Inside Colleyville Heritage’s deep playoff run in head coach Jerry Edwards’ first season
When newly hired head coach Jerry Edwards first spoke to the Colleyville Heritage football team, he held up a five-pound weight and told the players to “hold on.”
“Whatever we do, we’re going to do it together,” senior quarterback Luke Ullrich said, reflecting on Edward’s introduction. “We’re all in for the ride together, and we’re just going to get better every day.”
The ride Ullrich referred to was an eventful one. The latest stop for Colleyville Heritage (12-1) included a spectacular 10-point comeback in the final five minutes to defeat Argyle 38-34.
On Friday, the Panthers will take on Frisco Emerson (11-2) with a trip to the Class 5A D2 state semifinal on the line.
At the beginning of the season, Edwards told the team to buy into the process. Wide receiver Braden Blueitt said the entire team is committed to do what it takes to win, which is why the team has seen success.
“Every single player that we have on this team is bought in, and ready to go to war for each other,” Blueitt said. “I think that’s the most important thing that we had to do.”
During the final few minutes of play against Argyle, Ullrich told his teammates that he would “give everything” to win.
“We’re gonna do this together,” Ullrich said, reflecting on the moment. “You know, I didn’t have a doubt in my mind that we couldn’t do it.”
Ullrich, on fourth-and-long, found wide receiver Hayden Golden in the end zone for a 34-yard touchdown. The defense forced a three-and-out and Blueitt hauled in the game winning, 20 yard touchdown.
“I don’t think our team ever panicked when we went down by 10,” Edwards said. “I think they were very resilient and knew there was still time on the clock to get it done.”
What is powering the Panthers?
The Panthers have a well rounded team, and it’s led to a 12-1 run. Quarterback Luke Ullrich, who received a scholarship offer from the University of North Texas on Monday, has been a crucial part of the offense.
Ullrich transitioned from wide receiver back to quarterback this season. He leads the team with 66 rushing yards per game and has rushed for 13 scores. He has passed for 205 yards per game and has tossed 36 touchdowns and six interceptions.
Edwards said Ullrich’s dual-threat ability helps the Panthers extend plays and added he has a “great arm.”
“Why limit a kid like that to 10 touches a game when he can touch the ball every play?” Edwards said. “He’s the ultimate competitor. And at the quarterback position, that’s what you want. A guy that is going to look in the players’ eyes and demand more out of them.”
Blueitt shared the high praise for Ullrich and said he is so happy that he has found great success during his senior season.
“Luke is my dog,” Blueitt said. “The work that he puts in it’s second to none. Every year we just keep working together. We’ve been through the ups and downs.”
Ullrich shared the same high praise for Blueitt, his primary target. Blueitt is averaging 109.4 receiving yards per game and has hauled in a team-high 20 receiving touchdowns.
“He has really good routes,” Ullrich said. “He catches everything. Very hard worker. We’ve been playing together forever. He just keeps getting open and keeps finding a way to catch the ball.”
Edwards agreed, saying Blueitt has “all the tools” and is a technician when it comes to route running.
“He’s super explosive,” Edwards said. “He does a really good job of positioning his body where he can make those catches. He’s got great hands, and he’s got good length and speed, and he’s a bigger body receiver.”
Although Ullrich and Blueitt receive a lot of credit as the quarterback and star receiver, Edwards has emphasized that Colleyville Heritage’s success has been a “total team effort.” Both Blueitt and Ullrich said the offensive line paved the way for the team to beat Argyle.
The closeness of the team is what makes the group special, accoridng to Ullrich. He said all teammates can give feedback with love and respect.
“We have high expectations for practice and our standards are high,” Ullrich said. “The guys know what it takes to meet that.”
When Edwards took over the program, he emphasized the importance of discipline.
“We just wanted to be very, very disciplined in our approach in everything that we did,” Edwards said. “And then just a brand of physical style football.”
Colleyville Heritage has dealt with many blowouts, outscoring District 4-5A D2 opponents 329-66. The team has had to focus on themselves and what they need to do to improve rather than their opponents.
Edwards said the team understood that at some point, the roles would be reversed and they would be the underdog. That was the case against Argyle, but the Panthers came out on top.
“Each and every day we’ve got to get better,” Edwards said. “We can’t look at who we’re playing or what our schedule looks like.”
The next challenge: Frisco Emerson
Colleyville Heritage isn’t done yet and is on a collision course with Frisco Emerson, a team that took down Grapevine 34-24 in the bi-distirct round. The Panthers also handled business against Grapevine in the regular season, securing an 43-7 win.
Edwards said the team will have to be good in all three phases to beat Emerson.
“They’re very, very athletic at the skill position,” Edwards said. “And so we got to find a way to limit their explosiveness on offense, and then we got to make sure that we continue to move the football, find the end zone and try to score every possession.”
The Panthers will need to contain quarterback Michael Hawkins, an Oklahoma commit who can hurt you through the air and on the ground. Hawkins has 37 passing touchdowns and also averages 75.4 yards per game.
Blueitt said Colleyville Heritage will focus on executing every play to perfection.
“Keep playing to the standards we’ve set initially,” Blueitt said. “We can’t lower the bar for anybody. … it’s going to be a battle out there.”
This story was originally published November 30, 2023 at 11:31 AM.
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