By John Loop
Sports Writer
Emotions ran high as the Coppell Cowboys overwhelmed the Lewisville Farmers on Senior Night in a big 41-3 victory.
Before the game, the No. 21 jersey worn by Jacob Logan was presented to his parents, Howard and Mona Logan. The Logan’s received a huge standing ovation as they showed off the framed white jersey worn by their son until his passing in October.
As the game kicked off, Lewisville immediately went three-and-out and punted to the Cowboys. The defensive unit set the tone for the rest of the game.
Senior quarterback Colby Mahon, who finished 7 of 11 for 90 yards, coupled with two touchdown passes, found senior wide receiver Cameron Smith on two quick passes, the second a 22-yard toss, to lift Coppell to an early 7-0 lead.
The very next drive was rough for the Farmers. Lewisville junior quarterback Matt McDougal threw an errant pass, after being on the field for a mere three plays, into the hands of junior cornerback Troy Parker. Parker proceeded to return the ball to the Lewisville 48-yard line to give the Cowboys their best starting starting field position of the night.
But the Coppell offense stalled after picking up two quick first downs and was not able to convert an incomplete pass fourth-down.
Things got hairy towards the end of the first quarter of play, when Mahon was sacked by Lewisville, but coughed up the football while going down to the ground. Lewisville senior defensive end Hendrick Ekpe returned the Coppell fumble all the way to the Cowboy 1 yard line.
As the second quarter began, the Farmers were knocking on the door in the red zone, the defense stiffened after a sack by junior defensive end Solomon Thomas and held Lewisville to three points on a Tluang Hmung 30-yard field goal.
After the Cowboys got the ball back, it seemed as if the offense could not be stopped.
Coach Joe McBride opted to rely more heavily on the run after seeing Colby Mahon complete three of his first six attempts of the game.The gamble paid off as sophomore running back Charles West ripped off a 50-yard scoring run to take an 11-point lead at 14-3.
West finished with 113 yards on nine carries, but wasn’t the only Coppell back to find the endzone. Senior Luke Jenner, junior Boris Mulume and sophomore Eric Stevenson also scored in the rout.
“Being able to run the ball hard,” West said when asked about the success of the Cowboy offense, “We have got a good offensive line and backs with speed.”
West put on a quite a show for his cousin, Dallas Cowboys cornerback Morris Claiborne, who attended the final home game for Coppell at West’s request.
The seniors were dominant in their final hurrah in front of the home fans at Buddy Echols Field.
Though he did not play due to a dislocated shoulder, senior inside linebacker Tanner Masters summed up the feeling after the game for all the Class of 2013 players.
“Everybody wants to end with a win,” Masters said. “We got some seniors that do not usually play in, and that gets the whole team excited, especailly those people that got in.”
The team was awarded the District 5-5A trophy after the win capped their undefeated 10-0 season.
“I am just really happy for these kids,” McBride said, still clutching the trophy. “We have been through a whole lot this year and it makes me so excited to see them get the reward for their dedication, you know. From offseason to spring ball to the summer to now, I am just really happy for them.”
Coppell heads into next Saturday’s matchup versus Irving MacArthur High School, the District 6-5A runner-up, with a heap of momentum.
“We have definitely got bigger things to come,” Masters said.
