FLOWER MOUND – As the rain came pouring down and the cooler air started to settle in, the Coppell football team took the field after a delayed kickoff with only one goal on its mind; to defeat Flower Mound. 

On Friday, Coppell defeated Flower Mound, 39-21, at Neil E. Wilson Stadium. The Cowboys improved to 8-1 and gained their playoff spot by moving to 5-1 in District 6-6A. The game kicked off with the Jaguars having the football, but Coppell forced a punt. Coppell was then able to make its way down the field and into the red zone, where senior quarterback Jack Fishpaw ran it in for the touchdown and the two-point conversion, putting Coppell up first on the board, 8-0.

The Cowboys then later found the endzone again, along with a kick from senior kicker Nicolas Radicic, putting the score at 15-0, Coppell.

With a two-touchdown lead, the football was kicked away and back to the Jaguars. From there, Flower Mound went with the handoff and gained 40 yards. Flower Mound then scored a touchdown and completed the kick, the score moving to 15-7. During the first half of the game, many of the flags were called for pass interference on Coppell.

“I think a lot of those were judgment calls,” Coppell coach Antonio Wiley said. “We came to play well and those were just calls that I really just didn’t see pass interference. But they still called it, and we have to learn to stay out of those situations.”

Fishpaw connected with junior wide receiver Ayrion Sneed, scoring the Cowboys a touchdown. And with the point after the kick up and good, the score was now at 22-7, Coppell.

The Cowboys’ defense began to show some holes after Flower Mound was able to score another touchdown after a run from its quarterback. Flower Mound was able to score its second touchdown of the game, which put the score up to 22-14 before halftime.

Heading into the playoffs, the Cowboys had to get the defense solid.

“We stopped them and gave them a reverse,” Wiley said. “They didn’t have any consistent offense, but what they did have was big plays that kept them in the game. We eliminated the reverses and bad eyes in the secondary, they struggled to score on us, but we couldn’t get it done, and that’s just the truth of it.”

Going into the third quarter, Coppell got the football again and headed out with a handoff to senior running back Malkam Wallace, with a gain for a first down to put it at the 42-yard line. From there, the Cowboys worked their way back to find the endzone. Fishpaw was able to find and connect with junior wide receiver Baron Tipton for another touchdown, and the kick by Radicic. The score moved to 29-14.

The Jaguars found the endzone again later toward the end of the third quarter with a complete pass, putting the score at 29-21, Coppell still leading.

After many completed passes and a huge gain from senior wide receiver Carter Kincaid, the Cowboys found the endzone for the fifth time to increase its lead to 36-21.

After giving the ball back to Flower Mound, senior quarterback Yale Erdman was intercepted by senior safety Matthew Williams. Coppell’s offense took the field yet again, trying to find the endzone. After coming up short in the endzone, Radicic made the field goal, making the score 39-21.

With the final moments of the clock winding down, the Cowboys kicked the ball away and back to the Jaguars. Flower Mound came close to reaching the end zone, but the Cowboys defense held it short of finding it.

“Our kids did a great job today, staying focused and locked in,” Wiley said. “They stayed ready to play throughout [the game], and it was a big deal for us as a team.”

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