As the players of the Coppell football team take their inaugural steps onto Buddy Echols Field this season, a sense of familiarity comes to them – the scent of popcorn, nachos, and candy intertwining to create an ambiance saturated with anticipation.
The student section is particularly energetic in this game, as it’s Coppell’s Senior game with a black out theme. Loud cheers ring throughout the night, energizing the Cowboys during this tight game, a thrilling 44-41 victory over Sachse on Friday night.
Throughout the second and third quarters of the game, the Cowboys were fighting an uphill battle, constantly closing the score gap but unable to pull ahead. However, in the first play of the fourth quarter, Coppell senior wide receiver Baron Tipton managed to pull through the Mustangs defensive line and scored a touchdown, allowing the Cowboys to gain a seven point lead at 34-27. From there, the Mustangs were trying to find their way back into the lead, with the two teams scoring back and forth, until they were tied 41-41. However, with 4:25 on the clock, the Cowboys’ kicker Bryson Patten scores a 33-yard field goal, giving the Cowboys a lead, and the Mustangs were unable to break through the Cowboys’ last stand, with the Cowboys defeating the Mustangs 44-41.
Starting off the game in the first 10 seconds, the Cowboys managed to break away with a touchdown, taking a 7-0 lead. Things were looking good, with Sachse only managing to score a field goal within the first quarter, leaving the Cowboys ahead 7-3.
However, the Cowboys may have been overconfident. Last year, the Cowboys scored in the first 4 plays against the Mustangs, and ultimately defeated them 56-27 , with the Mustangs unable to keep up.
“Everybody was feeling great going into the game,” Coppell assistant Donald Smith said. “We had a lot of confidence going in. Sometimes you get a little too confident because we put up a lot of points against them on a sub-varsity level, and we scored on the first 3-4 plays against them.”
With the Cowboys up and the Mustangs unable to break through their defense in the first quarter, the Cowboys let their guard down, letting the Mustangs catch up and even pull forward 20-13 by the end of the first half. In addition, key defensive liner Varun Ravilla was injured during the game, disrupting the team’s synergy.
Going into the third quarter humbled by the score, the Cowboys entered with a new mentality.
“Going onto the field and just acting like the score is 0-0 lets you give it your best,” Coppell senior running back Baron Tipton said.
With a renewed mentality, the Cowboys scored a touchdown, with Tipton catching a long pass from Coppell senior quarterback Edward Griffin, tying the game 20-20. From then on, it was a back and forth battle between the Cowboys and the Mustangs, with the Cowboys trailing behind until the fourth quarter.
Although it was a hard earned victory, Tipton played with excellence throughout the game, breaking through the Mustangs defense and scoring over half of the Cowboys’ total points. Griffin was able to set up phenomenal plays, making multiple 30-yard passes to help the Cowboys take the lead.
Returning from a 9-2 season with a gut-wrenching playoff loss against McKinney, the Cowboys brought back lost momentum against the Mustangs, and are looking forward to starting a new streak against South Grand Prairie, next Friday at 7 p.m., at the Gopher-Warrior Bowl.
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