By the end of 48 minutes, not only had the Coppell Cowboys (5-0, 2-0 in District 6-6A) pulled off a massive upset, but they had done so convincingly in a game none of the Farmers had expected.
“Don’t underestimate your opponents,” senior defensive lineman O’Marius Dimry-Lockhart said. “I’m not going to say we did that, but we went in there and thought we were a little better than what happened. It gave us a realization, and we’re going to be better next time.”
Coppell’s quick tempo offense and physicality outpaced the varsity football team (3-2, 1-1), handing it an uncharacteristic 49-28 loss. A defense allowing 8.75 points per game struggled to stop Cowboys junior quarterback Edward Griffin and a tailback duo of junior O’Marion Mbakwe and senior Xavier Mosley. The Farmers offense, other than senior running back Viron Ellison, couldn’t keep up.
“We didn’t get the kids ready to play at the level that they needed to play to beat a really good team,” head football coach Michael Odle said. “I had to look in the mirror, my coordinators did the same. As a coaching staff, senior leaders and captains, we all took it upon ourselves to do better to move forward.”
The Farmers must move forward with a win against the Plano West Wolves (1-4, 1-1), who are coming off of their first win over their rival Plano Wildcats (2-3, 0-2). The Wolves hosted Coppell in its season opener, losing 55-7.
“The winner of this game is in a good spot to make the playoffs,” Odle said. “That team gets the leg up, so [Plano West] is going to give us everything they’ve got. They’re healthy and coming off a win, so they’re going to come in here and get after us, and we need to be ready.”
Senior quarterback Ethan Terrell has the opportunity for another big passing day after Coppell’s defense forced him to get the ball out quicker and intercepted two passes, one returned for a touchdown.
“Our QB was getting pressured, so I don’t think there’s a problem with throwing the ball,” senior wide receiver Julian Gonzales said. “They’re going to play a lot of cover zero and shift down a lot of players. Their DBs play soft coverage.”
Defensively, the Farmers are preparing for the Wolves to focus on running the ball. Senior running back Demetrius Willis is the biggest threat on Plano West’s offense, rushing for 190 yards and three touchdowns in an overtime loss to McKinney Boyd. The Wolves have the fewest points through five games among District 6-6A teams (14.2 points per game).
“We need to break their double teams,” Dimry-Lockhart said. “We’re trying not to let them get rushing yards this game. They’re a quick passing team and they like to run it, so we have to dominate them up front.”
In reflecting on the loss, the team pointed out flaws in physicality and effort, upping the intensity at practice since Monday. Ellison led by example against Coppell, scoring all four touchdowns last week and making an impact on kickoff returns to keep the Farmers offense moving.
“He is an elite player,” Odle said. “He definitely stood out and made some big time plays, and he’s going to continue to get better as the season goes on.”
With the loss to Coppell, the Farmers also lost control of the lead in District 6-6A, as Coppell (No. 24 in Class 6A on texasfootball.com’s staff poll) and the Marcus Marauders (2-3, 2-0) are tied for first heading into their matchup. The result shifts focus from a district title to getting the next win, making the playoffs and erasing the negatives of last week’s loss.
“We learned a lot about our team and how we respond to adversity,” Dimry-Lockhart said. “We’re just going to put [the loss] aside and come together as a unit so we can dominate our opponents.”
The bounce back starts at Max Goldsmith Stadium on Friday, Oct. 6 at 7 p.m.
“The loss we took on Friday was very personal, it hurt us bad,” Gonzales said. “We’re striving for 16 games, which is [the state championship game], and if we play like that again, we’re not going anywhere.”
