DANE FUELLING
WZBD.com
The Heritage Patriots hadn’t won nine games in a season in any of the past 11 seasons when they started last August with senior quarterback Kobe Meyer at the helm. Head coach Casey Kolkman defied the odds and went 9-3 in 2023, bringing life back to the Patriots’ program.
Fast forward to this August and Meyer has graduated and Kolkman has left the program to head to ACAC rival Bluffton.
But all hope is not lost. While nine wins may be a bold goal for this 2024 squad, a new head coach and a new quarterback leave the Patriots as an intriguing team in the race for the ACAC and the local 3A sectional.
Offensive coordinator and all-around-Heritage guy Jeremy Hullinger was given the full confidence of the job by AD Tim Burton this summer and he has wasted no time in keeping the machine running as the new coach.
“I’m a Heritage guy through and through,” Hullinger told WZBD at the local media day in July. “I would have walked barefoot across broken glass to take this job on the other side.”
The key for Hullinger and his staff will be filling the holes left in the offense from graduation. Meyer only averaged 100 yards passing per game last year, but he still tallied 19 passing touchdowns. On the ground, he was one of the elite running quarterbacks in northern Indiana, racking up 1000 yards and scampering for 13 touchdowns.
New quarterback Eli Tigulis may not put up those types of numbers, but coach Hullinger is still confident that he has the tools to lead the Patriots to a winning season.
Tigulis’s transition from the team’s leading receiver to signal caller will likely dictate what kind of success the team can have. One of five senior captains, Tigulis admits that there is momentum still lingering from last year’s regular season run, but also from the way many of the athletes on the team finished up their spring sports season. Eli was a key contributor for the volleyball team, along with Zeke Litchfield and Braden Walter, in the spring, while guys like Charlie Riddle had a great track season.
Tigulis had 18 catches last year, with six going for scores from Meyer, but he will now look to lead the offense. He referenced the feeling of brotherhood when looking ahead to this season.
“Nearly the whole volleyball team is playing football,” he notes.
Zeke Litchfield, perhaps Tigulis’s biggest target downfield, agrees.
“We just really found a groove last year and we improved so much from where we were in the start of the season (for volleyball),” Litchfield told WZBD. “It is certainly going to carry over.”
The five seniors all echoed the same sentiment – their activity in winter and spring sports has led them to become a more dynamic, athletic group.
“You build up confidence in one sport,” says Braden Walter. “It just translates into the next and builds your athleticism.”
Walter will anchor the Patriots’ secondary while also getting some reps at wide receiver. He was the team’s leading kick returner last year.
Another target for Tigulis will be tight end Greyson Mullins. A co-captain, Mullins will be a starter at outside linebacker for the fourth year for the Patriots. He says the transition of head coaches has not meant that the hard work has stopped in any way.
Ultimately, though, the 19 seniors on this year’s team will have to be responsible for the team’s standing in the ACAC. One guy from that group who will be hard to push around is Charlie Riddle. His size and maturity will lead him to seeing plenty of snaps on both sides of the ball on both lines.
“We’ve got 65 guys on team this fall,” said coach Hullinger, “19 seniors. They have embraced hard work and challenges. And our coaches are showing they care by pushing kids every day.”
The Patriots will play a scrimmage against Bishop Luers Friday before opening the season at home against the Bellmont Braves. Seven of the team’s first 10 games are set to be broadcast by WZBD and its sister station, WPGW, this season.
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