September is about December for Panthers

September is about December. That’s what every person connected to the Colleyville Heritage football program should be thinking.

The Panthers have never played a lot of football in the calendar’s final month. You have to go back to the 2006 Class 5A state quarterfinalist that made it to December.

Joe Willis came from Cedar Park to change that. He knows about December. He guided Cedar Park to the Class 4A 2012 state championship and the 2014 4A state finals.

Winning seven or eight games each year is nice. That’s what Colleyville Heritage has typically done. But it’s not good enough.

Thus, Willis created a two-year non-district schedule highlighted by Aledo and Friday’s opponent Euless Trinity at 7:30 p.m. at Mustang-Panther Stadium. While Colleyville Heritage and Trinity have a common series, it’s been one sided.

“I don’t schedule for wins,” Willis said. “I schedule for competition. We’re going to learn from what we did right and what we did wrong. That’s the model that we used at Cedar Park. That’s the model we’ll use here.”

Games against Aledo and Trinity definitely grab a fan’s attention. Willis called Aledo coach Steve Wood to schedule that series and did the same with Trinity’s Chris Jensen. As of Sept. 2, Aledo is in the Class 5A state Top 10 poll. Trinity is in the 6A state Top 10 poll.

Still, Willis wanted this game against the Trojans to challenge his players as he continues to change the tone of the program. It’s a journey as it evolves.

When the two met as district foes last September, Colleyville Heritage stayed with Trinity for the first three quarters but wilted in the fourth in a 59-33 loss.

“With Trinity on the schedule, I feel like it’s a physical test,” Willis said. “In the spring, we talked about toughness. We have to figure out a lineup and hold up against a good rushing attack and another good defensive front.”

Like any coach, Willis built his message through the word “focus.” Last year, though, it was “family.” Since he arrived in May, it was a hurried experience where every player and coach needed to get to know each other.

In 2016, it’s “finish.” That means finish every repetition in every practice and every play in a game.

“Really it’s about two things,” Willis said. “It’s about being on the field and playing through everything. It’s also about winning your one-on-one. Good teams are balanced, so you’re going to have win each individual play and dominate.”

Case in point against Aledo. Running back Mario Ortiz broke off a 65-yard run that was complemented by quality downfield blocking from Panthers receivers.

The endgame is going to be the good kind of soreness. That means the team has worked hard but the payoff is there. It happened with Aledo. The Panthers were right there in the final seconds before Aledo intercepted Cam Roane. Regardless of the result, it should be the same following Trinity.

“That’s good football,” Willis said. “The competitor has spent it all. You have the mentality to bring that to every game. We hope we’re sore, because that means we competed.”

Carroll at Rockwall, 7:30 p.m. Friday, Wilkerson-Sanders Memorial Stadium, Rockwall: The Dragons take to the road for the first time this season. They definitely had their challenges in the first two weeks against Tulsa Union and Arlington Martin. That summoned changes with offensive personnel. The game can be heard on KWRD 100. 7 FM with the pregame show starting at 6:30 p.m.

Frisco Heritage at Grapevine, 7 p.m. Thursday, Mustang-Panther Stadium, Grapevine: The Mustangs continue a stretch where four of five are at home. This is the final contest before District 8-5A play begins on Sept. 23. The defense got off to a good start in the opener against Azle, forcing six turnovers.

This story was originally published September 7, 2016 at 3:04 PM with the headline "September is about December for Panthers."