Heroes, house money and helicopters
October 18, 2025 by Jonathan Levinsky, Arizona State University

Jonathan Levinsky is an ASU Cronkite School of Jouralism student assigned to cover Heritage Academy Laveen for AZPreps.com
The Heritage Academy Heroes nearly pulled off the upset against the region-leading Glendale Preparatory Academy Griffins Friday night.
After trailing by more than three scores at halftime, the Heroes pitched a physical and dominant comeback, scoring 19-straight points and recovering back-to-back onside kicks.
The Griffins only had the ball on offense three times in the second half, scoring a touchdown with under four minutes remaining to put the Heroes away for good, 31-19.
Heritage junior defensive lineman Jesse Marvin said that no one “expected” them to win this game, much less compete. Their energy and composure throughout the game, no matter the score, kept them in it.
“During halftime, we all went into the locker room and everybody was, like, hyped [and] yelling out,” Marvin said. “It’s a big improvement [from] last year and earlier this year.”
Marvin recorded four sacks on the night. He led the charge for a defense that forced five fumbles and held the Griffins scoreless for most of the second half.
The coaching staff went into the game with the mantra, “Playing with house money.” Though they were not out of playoff contention, and still aren’t at the time of this article being written, they had an opportunity to play spoiler at 4-4 and upset 6-2 Glendale Prep.
“I’m really proud of this team,” Coach Stephen Hemming said. “They fought hard and I can’t get over how resilient they are and how much they fight in tough [situations].”
The injury bug plagued the Heroes for the umpteenth time this season. They were without starting quarterback Preston Miller and star wide receiver/ defensive back Kaelan Williams among a few other starters.
As a result, senior Nicholas Arteaga, who usually fulfills his duties as an outside linebacker and running back, filled in for Miller at the last second. His bulky 6-foot, 200-pound frame allowed the Heroes to have more success on the line of scrimmage.
Heritage Academy was forced to go old-school with emergency quarterback Nicholas Arteaga, who usually plays linebacker/running back. on Friday, Oct. 17, 2025. (Jonathan Levinsky/AZPreps365)
“[My] mindset was, just go ball out and have fun,” Arteaga said. “It’s my senior year. I felt like [I gotta] be a dog and I feel like I did that.”
As part of the Griffins’ homecoming celebration, the school had a helicopter drop low over the field and drop candy and stickers for the children. Arteaga pointed out that this was also a source of motivation for the team, as it kept them loose and just wanting to have fun.
“We saw the helicopter dropping candies,” Arteaga said. “We were having fun. Nothing could bring our motivation down.”
Due to Miller’s injury, the Heroes were forced to revert back to the flexbone formation they ran prior to Hemming’s arrival. They only attempted five passes all night long, with no completions, but their physicality at the line of scrimmage, alongside the utilization of lineman turned running back Eliseo Herrera paid off.
“It’s an awesome offense,” Hemming said. “It’s super simple. As long as we can wear down the defense, then we can have a lot of success.”
The Heroes finish the regular season at 4-5, awaiting their opponent for their region crossover games. The Griffins clinched the top spot in the 2A Metro 5 region at 7-2.