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Football: DeSoto runs away from Coppell and into the third round
By Justin Thomas, jthomas@starlocalnews.com
ALLEN — Something had to give Saturday at Eagle Stadium when DeSoto (No. 2 in the state) squared off against No. 4 Coppell in a battle of unbeatens.
The Eagles boasted the area’s No. 2 offense in both yardage and scoring, while the Cowboys brought in the area’s No. 1 defense and No. 2 scoring unit.
But when the ball kicked it was all DeSoto as the Eagles received four total touchdowns from running back Dontre Wilson in a 42-14 victory.
“Obviously, they have a ton of speed and you can’t practice that in practice,” said Joe McBride, Coppell head coach. “It’s a huge difference. They’re faster than we are. Period. They have a great scheme and a great team, so hats off to DeSoto. They’re an explosive team and are athletic enough to run the table.”
Wilson would finish with 250 total yards, including 204 on the ground, as DeSoto led early, 14-0, and never looked back.
For the game, the Eagles outgained the Cowboys, 546-261, including 336-46 on the ground.
Quarterback Colby Mahon threw a pair of touchdown passes to lead the Coppell offense, finishing 17-of-28 for 217 yards with one interception. Charles West and Gavin McDaniel led the Coppell rushing attack with 29 and 23 yards, respectively. However, the Cowboys averaged less than two yards per carry for the game (33 rushes for 46 yards).
“We got behind and that didn’t help,” McBride said. “They got after us and at times it seemed like we got predictable. But it’s just that way when you’re behind and they’re playing the way they were. You have to do things to catch up and press.”
Coppell couldn’t have gotten out to a tougher start.
On DeSoto’s opening possession, just moments after a 54-yard run by quaterback Dezmon White was negated by holding, White got free for 45 yards setting Wilson’s first scoring run to put the Eagles up, 8-0.
The Cowboys, meanwhile, had four penalties on their first set of downs resulting in a punt and were quickly down, 14-0, when a 47-yard reception by Rickey Daniels set up another Wilson score.
“We started nervous,” McBride said. “It was obvious. We made some mistakes early on that really put is in a bind. But our kids played hard and they care. It’s just those mistakes when you have certain matches that are tough to deal with from a personnel stand point.”
Coppell would trim the lead in half with a 13-yard touchdown reception by Smith on a fade in the corner from Mahon. A 53-yard reception by Luke Jenner, including a trucking down field, helped set up the touchdown.
But the Cowboy momentum was short-lived as Wilson darted up the middle, made a move and was loose for a 71-yard touchdown run to increase the margin back to 20-7.
Later in the second quarter it was Wilson who was back at it, hauling in a swing pass with a one-handed catch before putting on a series of moves to get in the open field for a 46-yard touchdown reception.
“A couple of those plays were just us having to run with faster guys,” McBride said. “They have a good scheme and have some of the nation’s best players. It’s no secret. Everyone knows they’re one of the more athletic teams in the nation and you have to be perfect against them.”
Coppell had multiple chances to cut the margin in half before the break but twice Mahon was unable to connect with Smith near the end zone.
The Cowboys final drive in the half was possible because of the play of Omari Cole, who had a sack and fumble recovery on consecutive plays. Soloman Thomas also made impact plays for the Coppell defense, including a sack and two tackles for loss, but in the end DeSoto was just too explosive.
Despite the loss, it was a productive season for Coppell, which went unbeaten during the regular season en route to claiming a District 5-5A Championship all while playing through adversity, including the death of inspirational leader and two-way player Jacob Logan.
“The coaches and the kids have been awesome,” McBride said. “It’s a great tribute to our team. We’re actually a pretty young football team and we went through a lot this year. We had adversity at the start of the year and then losing Jacob Logan in the middle. We’ve been through a lot and I love the kids and appreciate the effort. But ultimately it’s my job to get us to the level we need to win and I didn’t get it done.”
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