Heritage Hall 24, Casady 0: Petersen sparks Heritage Hall

By Robert Przybylo

Published: September 5, 2008

Going into the football season, Heritage Hall senior Turner Petersen was labeled as the most versatile player on the team.

Petersen did not disappoint in the first game of the 2008 campaign. Petersen ran for a touchdown, threw for another and had two interceptions to lead Heritage Hall to a 24-0 victory over Casady on Thursday night at Casady's Hoot Gibson Field in the annual Polo Bowl.

Petersen, who saw spot-duty at quarterback last year, made more plays with his legs than his arm. Not because he wanted to but because he had to.

"We knew we had to replace a lot of starters offensively, especially with the line, but I thought we carried ourselves well,” Petersen said.

While the Casady defense did a good job of shutting down the Chargers' aerial attack, it only forced Petersen to do what he does best: make something out of nothing.

Never was that more apparent than on Heritage Hall's first touchdown, a 32-yard run by Petersen. The senior eluded defenders before finally reaching his top speed to sprint his way for the score.

"We have a lot of versatile guys who can do a lot of different things,” Petersen said. "We have high expectations, and this was a good way to start the season.”

Petersen ran for 146 yards on 14 attempts and threw for 44 yards.

The Chargers scored 14 points off of five Casady turnovers, including a 42-yard fumble return for a touchdown by senior Michael Dillard. Petersen ended Casady's best scoring chance with his second interception.

"Our defense really came through tonight,” Heritage Hall coach Andy Bogert said. "We made a lot of mistakes, but the way our defense played saved us.”

The Chargers have won five straight against the Cyclones. Casady, which started its season a week earlier than Heritage Hall, fell to 0-2.

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