Up 20-14 over the Richland Rebels (3-5, 0-2 District 7-6A) late in the first half, the Cowboys had the ball in the red zone, looking to punch it in and made it a two score game before halftime.
Instead of throwing it into the corner of the end zone or across the middle to senior wide receiver Josh Fink, which they have done so six times this year, they made a big change at the receiver position. Coppell put in 6’4” 220 lb senior defensive lineman Solomon Wise, who went up and caught a fade route to give the Cowboys (4-3, 2-1 District 7-6A) a commanding 26-14 lead.
They would go on to hold this two score lead, winning by a final score of 46-27.
For Wise, getting his first touchdown of his varsity football career was huge.
“It was pretty big,” Wise said. “I was expecting it. I have been practicing at it. I was just treating it like it was practice.”
In addition to lining the big defensive lineman up out wide in the red zone, the Cowboys also split freshman defensive back TJ McDaniel out wide for several plays in the second half.
“Solomon down in the red zone, he’s a big body and he’s hard to cover,” offensive coordinator Jay Jones said. “With TJ, he gives us a little more speed. We’re just trying to get the best 11 out on the field. We’re just seeing what they can do.”
With upcoming games against district number one Euless Trinity and number three Colleyville Heritage, this new look could be utilized to the Cowboys’ advantage in games against several tough defenses.
“We’re just going to keep mixing it up and seeing if we can use this,” Jones said. “We are going to try to get matchups the way we want them, and see what we can get.”