One second remains in the second quarter and the Coppell football team has regained possession of the ball. Senior quarterback Edward Griffin takes the snap. He drops back and examines the field. As Prosper’s defenders swarm, Griffin moves up in the pocket and finds senior receiver Harry Hassmann with open space in the middle of the field, hitting him with a strike as he goes down.
Hassmann meticulously maneuvers his way through defenders but is ultimately forced out of bounds, capping off the 32-yard play and the first half, leaving Coppell trailing by 14 points.
Down by two touchdowns at the half and going against a tough team in Prosper is not a spot the Cowboys expected to be in. It was win or go home and Coppell only had one option if it wanted to keep its dreams of a state title alive. Adjustments needed to be made.
“In the tunnel I started yelling at my teammates, I was not trying to lose tonight and it was looking like we were going to,” Coppell senior running back O’Marion Mbakwe said. “I just wanted to remind everybody that we were doing good, that we need to keep our heads up and come out and be the Coppell Cowboys that everybody knows.”
Mbakwe and the Cowboys turned in a different second half performance as Coppell rallied to defeat Prosper, 35-27, on Friday at Buddy Echols Field in the Class 6A Division I Region I bi-district playoffs. Coppell (11-0) plays Lake Highlands (9-2) at 7 p.m. Friday at Plano’s John Clark Stadium in the area playoffs.
In the third quarter, Coppell’s energy shifted. Senior receiver Jacoby Coleman returned a punt for 39-yards, putting the Cowboys in an excellent spot at the 39 yard line.
Mbakwe took a handoff, stepping out of Prosper junior safety DK Jamison’s clutches as he zigs and zags between the middle of the field and the sideline. Outrunning Prosper sophomore linebacker Fahd Allan, Mbakwe takes his first step into the end zone and, with it, ignites the comeback that would eventually give Coppell its victory.
“We came out here in the second half, already knowing we were going to come as a different team,” Mbakwe said. “That run just brought it out for the guys. It showed them that we really are a different team in the second half. Everybody came, participated and did their job and we came up with a win.”
Later, in the third quarter, Mbakwe would once again make a game–changing play. With 4:48 left in the quarter, Mbakwe scored from four yards out to give Coppell its first lead at 28-21.
“I just want to do whatever I can for the team and get them in the best position possible to score,” Mbakwe said. “If I happen to score then it’s a celebration in the end zone. It feels great coming out here, getting that W and it feels amazing on my end having that kind of a game.”
Mbakwe was not the only back having a big night. Both Mbakwe and senior running back Joshua Lock scored two touchdowns on the evening. While Mbakwe sparked a comeback, Lock cemented the final score for the Cowboys.
The final scoring drive for Coppell was all Hassmann and Lock. Lock had a 14-yard run, setting up two receptions by Hassmann which combined for 19 yards before Lock’s 31-yard rushing touchdown finished off the drive.
“It’s ecstatic, there’s no other feeling in the world to describe it,” Lock said. “You’re just excited and screaming all at the same time.”
Mbakwe and Lock sharpen each other both in practice and in play, and look to continue for at least one more week
“I see us as a mentor and learner, but the thing is both of us are the mentor and the learner,” Mbakwe said. “I learn from him, he learns from me, we help each other out and we watch film together every single day. It’s an amazing bond that me and him have so I hope to keep building that with him.”
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