Less than 20 seconds into the second football game of the 2010 season, Heritage found itself looking at the back of a Clarke Central jersey.

While the Patriots played the No. 3 ranked team in Class AAAA tight throughout most of the first half, it was the speed displayed on the very first kickoff return that plagued Heritage in a 34-14 loss at Billy Henderson Stadium on Friday night.

Clarke Central (2-0) junior Dawun Billups hauled in the opening kickoff and sped up the right side for a 94-yard return before either team’s offense took the field.

"They’re so talented," Heritage coach Chad Frazier said.

The Patriots (1-1) answered on their first possession with Quami Stanley rushing for a 19 yard touchdown with 8:48 left in the first quarter to cap a six play 65-yard drive.

"They had the kickoff return to start the game, and then we answered to get right back in it," Frazier said. "Then we went into a lull for a little bit, and they had big plays."

After Heritage’s defense stopped the Clarke Central attack, it couldn’t get anything going with the ball either and put it back in the hands of the Gladiators’ speedsters.

Clarke Central’s featured running back Quenshaun Watson was one of those speedsters. The junior ran for just two yards on the first play in the scoring drive, but broke away for 50 and the score on the second.

Watson finished with 102 yards on 16 carries in the Gladiators’ balanced attack. The 2009 AAAA championship game representative had 143 yards on the ground and another 125 through the air.

It was in the air that the next big display of speed came from Clarke Central. Torey Gartrell caught a 19-yard pass from quarterback Martay Mattox to move into Patriots territory, before the longest pass of the night.

After an incomplete pass, Mattox hit Carlton Heard, who sped behind the Patriots defense 41-yards on a diving catch. The big pass play set up a 1-yard TD by Watson two plays later to put the Patriots behind 21-7 with 4:18 left in the first half .

Mattox, a South Carolina commitment, had 125 yards on 8-for-17 passing, including 63 yards to Carlton Heard and 43 more to Gartrell.

The Patriots’ offense, however, couldn’t get anything going after the first drive, and didn’t score again until Casey Thomas’s 1-yard touchdown run with 2:10 left to play.

Heritage finished with just over 200 yards of offense, including 180 on the ground.

By the time of Thomas’ scoring run, the Gladiators had secured the win, with the biggest blow coming with 9:52 left.

Clarke Central defensive lineman Jordan Pierce stripped Thomas of the ball on the Patriots 48-yard line and returned the fumble back for a 34-7 lead.

"That turnover late really kind of sealed it," Frazier said. "All-in-all, it was a tough night."

The Patriots will look to get back on the winning side of things as they host Loganville on Friday night.