Heritage did well in its Continental League start but hit a wall against crosstown rivals Arapahoe.

Heritage High School boys soccer fought Arapahoe to a 0-0 finish Sept. 18 at Arapahoe High School in Centennial for non-conference action.

The stalemate came after a Continental League win for the Eagles on Sept. 13 against hosts Highlands Ranch 5-0 and a win at home Sept. 15 over Ponderosa, which Heritage shared the league title with last season, by a 2-0 final.

Against Arapahoe, defense and goalkeeping was on display with the Eagles’ Tim Erwin finishing with 13 saves and the Warriors Ethan Hovarth with 10. However, both offenses struggled to put their chances on the scoreboard.

Heritage coach Adam Busek, in his first season taking over the reins for longtime Eagles coach Tony Hurt, said playing in a crosstown rivalry game is good for the players, regardless of the outcome. Even though it was a non-conference game, since Arapahoe made the jump to the Centennial League three seasons ago, the Eagles still got to play in a pressure game. They also benefited from playing against a strong physical team like the Warriors, since Heritage plays a strong physical style as well.

“We really haven’t faced anybody else who has been that strong,” Busek said. “Dealing with the pressure and physicality is good for them.”

Defensively, senior Brian Chamberlain, senior Zach Jennings and junior Sampson Ramsey were three of several bright spots in the Eagles backfield against Arapahoe, the coach said.

In addition, the team chemistry has been strong this season.

“The guys work hard for each other,” Busek said. “We have created a lot of good chances in front of goal.”

If there’s one area Heritage struggles so far in the season, it’s consistency. Busek said that is usually the case with high school players.

Having replaced Tony Hurt as head coach, it has been Busek’s intent to making sure his players understand he is simply trying to present things that will help the Eagles win.

“The tradition at Heritage High School is very strong, so taking over for [Hurt] is not that easy,” Busek said. “I’m not trying to take anything away from coach Hurt. He’s obviously done a great job with the program. My principles are the same as most coaches — hard working, do it the right way and play to win. It’s pretty simple, and the guys have bought into it. There haven’t been any issues.

“The tradition is there. The talent is here. I think we’re going to be very competitive, as they’ve been before.”

In the game against Highlands Ranch, senior Jeff Whitney scored two goals, while junior Christian Vargas scored one and assisted another. Senior Cody Melphy assisted on two goals. Senior Tanner Swenson and junior Isaac Witte each found the back of the net too. In goal, Erwin had four saves to preserve the shut out.

Vargas and Jennings each had a goal in the Ponderosa game. Junior John Bruno and Witte each had an assist.