Matt Wixon

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GRAPEVINE – Colleyville Heritage entered its opener with a new coach, a new quarterback and needing to replace a pair of all-state receivers. Those were just some of the question marks.

But through three quarters Friday, Heritage was turning those question marks into exclamation points. It was down by a single point to the defending Class 5A Division II state champions, threatening to beat a team that hadn't lost since 2005.

That's when Cedar Hill finally championed a drive that resembled one from a year ago.

Cedar Hill went 92 yards in 14 plays, capped by a 14-yard touchdown pass from Travarr Sims to Montrel Green. The drive, the longest of the night, helped Cedar Hill steady a shaky debut that ended with a 23-16 victory at Mustang-Panther Stadium.

The victory was Cedar Hill's 17th straight, second in the area to Southlake Carroll's streak of 48. But Cedar Hill, No. 2 in SportsDay's 5A area rankings, played like a team that was replacing a bevy of starters.

It also played a lot like it did in its opener last season, when it committed costly penalties and turnovers in a 35-28 victory over Heritage. In Friday's game, Cedar Hill again gave its opponent chances by fumbling twice, extending Heritage drives by roughing the quarterback and the punter, and by missing an extra point.

Last season, star quarterback William Cole bailed out Cedar Hill. This season, if Friday's performance is any indication, the defense will have to be the hero.

Heritage took a 7-0 lead three minutes into the game on a six-yard pass from Tyler Little to Joel Quintanilla. Heritage appeared to score two minutes later on a 28-yard pass from Little to Quintanilla, but it was brought back by a holding penalty.

That's when Cedar Hill's defense started dominating the line of scrimmage. Defensive tackle Jarvis Humphrey, nose guard Tyler Washington and linebacker LB Suggs began charging into the backfield, harassing Little and Heritage's other quarterback, Steven Hill.

But Heritage stuffed Cedar Hill's offense most of the game. Cedar Hill gained a total of 11 yards on its first three possessions, and it didn't get a first down until quarterback James Hamilton ran 29 yards on a keeper with two minutes left in the first quarter.

Two plays later, sophomore running back Ben Malena ran 26 yards for Cedar Hill's first touchdown. After a Heritage punt, Malena and Hamilton had runs of 22 and 25 yards, respectively, as Cedar Hill repeatedly attacked the left side of the Heritage defense. Malena's 8-yard touchdown run gave Cedar Hill its first lead at 14-10 early in the second quarter.

Cedar Hill added a field goal before halftime, but other than the touchdown drive in the fourth quarter, its offense was sluggish. That put the game in the hands of the Cedar Hill defense, which held Heritage on its final six drives.

The last two Heritage drives started inside Cedar Hill territory, the final one set up when Hamilton fumbled and Heritage recovered at the 26-yard line with 3:25 remaining.

On first down, Cedar Hill's defense stopped Heritage running back Bryan Head for a four-yard loss. After a pair of incompletions, Cedar Hill linebacker Elijah Olabode helped complete the win with an interception.