CARROLLTON — First snap: fumble. Second: silence.
The Coppell football team took control quickly and buried Richardson, 38-7, at Standridge Stadium on Friday in the Class 6A Division I area playoffs.
The victory earns the Cowboys a rematch with defending state champion North Crowley, who ended Coppell’s 2024 season, at 1 p.m. Saturday at Midlothian Sports Complex in the regional semifinals.
Coppell wasted no time setting the tone. On the first play of the game, junior linebacker Lincoln Garner recovered a fumble, swinging momentum before the Eagles even ran a full offensive series. Four plays later, sophomore quarterback Carter Zingelmann found sophomore wide receiver Jacob Anene who pulled down a 20-yard touchdown pass to open the scoring 7-0.
Senior running back Dylan McAfee struck next, powering through the Richardson defense on back-to-back drives, breaking loose for a 22-yard gain and later an 18-yard scoring run to put Coppell ahead 14-0 late in the first quarter.
“I feel great. We came in and executed, did what we were supposed to do, and now we move on to the next round,” McAfee said. “The offensive line washed a lot of stuff down, so all I had to do was cut and go.”
Even after Richardson responded with a 24-yard touchdown from senior running back Zach Breazeale, the Cowboys answered fast. Zingelmann fired a 30-yard strike to senior wide receiver Crew Davis in the second quarter to extend the lead to 21-7, and later a field goal by senior kicker Jayden Tidwell extended the lead to 24-7 as halftime commenced.
Coppell kept its foot on the gas in the second half. McAfee powered into the end zone for his second rushing touchdown of the night, stretching the lead to 31-7 with 5:56 left in the third quarter. The Eagles’ possessions in the second half resulted in a punt, three turnovers in the red zone and an interception by senior cornerback Tyrell Roberson who returned it 47-yards.
“We are just going to keep pushing and keep grinding,” McAfee said. “We are playing like a great team right now.”
Six plays later, senior running back Jayden George closed the door late, with Zingelmann finding him for a 7-yard touchdown with 10:19 left in the fourth quarter to seal the score at 38-7.
Zingelmann ended the game having completed 15-of-17 attempts for 239 yards and three touchdowns. He also had a flawless first half, completing all 11 of his passes for 172 yards.
“I tell our kids all the time to make people earn points,” Coppell coach Antonio Wiley said. “Luckily they weren’t able to earn them. We got up there, found a way to get stops and our kids made the plays when they mattered.”
With two playoff wins in hand, Coppell (10–1) now prepares for what has historically been its barrier – the regional semifinals, the round the Cowboys have been eliminated from two years in a row.
“If you mess up, you go home. That’s how it works,” Wiley said. “There’s no turkeys after Thanksgiving. Everybody can play football now. Our job is to take care of business and find a way to come out with a win.”
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