The Halloween costumes will fill the stands. 

As the Coppell football team gears up to face Flower Mound at 7 p.m. on Friday night at Buddy Echols Field, defensive coordinator Keenan Kitchens knows his unit will have its hands full.

“Flower Mound has a pretty balanced offensive game,” Kitchens said. “They’re going to run it and probably like to throw it a little more. We have to be good on both sides of the football in order to come out on top.”

The Cowboys (6-1 overall, 4-1 District 5-6A) enter the matchup looking to continue momentum late in district play. With Flower Mound (2-6, 1-4) relying heavily on its passing attack, Coppell’s defense is focusing on discipline and communication to keep the Jaguars contained. 

Kitchens emphasized that this stage of the season is all about refinement and execution.

“The main goal this time of the year is to play your best football,” Kitchens said. “So what we’re trying to do is just get better.”

On the other side of the ball, the Cowboys’ offense has shown flashes of growth in recent weeks, and Kitchens thinks success will depend on staying balanced with both sides of the game.

“We want to be good offensively and sound defensively,” Kitchens said. “We’re trying to do both.”

With Friday night being Halloween, the crowd is expected to be full of costumes, with the playoffs approaching, adding to the energy on Buddy Echols Field. 

“It should be a great atmosphere,” Kitchens said. “Our student section is always great; hats off to them.”

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