Versatile Deante Edwards helps Heights beat Newton in 5A playoffs
Deante Edwards is a quarterback, which in Heights’ offense means he gets to try a little bit of everything.
He can’t simultaneously be deployed at his natural position, wide receiver, but Edwards finds plenty of ways to make a difference. In Heights’ 41-26 home win over Newton in the first round of the Class 5A playoffs on Friday, Edwards passed for three touchdowns, scored on a punt return and rushed for 122 yards.
Edwards is playing quarterback because K’Vonte Baker is nursing an ankle sprain. Baker still rushed for 151 yards and two touchdowns on Friday, giving Heights a multi-faceted offense to arm the Falcons for their most important games.
Heights (6-3) plays Maize on the road in next week’s second round.
“He’s just done a great job,” Heights coach Terry Harrison said of Edwards. “He’s had to play (quarterback) a lot, we’ve been in a weird spot – K’Vonte has been injured for a while. We decided this week we would play Deante and let K’Vonte get his touches at running back.
“That gave Deante a good week to practice and obviously it paid off.”
Baker’s injury limits his opportunity but allows Heights to feature other players, like Edwards, and establish balance – or at least a more versatile identity.
Baker can be used selectively while Edwards guides the offense and showcases his own abilities while putting his teammates in spots to excel. Edwards’ strong arm led to three touchdown passes in the first half to Braxton Kirkendoll.
The other touchdown Heights used to build a 28-7 lead was Edwards’ 52-yard punt return. Baker was spotlighted later as his final first-half carry and first attempt of the second half turned into touchdowns, with a 70-yarder just after halftime.
“K’Vonte’s had a weird year, he’s been hurt so much,” Harrison said. “But we’ve been practicing stuff all summer. Deante has probably been our best receiver until he’s become our quarterback as of late. We just want to win. If that means we have to run it every play, we’ll do that. If we have to throw a little bit more, we’ll do that, too.”
Edwards completed one second-half pass but made his mark early while rushing for 87 yards after halftime.
“I love quarterback,” Edwards said. “K’Vonte got hurt and it was ok, I just stepped in. I played quarterback last year, so it was nothing new. I love (the offense) more. K’Vonte brings the running game and the wide receivers bring the passing game. I just throw it up and they go get it.”
Newton scored the last 19 points but was stifled early by Heights’ relentless defense. Newton quarterback Colton Davis passed for 259 yards and three touchdowns but couldn’t get comfortable early.
Heights had eight sacks and Davis had three runs for zero yards. Newton had minus-4 total rushing yards.
“Our kids were putting good hits on him,” Harrison said. “If you’re going to line up and throw the ball against us, you’re going to have to deal with pressure. That’s always been our philosophy. It worked tonight.”
Newton 0 7 0 19 – 26
Heights 14 20 7 0 – 41
H—Kirkendoll 7 pass from Edwards (Hatchett kick)
H—Kirkendoll 65 pass from Edwards (Hatchett kick)
H—Edwards 52 punt return (Hatchett kick)
N—Mapes 67 pass from Davis (Gutierrez kick)
H—Kirkendoll 30 pass from Edwards (kick failed)
H—Baker 1 run (Hatchett kick)
H—Baker 70 run (Hatchett kick)
N—Dietz 4 pass from Davis (Gutierrez kick)
N—Mapes 7 pass from Davis (pass failed)
N—Valdez 27 pass from Davis (no PAT attempt)
Individual statistics
Rushing—Newton, Presley 5-16, Davis 16-(-12); Heights, Baker 13-151, Edwards 11-122, Hubbard 14-69, Sanders 3-7, Sellers 2-6.
Passing—Newton, Davis 22-43-259-0 INT; Heights, Edwards 6-11-114-0.
Receiving—Newton, Dietz 11-85, Mapes 5-117, Valdez 2-34, Pfannestiel 2-17, Roberson 2-6; Heights, Kirkendoll 3-102, Orange 1-14, Hubbard 1-(-2).
This story was originally published October 27, 2017 at 10:38 PM with the headline "Versatile Deante Edwards helps Heights beat Newton in 5A playoffs."