By DAVID MORRIS
Cove Leader-Press
TEMPLE– Headed east, the (6-3, 3-2) Bulldawgs faced off against the Wildcats of Temple High School (7-2), (3-2) with a playoff spot on the line.
Copperas Cove entered the contest off their most impressive three point win of the year over Shoemaker, a win that put the Dawgs in control of their own playoff destiny needing a win over Temple or Midway and the Dawgs are playoff bound.
Friday’s 32-point shutout loss delays that decision a week and sets up a must-win regular season finale for all the marbles.
Leading the Dawgs, Craig Davis III threw for 46 yards on 5 of 16 passing with one interception. Caring the ball out of the backfield KJ Zeigler had 18 touches for 75 yards while Keshawn Dooley carried the ball for 111 yards on 22 carries himself. Putting work in for the receiving corps, Dooley led the way with 27 yards on 1 reception.
Winning the coin toss, Temple elected to receive. Braiden Meloon sent the ball to the Wildcats’ 25-yard line where it landed out of bounds, setting Temple up at the 30.
The Wildcats moved the ball 70 yards on four plays for the first score of the night when Ramauhn Brown scored on designed run out of the wildcat for 39 yards. The point after attempt sailed wide, keeping the score 6-0.
Benton Boyd collected the kick at the Dawgs’ five-yard line and advanced it to the 25 for Davis and the Dawgs to go to work. Moving the ball 70 yards on 12 plays, the Dawgs lined up for a field goal from the 11-yard line. The kick sailed wide and gave the Wildcats the ball at their own 20-yard line.
Temple marched down the field on eight plays, lining up for a fourth and eight from the 20-yard line. Wildcat senior Champ Mayo lined up in the shotgun formation dropping the snap, he would be sacked by Elijah Lynn at the Dawgs’ 34-yard line, turning the ball over on downs.
Davis III, Ziegler and the offense went to work, crossing midfield on three plays around the end and a pass out to Caiden Golden on second down. Faced with a fourth and four after crossing midfield, the Dawgs took the ball into the second quarter where they sent a punt down to the drive yard line and brought out to their 18-yard line to begin the next drive.
Three quick plays, the Wildcats faced a consecutive fourth down attempt. Punting the ball short, the Dawgs took over at the Wildcats 45-yard line.
Dooley picked up seven on first down, another three on second for a new set of downs at the 35-yard line. Hocutt would haul in his first reception of the night on a 16-yad first down pass.
Three runs later, the Dawgs faced a third and five to gain when Dooley would bounce a run outside down the sideline to the seven-yard line. Four plays later, Davis lined up at the one-yard line for a quarterback sneak that was stuffed at the goal line and the ball turned back to Temple with 4:49 left in the first half of play.
Bowing their neck, the Dawgs’ defense let the Wildcats out to the five-yard line before forcing a punt that fell dead at the Temple 30-yard line.
Working on a short field, Davis and the Dawgs moved the ball backwards on three plays before lining up to punt the ball. A fake punt sent Meloon scrambling back to midfield where he would be brought down and turn the ball over.
A 35-yard pass play from Mayo to Brown set the Wildcats up in the redzone at the Dawgs’ 15-yard line with two minutes in the quarter.
Kylan Basinger would find paydirt from the five-yard line, scrambling around the end for a touchdown. A jump pass on the two-point attempt converted to make the score 14-0 with 30 seconds remaining in the second quarter.
Kicking from their 40-yard line, the Wildcats sent the offering to the Dawgs’ 20-yard line that was returned by Anthony Brown III out to the Dawgs’ own 40-yard line. A pass over the middle to Victor Tepezano was negated with a penalty, moving the Dawgs back to their own 35.
Dooley made up the loss on the next play with a pitch and catch from Davis for 27 yards.
Lined up at the 37-yared line Davis scrambled out to the 34-yard line before lining up for a second and seven attempt. Lining up for a 51-yard field goal attempt, Meloon was iced with a Temple timeout. Returning to the field, his kick missed wide left as the horn sounded for the end of the half, leaving the score 14-0 in favor of the Wildcats.
Receiving the second half kick, the Dawgs immediately went to work at their own 25. Receiving 30 free yards off penalties, the Dawgs moved inside Wildcat territory. A bad snap cost the Dawgs 19 yards moving them back to the 50-yard line. On third and 30, Davis launched a pass that fell at the hands of his receiver.
Meloon sent his punt offering out of bounds at the Wildcats 26-yard line, flipping the field for the Dawgs defense.
Nealy would need just one play to scoot up the middle of the field for a 74-yard run for touchdown. A blocked point after kick by Brenton Boyd kept the score 20-0 in favor of Temple.
Starting at their own 32-yard line, Zeigler moved the ball on the ground picking up nine yards on first down. Picking up three yards and a first down, he moved the ball out to the 44-yard line.
Three incomplete offerings on consecutive downs called on the punt team that rolled over the head of Meloon and netted a one-yard loss on the punt that could have had the Wildcats setup inside the Dawgs 10-yard line.
Starting at the 44-yard line, the Wildcats moved the ball on 3 plays to the Dawgs 25-yard line before fumbling and turning the ball over at the 21. A sack on third down for the dawgs set up fourth and 14 and another punt situation that would net 45 on this punt rolling dead near midfield.
Moving the ball quickly, the Wildcats marched down the field covering 55-yards on 7 plays for a touchdown as Mayo connected with Preston Thomas for a 36-yard catch. A failed two-point attempt kept the score 26-0 in the final minute of the third quarter of play.
Copperas Cove started the next drive at the 25-yard line on a touchback that rolled from the 20-yard line through the endzone for a touchback.
Starting the fourth quarter of action facing second and four from the 31-yard line, Davis and the Dawgs lined up in the fourth with the wind at their backs.
The Dawgs would advance to the Wildcats redzone before an interception would be throw and returned out to the 46-yard line.
The cats picked up one first on the drive and facing fourth and 11, Mayo attempted a scrambled but pulled up short to find a receiver for 12 yards and a first. On second from the four, Mayo’s pass to the endzone would fall incomplete setting up third and goal.
This offering saw Mayo on a quarterback draw that is stopped at the three-yard line. The Wildcats found the endzone from three yards out for a score on a draw by Q’Terrius White. White would attempt the two-point conversion only to fail at the one.
With just under four and a half minutes in the game, the Dawgs received the kickoff at their own 20, and a healthy return by Brenton Boyd set Cove up at the Wildcats’ 40-yard line.
The Dawgs would fumble the ball on the drive, losing it at the 30-yard line where Temple would recover.
Temple would fail to pick up a first down and turn the ball back to the Dawgs with less than 30 on the clock. One run for a couple by Dooley would wind the clock down and see the Dawgs shutout for the first time this season.
The Dawgs will host the Midway Panthers in a rare Thursday night varsity showdown at the Dawg House in Copperas Cove. Kickoff s set for 7 p.m. in the regular season finale for both teams.
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