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Panthers playoff pushed corralled by Cowboys
BY JUSTIN THOMAS Staff writer
ARLINGTON — With time winding down in the fourth quarter and Plano East facing a fourth-and-goal from the 1-yard line in a 14-0 game, the Panthers had one last chance to make Saturday’s area round playoff game against Coppell a tight contest.
But as they have done all season, Coppell’s defense rose to the occasion.
The Cowboys got penetration in the backfield, forcing an illegal forward pass by East senior quarterback Brandon Wesley to halt the Panthers chances.
“It was huge,” said Joe McBride, Coppell head coach. “Our kids bowed up and made a big play to keep them out. Plano East did a good job, but our kids really believe in what we are doing defensively.”
The Cowboys defense was dominant all game, limiting East — which was without starting senior quarterback Ryan Foster — to seven first downs and 163 total yards.
“After last season it was a great job by our kids and coaches,” said Johnny Ringo, East head coach. “I was proud of their effort today and all season long.
“We played really well defensively, we just couldn’t get on track offensively. When we finally got a chance, we couldn’t convert on the fourth-and-goal. You have to give credit to Coppell; they have a good football team and put us in those situations.”
Coppell quarterback Hayden Hawk had touchdown runs of 10 yards in the first quarter and another of 7 yards in the third quarter. Hawk also completed 20-of-29 passes for 197 yards.
But it was a day for the defenses.
East had only three first downs in the first half, none in the second quarter and four in the fourth — all on the same drive. The Panthers also had three interceptions.
Coppell had a high completion percentage but struggled to hit on big plays or sustain long scoring drives.
The Cowboys had three running plays of more than 10 yards and seven completions of 10 or more yards. Coppell, however, also had two drives stall in East territory as a result of turnovers and three others end with turnover on downs on the Panthers side of the field.
“Our defense has been great and did an awesome job again today,” Ringo said. “We held a potent offense that’s averaging 40 points per game to 14. If we get our offense going we have a great chance to win the game.”
The Cowboys opened the scoring on their second possession of the game, marching 70 yards on eight plays with Hawk capping the drive with his first touchdown run.
Late in the second quarter, Wesley found junior wide out Gabe Dunlap for a 25-yard reception, moving the ball to Coppell’s 41-yard line.
Ringo reached into his back of tricks on the ensuing play, dialing up a flea-flicker, but the Cowboys weren’t fooled as David Busby intercepted Wesley’s pass with 42 seconds remaining in the half to keep the score at 7-0.
Like in the first half, Coppell started well in the second.
After forcing a three-and-out on East’s first possession in the third quarter, Coppell drove 66 yards on 10 plays, eating up 6:05 of clock before Hawk’s second scoring run. Facing a third-and-six from the 7-yard line, Hawk got outside and beat the East defense to the corner for the touchdown.
The Panthers got their offense moving in the fourth, as Wesley converted passes of 22 and 25 yards to senior Cody Darden and Dunlap, respectively, moving the ball to Coppell’s 35. Sophomore running back Dante Taylor dashed 13 yards, giving the Panthers a first-and-goal at the 10-yard line before the Cowboys made their goalline stand to seal the 14-0 win.
“We were hoping for [Wesley] to pitch the ball but he slipped,” Ringo said. “When he slipped he tried to pitch the ball late. We ran it before and got about 5 yards on it, so we wanted to stick with it. If he didn’t slip, I think he might have scored. And if we can get the ball back, we had a chance to go down for the tying score.”
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