of them 20 yards or more. 

Heritage Academy (3-2) goes on the road next week to face regional opponent Antelope Rams (1-3) as it tries to build off a physical win.