By John Loop
Staff Writer
After a shaky first half start, quarterback Jake Larson and the Coppell Cowboys scored 31 straight points en route to a stunning comeback against the Arlington Colts on Friday night.
Larson went 20-for-29 and passed for 236 yards. He also added two touchdowns, tossing a 24-yarder to Gavin McDaniel, a sophomore running back, along with an 18-yarder to wide receiver Jacob Logan. Logan also rushed for two touchdowns.
The scoring started out quick. Not even one minute into the game, a Coppell defensive back tipped a pass right into the hands of Arlington receiver Dontha Robinson, resulting in a 76-yard touchdown completion. Arlington scored on each of their next two offensive possessions.
With 11 seconds remaining before halftime, down 24-7, Larson rolled out and heaved a 24-yarder to McDaniel, who recorded his first high school touchdown wearing his brother’s old number.
“It’s really special to see my brother’s number, to play where he played. It’s a real honor.” McDaniel said of his family’s football tradition.
The pass jump-started the Cowboy offense to come out firing on all cylinders in the second half. McDaniel took the second half kickoff 67 yards to the Arlington 8-yard line. Two plays later, Logan rumbled into the end zone from two yards out to cut the lead to three.
Logan scored again on the next possession, this time from one yard out. He also led the team in receiving, hauling in six receptions for 71 yards.
The Coppell defense looked mediocre during the first two quarters. The front seven had a hard time locking down Arlington’s speedy running back, Tavarreon “TD” Dickerson, who ran for 132 yards and two touchdowns on 16 carries. But the Cowboys held the Colts without a scoring drive for the rest of the game and found redemption. Linebacker Patrick Hemphill added a 48-yard fumble return for a touchdown and sparked the defensive stand.
Logan talked more about the second half goals that Coach Joe McBride wanted to accomplish to get the team back into the game.
“We definitely needed to score more points, rushing or receiving,” Logan said.
The Cowboys head into next week’s game against the Jesuit Rangers with a 2-0 record, keeping Coach McBride’s home winning streak alive.
