The Heritage School opened its doors to students in first through eighth grades in 1971, selecting the Hawk as its mascot. It also began its soccer program in 1971, with Junior Varsity and Middle School teams. French teacher John Campbell was the coach during those early years, retaining that position through the 1974 season. Campbell is perhaps better known as the author of a series of trivia books called "Campbell's General Knowledge Quiz Bowl".

The early Hawks were quite successful under his leadership, experiencing only one losing season (1974--the first full Varsity season) and winning the Junior Varsity Fall League State Championship in 1973.

In 1976, the School got a new Athletic Director and soccer coach in the person of John Ivors. With two poor showings at the Varsity level, the AD returned the team to the JV level for 1976, where they had an 8 - 1 - 1 record and finished as State Runner-up.

The Middle School squad was coached by Bob Bradbury that year; they ended the season as regular season champions and, like the JV, lost in the State Finals. The next year, Bradbury was promoted to lead the Varsity squad as well, along with Charles McArver. The Middle School Eleven continued their winning ways, again reaching the State Finals in 1977, and finally capturing the State Championship in 1978.

1978 was also memorable as the first year of Lady Hawks soccer, under Arlene Antilla, who had taken over as AD in 1977. Among the players was Donna Davis, who would return to Heritage soccer in 1984 as Middle School coach!

For complete records from this era, click here

The 1980's saw Heritage teams experienced mixed success, as well as a mixed bag of field marshals, with seven different head coaches serving the various Varsity teams. Eventually emerging to lead the Eleven was Ken Spake, who started his soccer career at Heritage with the Varsity Girls in 1980.

Spake first coached the Varsity Boys in 1983, going 7 - 4 - 1 with a playoff appearance, but that season was followed by a disastrous 1984 showing of 1 - 12, their one win over Lakeview (no Heritage soccer team has gone winless through a season).

Jim Philbrick then took over the reigns, with consecutive playoff seasons, going 7 - 3 and 8 - 4 - 1 in '85 and '86. The '86 JV Girls were coached by Simone DuPree, whose team went 1 - 5, with their win coming over Paideia Academy.

Coach Spake returned to the helm of the Boys Eleven in 1987, leading the team to a State Final Four appearance, only to lose a heart-breaker to Pace Academy 0 - 1. The Hawks were in their ascendancy under Spake, earning playoff spots through the rest of the eighties

Interest in girl's soccer at Heritage waxed and waned during these years, and the School was unable to field a team for some years in the late eighties.

In 1991, Heritage science teacher Steve Campbell took over as soccer coach, and has provided consistency by coaching virtually all teams since that time. The Boys squad that year played a JV schedule, co-coached by Heritage alumnus and soccer stand-out Kirby Arnall, going 8 - 0 -1.

1991 also marked the return of the Lady Hawks, who began playing a non-region schedule and ended the season with a 3 - 2 - 2 record. After losing their first game to Brookstone of Columbus 5 - 0, the Lady Hawks tied them in their last game 2 - 2.

Beginning in 1993, Campbell was assisted by Marty Brown, and the Varsity Boys again made the playoffs, with a 5 - 6 - 1 record, losing another close game to Pace Academy, after a tie during the regular season. 1992 was notable for the return of Middle School soccer after a three year absence, with that team going 4 - 4. The Middle School Eleven went to the playoffs the next three consecutive years, losing a Final Four match by shoot-out in 1995.

For Middle School records from this era, click here

In 1994-95, The Heritage School moved its athletic program into the Georgia Independent School Association, where its soccer success has continued. The Hawks play in Region 4 where they are joined by long-time rival schools Arlington and Oak Mountain, as well as LaGrange Academy. In 1998-99, Region 4 grew to include Dominion Christian and Lockhart Academy.

In 1995, the first year of GISA Girls Soccer, Heritage brought home the State Championship. The Varsity Girls won the Region 4 title each year between 1995 and 1998.

To view that championship season, click here

The Varsity boys have also experienced success in GISA Region 4, including two undefeated region records, in 1994 and 1996 (co-coach Michael Chirgwin came on board that year). Heritage has also hosted the GISA All-Star game twice.

1999 was marked by two exciting developments, signs of the growth of the School: our first Middle School Girls team in the spring, and by the expansion to two Middle School Boys teams in the fall.

For GISA-era Varsity Boys records, click here

For GISA-era Varsity Girls records, click here

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