The Fighting Farmers take on the Coppell Cowboys in this week’s edition of Friday night lights, Oct. 17 at 7 p.m. Lewisville travels to Buddy Echols Field in a matchup that contains more than just mid-season bragging rights.
The Farmers sit at 6-0 overall (3-0 in district 5-6A) and look to finally get over the hump and beat the Cowboys after failing to do so in the past two seasons. Coppell, entering the game 4-1 (2-1 in district), aims to build upon a narrow 35-28 win over Little Elm (0-6, 0-3) last week and rebound from a 35-21 loss against Denton Guyer (5-2, 4-0) on Oct. 3.
“This game has a lot of importance when it comes to possible playoff chances and seeding but we are just stressing to our players that it is just another game,” LHS co-offensive coordinator Nick Olla stated. “We can’t make it bigger than it is. We just need to go out and focus on one play at a time.”
The Cowboys went 24-2 in the past two seasons with a perfect 14-0 record in the district, but lost a number of players to graduation last season, including all-time passing leader Edward Griffin, now at Baylor. Sophomore quarterback Carter Zingelman has taken over that role with nine total touchdowns and the ability to score with his arm or his legs.
The Farmers are coming off a pair of decisive victories over Denton Braswell (46-0) and Flower Mound (49-7) in the past two weeks, a change of pace following late victories over Rockwall and Marcus in the third and fourth games of the season. Olla cited the team’s fortitude in those close contests.
“I think this group has faced more adversity and found a way to overcome it,” Olla said. “We are not afraid to be in a close game late. We seem to play at our best in those clutch moments in the fourth quarter.”
With only a few games left in district play, the standings are beginning to tighten. Lewisville, Coppell and Guyer are a part of a three-team race for the title, and a win on Friday would strengthen the Farmers’ chances at securing the top spot in the district, while a Cowboys win would surely shake up the standings.
