Class of 2023 quarterback Jaicere 'Hov' Bateman vaulted the Heritage Pioneers into the state Championship contest for the fourth time since 2012 with a stellar performance that featured three passing touchdowns and one rushing to lead his team.

Bateman connected with Tavion Clark on a 43 yard pass down the middle of the field early in the first quarter and a few plays later connected with Markus White on an 84 yard scoring strike following a muffed punt to put the Pioneers ahead of Region 3D champion Christiansburg in Saturday's State Semifinal contest.

In addition to accounting for four total touchdowns and leading the Heritage offense to 426 total yards, Bateman completed 17 of his 23 pass attempts for 312 yards with no interceptions and added 48 rushing yards on the ground. The talented 6-foot-2, 196 pound senior now has just shy of 2500 passing yards and 1050 rushing yards for the season entering his final contest as the Pioneers quarterback.

Listen to what Bateman had to say about his team's performance and preparation for the upcoming Class 3 Championship game with Phoebus in the video above.

Robert lives in Charlottesville and has been contributing to VirginiaPreps.com since 2013. He began working in the sports media in 2006 and now covers public and private schools throughout Virginia with a focus in the Piedmont area. His goal is to tell the players stories and provide top notch coverage to the community for area teams.

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