FLOWER MOUND – The ball hung in the air.
The cheering of the crowd stilled.
Then Flower Mound Marcus senior quarterback Jake Torgesen’s pass got snatched at the 20-yard line by Coppell senior defensive lineman Dristant Chaudary, changing the momentum of the game.
On Thursday night at Marauder Stadium, the Coppell football team defeated Marcus, 38-13, to close out the regular season and head into playoffs with momentum on their side. The Cowboys will play its first playoff game next Friday, the opponent still to be determined.
Marcus (5-4 overall, 3-4 District 5-6A) opened the scoring in the first quarter, forcing a punt on Coppell’s opening possession and driving 76 yards midway through the first quarter when Torgesen connected with senior tight end Berrington Kogler for a 29-yard touchdown, giving the Marauders an early 6-0 lead. The ensuing two-point conversion failed.
But Coppell (8-1 overall, 6-1 District 5-6A) would answer quickly. Senior running back Jayden George powered through Marcus’s defense on a 5-yard touchdown rush to put the Cowboys on the board, giving them their first lead at 7-6 with 9:03 left in the second quarter.
George powered Coppell’s defense the entire night with 25 carries for 132 yards and two touchdowns, while sophomore quarterback Carter Zingelmann locked in 80 running yards with a touchdown and one touchdown pass.
“It’s just been a good year for them,” Coppell coach Antonio Wiley said. “Their dynamic has always been something we can lean on and the cornerstone of our offense all year. Our ability to run the football and take some pressure off the young quarterback to gives him and everyone a chance to grow.”
After Marcus running back Carter Francis broke free for a 53-yard touchdown to reclaim the lead, Coppell’s special teams responded. Senior kicker Jayden Tidwell nailed a 27-yard field goal to make it 13-10 late in the first half.
Then came the turning point.
With 1:54 left in the second quarter, Coppell senior defensive lineman Dristant Chaudhary intercepted Torgesen’s pass at the 20-yard line. Moments later, sophomore quarterback Carter Zingelmann capitalized on the turnover, rushing eight yards into the end zone to give Coppell a 17-13 halftime lead.
“We weren’t playing clean football early,” Wiley said. “It wasn’t about what they were doing, but it was about what we weren’t doing. In the second half, we came out executing things a lot better.”
The Cowboys’ offense came alive in the third quarter. George continued to dominate on the ground, bursting for a 25-yard rush in the third quarter before punching in another 7-yard touchdown to extend Coppell’s lead to 24–13.
“Jayden and Dylan [McAfee] did a really good job tonight,” Zingelmann said. “The O-line gave us a big push, and once we found that rhythm, we just kept running it up.”
Junior wide receiver Jackson Echols sealed the night in an explosive 81 yard touchdown with 10:50 left in the game. Minutes later, freshman wide receiver KP Jackson powered through Marcus’s defense for another 7-yard score, closing out Coppell’s 38-13 victory.
“I felt like the game was really strong,” Zingelmann said. “We knew what we had to do, we stayed composed and executed.”
Coppell now shifts its focus to playoffs, looking to clean up small mistakes and keep its momentum going.
“You have to win in all three phases: offense, defense and special teams,” Wiley said. “If we can find something to get better at in all three, we’ll be in a great position heading into the playoff run.”
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