Switch to receiver, Coe fits Heitland well

CEDAR RAPIDS – Trevor Heitland wanted to see how high he could climb in college football. That's why he decided to go to Iowa Central Community College after a good prep career at Cedar Rapids Kennedy.

But things didn't work out as planned in Fort Dodge. He lasted a semester until realizing there was nothing wrong with Division III.

The decision to come home and be a Coe Kohawk has worked out. Heitland's younger brother, Drew, is a freshman teammate, for one.

For two, he has developed into one of the Iowa Conference's top wide receivers. Heitland goes into Coe's IIAC opener Saturday afternoon at home against Loras ranked fourth in the conference in receptions per game and receiving yards.

'Yeah, exactly. I wanted to see what I could do,” Heitland said. 'I red-shirted (at Iowa Central) because I went in with an injury, a bad back. So I didn't really get the chance I would have liked there. But I liked coming home to Coe. I don't regret it all.”

Heitland isn't the stereotypical wideout, probably a tad smaller than his listed height of 5-foot-10. But he always has had quickness, playing running back most of the time at Kennedy.

He has 18 grabs in Coe's first three games and two touchdowns. It wouldn't be surprising to see him get more carries as the season progresses via the jet sweep, a play in which he comes in motion and takes handoffs from quarterback Josh Rekers.

'He has had a really good start this year,” said Coe assistant coach/offensive coordinator Tyler Staker. 'Last year, he came in as a freshman and was kind of learning our offensive system. He actually played a different position, played our ‘Y' receiver, which is our slot receiver. This year, we moved him to ‘H,' which I think is a more natural position for him. It allows him to get the ball in space a little bit more. He is at his best then.”

'I'm really happy,” Heitland said. 'I think we're playing well as a team. We don't have the record (1-2) that we'd like, but we're here in conference play now, and I think we're going to be able to pick it up. It's been a lot of fun here so far, and it just keeps getting better and better.”

Heitland said he misses running back some, but has zero complaints with being a receiver. Staker said he believes his sophomore wouldn't be nearly as effective as a back running between the tackles.

The coach also said he thinks Drew Heitland will make a big impact at Coe before he's done. He was a two-way starter at Kennedy (tight end/defensive end), but is strictly on defense.

'I get to play with him again, which is great,” Trevor said.

'I just think he decided ‘Hey, I think this is going to be the best fit for me,'” Staker said. 'It has worked out well.”

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