By Marcus Krum
Sports Editor
@marcuskrum
Senior wide receiver Josh Fink stole the show at halftime, winning homecoming king, then late in the fourth quarter, catching the game tying 70 yard touchdown pass to force overtime against Broken Arrow (Okla.). However, the efforts of Fink and sophomore quarterback Brady McBride were not quite enough, as the Cowboys (2-1) fell to the Tigers, handing Coppell a 24-17 overtime loss, their first of the young season.
Broken Arrow started off with a strong first possession, marching right down the field on a 75 yard drive capped with a three yard touchdown run from running back Jamall Shaw, who finished with 191 rushing yards and two touchdowns.
The Cowboys came right back with a long drive of their own, ending with McBride tossing touchdown pass to Fink on fourth and goal.
After each team traded two punts, the Cowboys offense began clicking again, but sputtered in the red zone, ending with a turnover on downs at the Broken Arrow 18 yard line. Coppell’s defense forced another three and out, and at the end of the half, senior kicker Tyler Smith hit a 28 yard field goal to give the Cowboys the 10-7 lead.
“They played hard,” coach Mike DeWitt said. “They always play hard, but we just have to get better”
On Coppell’s first drive of the half, a penalty on third down forced a punt, which was blocked by the Tigers and returned 10 yards for the touchdown, giving them the 14-10 lead over Coppell. They held this lead for the rest of the third and most of the fourth quarters, forcing the Cowboys to punt three more times and kicking a field goal of their own, extending the score to 17-10. However, with less than three minutes remaining, McBride and Fink connected on a deep post route to tie the game at 17-17, putting the game into overtime.
Broken Arrow started overtime with another rushing touchdown from Shaw, the Cowboys had to score to keep the game alive. On fourth and goal, Fink caught another touchdown from McBride, but an offensive pass interference call negated the score. On the next play, McBride was sacked to end the game.
“Any time you lose, you have got to challenge yourselves,” DeWitt said. “Our kids will bounce back.”