Red Rail: Colleyville Heritage football cruises past Grapevine in regular-season finale

The Battle of the Red Rail rivalry game is for bragging rights for the two neighboring teams. In recent years, Colleyville Heritage has held a decisive advantage and did so again as the Panthers cruised to a 36-7 victory over the Grapevine Mustangs on Nov. 8 in a District 3-5A D2 matchup at Mustang-Panther Stadium.

Colleyville Heritage (8-2, 7-1), No. 5 in the current Star-Telegram’s 5A area rankings, has now claimed six of the last seven meetings and holds a 15-6 series edge dating back to 2004.

“This is such a huge rivalry game,” said Colleyville Heritage head coach Jerry Edwards. “Regardless of the records for each team. Kids grew up together. Tightly knit community. A lot of emotion and pride in this game from both teams.”

Grapevine jumped out to a quick 7-0 lead on the game’s opening possession. After two plays lost seven yards, quarterback Jailen Holmes fired a strike to Brady Boozer for an 82-yard scoring TD.

The Panthers answered on its opening series, with quarterback Bodey Weaver capping an eight-play 62-yard drive covering 4:03 off the clock, with a nine-yard TD scamper. Dax Hebeisen caught a two-point shovel pass from Luke Graves for a two-point conversion to give Heritage an 8-7 advantage.

After the Heritage defense forced a quick three-and-out on the next Grapevine possession, Jerrod Wiley raced 37 yards for a TD, capping an eight-play 64-yard march that took 3:33.

Following a second-quarter exchange of punts, starting at its own 27, the Mustangs moved to the Panthers nine-yard line where the drive stalled, and a 27-yard field goal attempt bounced off the right upright.

Taking over at its own 20 with 1:17 left before intermission, the Panthers needed just four plays to drive downfield, and with six ticks left, Weaver hit a streaking Sameer Johnson with a 35-yard scoring aerial, as Heritage took a 22-7 halftime lead.

Heritage scored TDs on both its third-period possessions, as Bryce Abram had a 14-yard burst, and Johnson caught his second score, a six-yarder from Weaver, that extended the lead to 36-7, which was the final after a scoreless fourth quarter.

“I thought we settled in offensively after they jumped out ahead,” said Coach Edwards. “They (Grapevine) tried to shorten the game. Our guys did a great job tonight.”

The triumph was the fifth straight win for Colleyville Heritage, whose two defeats were a 42-35 district loss to Argyle and a 43-23 non-district loss to Richland early in the season.

Weaver, a junior, registered 127 passing yards (11 of 15 with no interceptions) while adding 68 rushing yards on seven attempts, passing for two TDs and running for another.

Sophomore Wiley totaled a game-high 86 rushing yards on 10 carries and one TD, while senior Abram recorded 63 rushing yards on 12 attempts and one TD.

Johnson, another sophomore, hauled in a game-leading five catches for 87 yards and two scores.

Holmes recorded 129 passing yards to lead Grapevine, hitting on eight of 10 passes. Juliun Contreras chipped in with a team-high 79 rushing yards on 19 carries to pace the Mustangs ground game.

Colleyville Heritage, the district’s second seed, will open the playoffs, hosting Anna (7-3) in the bi-district round next Friday night, Nov. 15, at Mustang-Panther Stadium with a 7 pm slated kickoff. Anna, winners of six straight games after a 1-3 start, is the defending 4A Division I state champion and moved up to 5A Division II this season.

“We look forward to the challenge,” said Coach Edwards. “Anna is a state champion. We will look at the film on them and prepare our game plan. Our guys will be ready.”

Grapevine (0-10, 0-8), its streak of 10 straight playoff appearances snapped, suffered its first winless campaign since an 0-10 2008 season.