By Mark Slette
Staff Writer

Brandon Rice kicked off homecoming weekend with a bang.

Rice, Coppell’s sophomore third string tailback, showed elusive speed and kept with his hard-nosed running style to help the Cowboys down the Flower Mound Jaguars, 45-3.

It was more of the same for 5-foot-11, 190-pound Rice after his 12 carry, 49-yard, one score performance against the Hebron Hawks to open district play in Week 6.

Because homecoming usually comes with reserved playing time for seniors, Rice had his doubts as to how many times he would tote the ball against the Jaguars defensive unit. So it came as quite as a surprise when the coaches told him that he would get substantial time in the offensive backfield.

Rice rumbled for 115 rushing yards in 13 attempts, a pair of one-yard scores, along with a 13-yarder. “[I had] a decent game,” Rice said, putting a grade on his on-field performance. “I just kept pushing until I got in the end zone.” Along with 3 touchdowns, which resulted in 21 points for the cowboys.

Even Coppell head coach Joe McBride was impressed with how hard Rice had worked over the past few weeks. “[Brandon has] a lot of talent, tons of potential.” McBride said. “He’s a huge asset, a downhill physical tailback.”