DANE FUELLING, REX BREWER & DAVE NATHAN
WZBD.com
A positive start to the season in 2025 did not lead to postseason success for the Heritage Patriots, but the 2026 season is a new start for coach Jeremy Hullinger, who enters his third season at the helm of his alma mater.
The Patriots finished 5-5 a year ago, but the program has just one postseason victory in the decade so far and a victory (or multiple) in the sectional is certainly a priority for the team.
The schedule has a few changes this year, with Bellmont off the schedule in Week One. The drop from Bellmont came as a surprise from the Heritage staff, who will now adjust to playing East Allen rival New Haven in the opener.
The team will swap the trip to Tipton for a game against Blackhawk Christian in Fort Wayne, cutting down the travel for this year’s team significantly.
The one long road trip will come in Week 2 when the Patriots go to Delta. That game, along with every game this season, will be broadcast by WZBD.
The story of last season was one of a great start, with Lucas Weber piling up yards and the team posting really solid wins over Delta (in that spectacular overtime game) and Woodlan.
Then came tough losses on the road to eventual regional champions South Adams and Adams Central, but the team bounced back with a huge game from Weber against Tipton.
The rest of the season, though, was played without the senior and it was too late to adjust. Outside a win over lowly Southern Wells, there was little to celebrate and the season came to an end with a loss in the sectional opener to a Norwell team whose only win was Bellmont in 2025.
Despite those setbacks, the team is confident in a resurgent year in 2026. Quarterback Zeb Tigulis is a much more experienced quarterback than he was when he started Week One at Bellmont a year ago and the adversity he faced with last year’s injury will only help motivate him to lead the Patriots over the next two seasons.
Brady Boyle and Jax Litchfield look set for big yardage years, but the biggest concern for the Patriots is the lack of experience in the passing game. The top five receivers from last season all graduated and Tigulis was 30 of 39 passing before his season was ended by injury.
One exciting development ahead of the opener against New Haven is the addition of Lucas Taylor to the team. Taylor is one of the top athletes in this year’s graduating class at Heritage and will wear #11.
Hear more from the team via their interviews with WZBD during the preseason and don’t forget to listen to the team all season long right here:
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