By Rob Tate
SportCast Media
One day in the future, Colin Leahey said he might like to be a pilot.
The Magnolia senior sure was flying this past Friday night.
The Bulldogs feature running back torched Klein Oak with two 70-plus yard touchdown runs in the third quarter. He totaled 267 yards (an average of 14.3 per carry) and reached the end zone three different times in the 60-21 District 15-6A win.
A magical performance for a great kid with a bright future on homecoming, a night where the bleachers are filled. Memories were made.
“I think the offensive line opened it up really well for me and I just saw the gaps,” Leahey humbly said this week. “I just hit it as hard as I could and took off.”
Through three games this season, and prior to the Bulldogs hitting the road Friday night to play Tomball Memorial (7 p.m., Tomball ISD Stadium), Leahey has 434 rushing yards, 69 receiving yards and seven total trips to the end zone.
“You have to have a plan to stop No. 2,” Magnolia coach Craig Martin said.
A MOVE TO TEXAS
Leahey was born in Pennsylvania and moved to The Woodlands with his parents Shane and Christy when he was in first grade.
His father Shane played NCAA Division III football at Juniata College in Huntingdon (Penn.) and became a big influence at a young age for Colin.
“When I was seven, my dad wanted me to try it out and so I played it in second grade and I’ve loved it ever since,” Leahey said. “My dad coached me growing up for many years and I’ve just loved it every since I started.”
Colin tried basketball and baseball growing up, but football just stuck.
“I just felt a much stronger connection to the game,” Leahey said. “I felt like I’ve always been good at football. Ever since I was little, I just wanted to keep playing and get better.
“I still just love it.”
A private school student after moving to Texas, Leahey didn’t attend Magnolia schools until his freshman year.
“He was really a smaller, skinnier version of himself,” Martin recalled. “He was a kid that when we first got him, he was new to our program and our system. But you could tell he was very athletic, very intelligent and, honestly, very versatile.”
Leahey was always drawn to the running back position.
“I’ve always loved having the ball in my hands,” Leahey said. “Running back gives you the most opportunities that I could with the ball in my hands. I’ve just always stuck with that.”
Leahey stuck to the freshman team that first year and was on junior varsity as a sophomore, where he said his playing time was even with the other backs.
“We’ve had a very good stable of running backs with Mitch Hall and Hunter Andrews (University of Utah),” Martin said. “A part of that year, he asked if it was possible to play receiver. I think he saw the guys in front of him. He’s just one of those kids that wants to play.”
Leahey didn’t give up on becoming a running back for varsity.
TAKING FLIGHT
On the smaller side, Leahey knew he had to physically improve himself if he wanted to see the field on Friday nights.
“There was depth at the position when I was a sophomore,” Leahey said. “I was a lot smaller than I am right now. In that offseason from sophomore to junior year, I gained about 30 pounds. That just helped me get over the edge as a JV player and I just got faster. I worked a lot more than I did previously.”
Martin and his staff noticed the work done.
“The biggest thing was his physical development that sophomore into junior year,” Martin said. “Physically, he really developed and blossomed. Some of that is the Good Lord working and the other part of it is just he made a decision to try to work on that – whether that was nutrition and putting in the time to do that. He grew and filled out.”
The one obstacle in Leahey’s way really wasn’t an obstacle at all. He was a talented and impactful running back in Andrews, a 1,000-yard, 11-touchdown back his junior year in 2022.
“I knew I was going to be Hunter’s backup,” Leahey said. “He’s committed to Utah. I wanted to play the role as best as I could for the team. I knew that was the way it was going to be. I just wanted to make the most of it when I got in.”
Leahey, credited Andrews for being a supportive teammate and a friend he still talks shop with today, became his wingman in the backfield and the tandem threw up incredible numbers as the Bulldogs went 9-3 and reached the area round in their final season in Class 5A.
Andrews totaled 1,244 yards and 18 touchdowns out of the backfield while Leahey had 661 yards and 11 end zone visits.
Leahey, who also is a sprinter for the Bulldogs track team, wasn’t ‘a secret’ for long after scoring a touchdown in his second varsity game against Tomball.
“We knew he was going to be a big piece of what we do,” Martin said. “Hunter was Hunter and it’s very similar to how it works this year. Colin is getting a vast majority of those carries.”
“I think the most impressive thing for (Colin) — as last season went — it was really hard to tell the difference between them on film,” Martin said.
Magnolia’s offense is a little more complete this year as the passing game has caught up to the production of the running backs room.
“It feels great, but I know I’m not the only piece of the offense,” said Leahey, who’s now listed at 6-foot even and 190 pounds. “We have great players at every position and I think if we just all execute and do our part, it all works.”
Leahey, who said his favorite subject is math, has been adding yards and college offers for 15 games on varsity now.
“Ever since I started playing, my dream was to play Division I football,” Leahey said. “Honestly when I was younger, I didn’t think it was a possibility. But as time has gone on, I have just been more comfortable, I’ve worked harder and now I know that it is a possibility.”
Leahey is still fielding offers, but it started over the summer by receiving one from Air Force.
“When you’re not the featured back as a junior, it takes a little bit more time to jump in there,” Martin said about Leahey’s recruiting process so far. “I think he’s got enough offers at this point that people are following. He went to some camps this summer to get on some lists.”
An unweighted 4.0 student, Leahey proves himself in the classroom every day.
“Grades have always been important to me,” Leahey said. “My parents have pushed me to have high grades. It’s definitely important for recruitment, too. You want to show the coaches that you care about the classroom just as much as football.”
Martin credits Leahey for his leadership skills and for being vocal with his teammates.
“Credit to his parents, because they raised a really good young man,” Martin said. “He’s really well-mannered and a great student. The possibilities for his future are endless. He’s going to be super successful at whatever he does and we’re blessed to have a kid like that on our football team.”
