By John Loop
Sports Editor
With two talented backs in front of him, you could say that sophomore Brandon Rice has a hard time getting noticed.
But Friday was Rice’s night, as he toted the rock 12 times for 49 yards and his first varsity score in Coppell’s 24-14 win over Hebron.
“I was happy for him, real proud of him,” Coppell running backs coach Shawn Sparks said. “It is tough when you are a sophomore and you’re [playing] up. You could be on JV and play every snap and do a great job, but sometimes you get moved up and it is a privilege, but you have to sit and wait your turn.”
Because junior running back Charles West, who scurried his way through the Hawks’ defense for 122 yards on the night, and senior running back Gavin McDaniel, who rushed for 22 yards on six carries, were carving up the opposing front, head coach Joe McBride decided to give Rice some time.
That time led to Rice’s first varsity touchdown, a five-yard scamper after a pitch left near the end of the third quarter.
“I got the pitch, saw the end zone, and got in,” Rice said of his scoring run.
Because of the success of the running game, Sparks was able to mix and match some of his players into new packages and schemes, which kept Hebron on their toes.
“We were able to put Gavin out wide and let him play receiver, which gives us another speed guy outside, and still get him carries,” Sparks said. “It is fresh legs and we feel like all three of them run well.”
Rice and the Cowboys should be able to use their ground-and-pound philosophy to their advantage as the Flower Mound Jaguars come calling at Buddy Echols Field for Coppell’s homecoming game this week.