| Date/Time: |
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| Location: |
Tarleton State in Stephenville
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| Score: |
Copperas Cove 21-14
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| Winner: |
Copperas Cove |
STEPHENVILLE - Woodrow Wilson dominated the statistics but Copperas Cove made the key plays near and in the end zone to hold on for a 21-14 Class 4A Division I Region II area playoff victory Saturday at Tarleton Memorial Stadium.
Copperas Cove (10-2) advances to play Texarkana Texas High in the quarterfinals next weekend. Wilson (11-1) finishes its season in the area round for the fourth straight year. It was eliminated by Wylie the past three seasons.
Wilson ran more than twice as many plays (81-40), had three times the first downs (25-8) and almost double the yardage (427-228). Wilson never punted.
"We bent throughout the game, but we didn't break," Copperas Cove coach Jack Welch said. "They have a strong offense with a great power back so we had to fight and scrap to do what we did."
Wilson's 5-8, 205-pound running back Brandon Dora rushed for 182 yards on 35 carries. Quarterback Kevin Rush added 102 yards on the ground and 128 through the air.
Despite reaching the Cove 30-yard line eight times, Wilson scored only twice, while Copperas Cove scored three of the four times it passed the Wilson 30. Of Cove's six stops deep in its territory, only one - the last - came in the end zone.
Trailing by seven points with 3:49 to play, Wilson drove from its 16 to the Cove 12-yard line. On third-and-three, receiver Greg McCoy appeared to get behind coverage on an out-and-up pattern. However, Cove defensive back C.J. McKinney slipped in front of McCoy for an interception in the end zone with 26 seconds to play.
Wilson vehemently argued for a pass interference penalty.
"Our players and coaching staff thought there should have been a flag, but we didn't get the call," Wilson coach Bobby Estes said. "We know they shouldn't have a hand on our guy's back."
Copperas Cove - led by running back Jerrard Millsap with 134 yards rushing and two touchdowns - took advantage of an interception and two long kickoff returns to drive 40, 43 and 45 yards for its scores. Cove never trailed and took the lead for good on a 10-yard pass from Robert Griffin to fullback Billy Abreu with 1:59 left in the third quarter.
"Copperas Cove went three rounds in the 5A playoffs last year and have a great team," Estes said. "The DISD proved they can play."
McCoy returned an interception 33 yards to set up a 27-yard drive for Wilson's first touchdown, a 7-yard reverse run by Rodney Malone. Wilson drove 78 yards on 12 plays to tie the score again as Dora powered through a pair of tackles for a 6-yard touchdown run with 4:56 left in the third quarter.
Wilson was successful on two of six attempts to convert on fourth down. It also had a 30-yard field goal blocked in the first quarter.
Period score
Woodrow Wilson 0 7 7 0 -- 14
Copperas Cove 0 14 7 0 -- 21
COVE - Jerrard Millsap 23 run (Kyle Mathews kick)
WW - Rodney Malone 7 run (Steven Allen kick)
COVE - Millsap 1 run (Mathews kick)
WW - Brandon Dora 6 run (Allen kick)
COVE - Billy Abreu 10 pass from Roobert Griffin (Mathews kick)
Stats
WW COVE
First Downs 25 8
Rushing Yards 54-299 28-205
Passing Yards 128 23
Passing 12-27-3 3-11-1
Punts-Avg 0-0 4-37.0
Penalties 3-29 2-24
Fumbles-Lost 0-0 1-1
Individual Leaders
Rushing
WW: Brandon Dora 35-182, Kevin Rusk 16-102, Greg McCoy 1-9, Rodney Malone 1-7, Damian Washington 1-(-1). COVE: Jerrard Millsap 18-134, Robert Griffin 6-64, Billy Abreu 8-12, Mario Goins 1-(-5).
Passing
WW: Kevin Rusk 12-27-3-128. COVE: Robert Griffin 3-11-1-23.
Receiving
WW: Greg McCoy 5-71, Rodney Malone 2-32, Jack Hlavaty 2-16, Sam Ashbrook 3-9. COVE: Billy Abreu 1-10, Don'nell Greer 1-9, Rashed Hawks 1-4. |
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| Name: |
Dallas WoodrowWilson
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| Seed: |
D13
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| Wildcats are 10-0 and finish as district champs 6-0 |
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