“Ball.”
That is what was heard on the sideline.
Five seconds and eight yards to go. Prosper junior quarterback Braeden Imhoff rolls to his left. With turf running out, he fires a dart across his body and senior safety Scott Fishpaw jumps the route.
Two seconds later, the Coppell student section is pouring out of the stands and onto the field in ecstasy, while the Prosper team is left standing, realizing its season is over.
The final score on the Buddy Echols Field scoreboard reads 35-27 as Coppell defeated Prosper in the Class 6A Division I Region I bi-district playoffs.
The Cowboys (11-0) play Lake Highlands (9-2) at 7 p.m. Friday at Plano’s John Clark Stadium in the area playoffs.
“These guys know how to fight,” Coppell coach Antonio Wiley said. “Hats off to them. They really stepped up and showed not just the world, but myself that they are able to fight through adversity.”
In the first half, it was all Prosper. The Eagles used their big offensive line with players such as seniors Connor Carty and Logan Cahill, and juniors Zaden Krempin, Sean Stover and Bryce Gilmore, all having offers from schools such as Texas A&M, Penn State and Oregon.
With a commanding 21-7 lead at halftime, built on a blocked punt, goal line interception and multiple sacks.
Wiley kept his players on the field for a good two minutes before heading to the locker room.
“Coach Wiley was not mad, but more worried about the team,” Coppell senior defensive linemen Alex Kraus said. “He just reminded us that we need to get our head in the game and focus on our assignments.”
With Coppell getting the ball to start the second half, senior running back O’Marion Mbakwe got loose and rushed for a 59-yard touchdown.
With that, the surge of 28 unanswered points began and after a missed field goal by Prosper, Coppell senior quarterback Edward Griffin found senior wide receiver Tucker Cusano on a slant route for a 70-yard touchdown.
Then it was Mbakwe again, bouncing off to the left, scoring again on a 23-yard carry.
“It was electric on our sideline,” Mbakwe said. “You could feel that bond, the brotherhood really showed up and it was something we needed.”
Prosper rallied, scoring a touchdown midway through the fourth quarter and then getting the ball with 1:09 left in the game and trying to fight back for overtime.
“Coppell did an excellent job today and they executed extremely well,” Prosper coach Tyler Moore said. “It is obviously disappointing that we have to end our season but the leadership that these seniors have shown all year, and the mentorship we have for this young team is definitely something that we are going to use next season.”
Coppell now turns its attention to Lake Highlands.
“Everyone can talk about having a good football team, however, some of those teams go down in the game and forget how to be a good team,” Wiley said. “Our good football team finds a way to stick our neck out, get back into rhythm and get the job done no matter what.”
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