By Andy Tabor

The Coppell Cowboy football team beat Flower Mound Marcus 42-21 in a statement win for the Cowboys. Coming off of a shaky win against Hebron, the Cowboys left no doubt that they were the better team against Marcus Friday night. Once again, junior running back Cam McDaniel put on a show for Coppell, scoring five touchdowns.

McDaniel had only 41 rushing yards, but made many impact and momentum shifting plays to help Coppell secure such an important win. McDaniel had 124 yards receiving, helping senior quarterback Hayden Hawk in another productive game in district play.

“Beating a tough Marcus team was a big statement win.” McDaniel said. “To play so well against a frustrating and intense defense was fulfilling.”

The Coppell defense came to play holding highly touted Marcus senior running back Stephen Hopkins to 98 yards rushing on 22 carries. In the second half, the Cowboys only gave up four first downs and 98 yards to a potent fun-first Marauder offense. The Coppell defense came to play and with great efforts by the line-backing core, completed a job well done.

“We came out ready to battle and we were able to succeed.” Linebacker Josh Montgomery said. “For us to shut down three possible division 1 running backs helped make us a powerful force.”

The first half showed the high octane Cowboy offense put up 13 points in the first quarter and then finish the half with 20 points. The Cowboys were in a good position up 20-14 coming out to the second half but just turned up the intensity to put the game away.

This is a big win for the Cowboys who are now 2-1 in district and 7-1 overall. They are now behind Southlake and tied with Flower Mound for second in district 6-5A.

“It is very important to finish out a tough district strong.” McDaniel said. “This is one of the toughest districts in the state and we can’t take any opponent lightly.”

Hayden Hawk had another strong game passing for 348 yards; along with his favorite target wide-receiver Jeff Johnson. Johnson scored the only touchdown besides McDaniel and caught two passes for 74 yards.

Another addition to the already stellar offense was defensive back Bennet Okatcha. Okatcha lead the receivers with seven catches and lead the team with 89 yards. His addition to the offense should help Hawk pick apart a defense already concerned with his other weapons.

The Cowboys play the Lewisville Fighting Farmers at home Friday night. If the Cowboys win then they have the inside track to finishing in second place behind Southlake in the district. If they happen to lose, the senior night against Flower Mound would become their biggest and most important test of the season.

Video: Coppell vs Marcus Touchdowns