By Alex Nicoll
Sports Writer
After a comeback effort was necessary against Longview last week, Coppell’s game against the McKinney Boyd Broncos Friday night was a different story starting with the very first kick-off.
A kickoff that senior defensive back Troy Parker returned 98 yards put the Cowboys up 7-0 over the Broncos already just 18 seconds into the game.
“I love the way we started hot. That was something we talked about getting right out of the gates,” coach Joe McBride said.
After stopping the Boyd on their first drive, Coppell senior running Gavin McDaniel back broke free of the defense for an 83 yard dash and another score, making the score 14-0 in favor of the Cowboys.
Boyd responded with a 40 yard field goal by junior kicker Andrew Smith cutting the lead down to 14-3.
The Cowboy offense was stalled for the rest of the quarter not being able to get anything started. More importantly senior starting offensive lineman Lee Porter left the game with an undisclosed injury.
“I really do not know yet. I just know he has a knee that has been bothering him,” McBride said. “I do not know the severity of it.”
McBride hopes by Monday that they will get the full diagnostic of his injury.
While Coppell struggled to get anything going when they possessed the ball, Boyd took advantage of this opportunity by knocking in a 35 yard field goal from Smith after Cowboy junior running back Charles West fumbled.
At the end of the first quarter the score stood at Coppell 14 Boyd 6.
The Broncos momentum carried over into the second with the offense already setting up red zone schemes 13 seconds into quarter. The Cowboys defense held out though and escaped with only giving up a 26 yard field goal to Smith. Boyd settled for the field goal after senior quarterback Curtis Ladd overthrew his receiver in the end zone.
The woes of the Cowboys continued on their next drive. After being stopped, a muffed snap on the punt attempt led to a safety after punter Adam Centers could only go out the back of the end zone to escape the Bronco defense.
The safety closed the gap between the two teams to Coppell 14 McKinney Boyd 11.
With 5:50 left in the second quarter a scuffle broke out after McDaniel was down. Personal foul penalties were issued to either team. Coppell kept their drive alive and McDaniel punched a six yard run to put the Cowboys up 21-11.
Coppell got the ball back after the Broncos could not find a way to score and punted it away with two minutes left in the half.
After a 25 yard sideline grab was reeled in by senior tight end Blake Mahon, junior quarterback Skyler Bonneau found sophomore receiver Josh Fink on a post pattern for a 23 yard touchdown.
At the end of the half Coppell was up 28-11.
Boyd started with the ball in the second half. Coppell’s defense was challenged having to stay on the field for five minutes, but they forced two fumbles that Boyd recovered. The Broncos capped off the drive with a five yard scramble by Ladd.
McKinney Boyd cut the lead to 28-17 after Coppell senior defensive lineman Alex Wilhelm blocked the extra point attempt.
Although both defenses played well at times, there were stretches in the game where they faltered. Boyd struggled in the second half to contain the Cowboy running backs. To answer the Broncos score, West outran Boyd defensive players for a 35 yard score.
With three minutes left in the third Coppell was up 35-17.
To end the quarter, the Cowboys got the ball back and Bonneau fired a 60 yard strike to sophomore wide receiver Obi Obialo to push the lead farther back to 42-17.
Boyd responded early in the fourth after a pass interference call against Coppell in the end zone set up a two yard scramble from Ladd.
The score now stood at 42-24.
West fumbled on the next Cowboy possession, which was recovered by the Broncos. Coppell senior defensive back Chris Adkins intercepted Ladd two plays later.
“They are put on islands and forced to make plays,” McBride said. “They did a good job and I am proud of them because they pushed them and did some really good things.”
This was not the first play by the secondary tonight that had a significant impact on the game. Throughout the night they knocked passes and ended up holding Ladd to only completing 18 out of 45 passes.
“We knew we had to be physical and get back in pass coverage,” junior safety Bryce Vonzurmuehlen said. “We had to make sure we knocked down as many passes as we could and get as many interceptions as possible.
The interception set up a drive that ended in McDaniel punching in his third touchdown of the night for the Cowboys. The final score ended with Coppell coming out on top 49-24.
After a night plagued with penalties and turnovers, Coppell ended up with 429 yards of offense with McDaniel and West combining for 219 yards on the ground. Boyd ended up with almost the same amount of yards with 423 yards.
“We were already doing really good things, we were just turning the ball over and shooting ourselves In the foot,” McBride said. “When we quit doing that and got to work, we were fine.”
