Colleyville Heritage holds off Mansfield Summit to draw even in district

The Colleyville Heritage football team led most of the way and held on for a big 28-21 win over Mansfield Summit on Friday at Vernon Newsom Stadium, weathering a late change in venue and time.

The game was moved from Mansfield’s R.L. Anderson Stadium to Newsom, with the time moved up from 7 p.m. to 5 p.m. to avoid a later lightning storm. With the threat of severe weather hanging over the game, plus the early start time, neither team had much of a crowd.

Quarterback Bodey Weaver threw for 144 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 51 yards and two scores for Colleyville Heritage (5-3, 4-2 District 3-5A Division II), including a short TD run to break a 21-all tie with 3:46 remaining.

Summit (5-3, 4-2) made it down to the Heritage 10-yard line and had two shots at the end zone, but both fell incomplete.

Heritage coach Jerry Edwards said he was proud of his team, knowing how big the win was this late in the season.

“We knew we had a lot on the line tonight,” Edwards said. “We still have two games to play, but we put ourselves in position to possibly host a playoff game.”

The Jaguars dropped their second straight game after falling 25-20 to undefeated district leader Argyle last week.

Heritage got on the board first Friday, set up by its defense. Linebacker Joey Nisbet jumped on a fumble near midfield. A few plays later, Weaver hit receiver Trevi Preische in stride on a post route for a 35-yard touchdown.

Summit’s offense recovered from the turnover on its next drive. Quarterback Ian Gebhardt squirted up the middle for a 26-yard run to the 10-yard line. On the next play, running back Adarion Nettles ran 10 yards for a touchdown. A blocked extra point made it 7-6 in favor of the Panthers.

Heritage added to its lead on its next possession when Weaver found receiver Lucas Sunwall deep for a 30-yard pass, tiptoeing the sideline before going out at the 1-yard line. A few plays later, Weaver ran into the end zone to make it 14-6.

With the first quarter winding down, the Jaguars’ offense got another big play. Running back Omogbolahan Daudu broke free for 44 yards up the middle untouched, cutting the lead to 14-13 heading into the second quarter.

After the offensive fireworks, the second quarter saw neither team score.

The Panthers got a big interception from Isaiah Haynes, who returned it 52 yards. Summit’s defense did not allow Heritage to go far, forcing a turnover on downs near midfield.

The Jaguars’ offense had fewer big runs and even experimented with giving backup quarterback DeMarus Bird more opportunities to throw and balance the offense, but to no avail during the quarter.

Summit’s defense got its own turnover when Jamil McCowan intercepted a pass and returned it about 20 yards to midfield. The Jaguars gave it back right before halftime, with Heritage’s Dax Hebeisen intercepting a pass in the flat.

The third quarter saw Heritage do what it needed to keep its lead. The Panther defense forced not one but two turnovers on downs inside its own territory. The offense also scored on its only drive of the quarter.

After a 34-yard pass to Preische, Weaver connected with receiver Connor Souphankhaisy on a 19-yard touchdown, and the Panthers led 21-13 heading into the fourth quarter.

Summit put together its most impressive drive of the game, going 97 yards with few explosive plays and aided by one penalty from Heritage’s defense. Nettles scored on a 1-yard run early in the fourth quarter, and a successful 2-point conversion tied the game at 21-21.

After Weaver’s go-ahead touchdown run, time became a factor for the Jaguars, who are mostly a running team. They eventually had to abandon the run and rely on their shaky passing game. Still, Summit made it down to the Heritage 10-yard line but couldn’t punch in the tying score.

Preische led Heritage with three catches for 73 yards and one touchdown.

Hebeisen, who had one of the defense’s three takeaways, said he was proud of how the team handled not only injuries but also the last-minute venue change on top of beating a team ahead of them in the district standings.

“Coach Edwards talks about it every week — it’s about how you handle adversity,” Hebeisen said. “That’s where you find out what type of team you are. We prepared like no other, and Coach Edwards does a good job of pushing us.”

Nettles led Summit with 112 rushing yards and two touchdowns. Gebhardt passed for 117 yards and rushed for 98. Gabe Evans led the team with 35 yards on three catches.

Heritage next hosts Burleson at 7 p.m. Oct. 31, while Summit plays at Everman at 7 p.m. Oct. 31.