By David Morris
Cove Leader-Press
LEANDER – For the second time in as many weeks, the Copperas Cove Bulldawgs hit the road for their Friday night contest, facing the Leander Glenn Grizzlies. Copperas Cove left A.C. Bible Jr. Memorial stadium with a 35-21 victory.
“The wins good,” Head football coach Rodney Southern said. “We didn't play our best football tonight, obviously, but still, we're able to win a game, you know, by three touchdowns, which is a good thing. I thought Dooley came in and did really well tonight, but we've got to do a better job as coaches, and that's on me, so I'll get that fixed.”
Leading the Dawgs, quarterback Craig Davis threw for 116 yards on 11 completions while Keshawn Dooley led the rushing attack with 15 carries, 80 yards with six catches for 34 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Ashton Adams hauled in 3 receptions for 44 yards, while Qenyon Donnell and Brandon Stubbs both hauled in interceptions from the Grizzlies.
“I thought Dooley and Jordan both played well and did what we had to do to win.,” said Southern. “Still, you know, I think we could have been much better than we were tonight.”
Winning the coin toss, the Dawgs elected to receive the ball to start the contest. A muffed catch on the kick was recovered by Leander Glenn setting the Grizzlies up on the four-yard line. Two plays later, Jason Ortiz found the endzone for the first points of the game.
The Dawgs took their second kickoff at the 30-yard line with an offside setting them up to start at their own 35-yard line. Six plays into the drive, the punt team were called upon sending the ball down to the Grizzlies’ end of the field at their 30.
Leander was unable to capitalize on the drive, three plays later, punting back to the Dawgs. Ashton Adams hauled in the punt at the Dawgs’ 48-yard line, returning 18 yards to the 34. KJ Zeigler moved the ball 5 yards on first down and an incomplete pass in the endzone set the Dawgs up for third and 5 yards to gain. Craig Davis picked up a first on fourth and four with his legs. Three incomplete passes later, the Dawgs were faced again with a fourth down and 6 to gain. An incomplete pass on fourth down, turned the ball back to Leander with the ball at the 15-yard line.
The Dawgs’ defense bowed their neck, allowing just three yards on the drive, with Leader sending a punt to Adams who returned it 18 yards to the Dawgs’ 38.
Facing another fourth down, this time four yards, Davis found Dooley at the 5-yard line on a screen pass who rumbled into the endzone for the Dawgs first score. Lane Ledger added the extra point to tie the contest in the final seconds of the first quarter of play.
Ledger drilled a Grizzly on the kickoff with the Dawgs recovering the touched ball at midfield. Keshawn Dooley carried the ball 4 yards to the 47-yard line to end the first quarter of action tied at 7.
Davis would move the Dawgs to the 26-yard line before facing another fourth down, this time less than five to gain where Leander would call a time out. Returning from the break, at the Grizzlies’ 24-yard line, Davis launched a long ball to the endzone for Adams that would fall incomplete, turning the ball over to Leander.
Luke Carter picked up 14 yards on first down, but would struggle with a new set of downs, nearly throwing an interception to Nate Jones before losing on consecutive plays to bring up a third and 11 where a false start sent them back to their own 32-yard line facing a third and 16 yards to gain. Gilbert Davis put pressure on Carter who throws the ball errant and incomplete.
Punting to the Dawgs’ 36-yard line Adams called for a fair catch setting up the Dawg’s next drive.
Four yards is all Dooley and the Dawgs could pick up, with a pair of incomplete passes bringing up a punt situation that sent the Grizzlies to their own 28-yard line.
Picking up 32 yards on first down, the Grizzlies moved into Bulldawg territory before they would face a fourth and long two yards that would be picked up by Keaton Gordon at the Dawgs’ 24-yard line.
Eight plays later, the Grizzlies trotted out their field goal unit that saw the ball of the foot of Israel Alvarez and would fall short on a 38-yard attempt.
Taking over at their own 38-yard line, Davis and the Dawgs picked up 5 on first down out to the 43-yard line with just over three minutes left in the first half of play.
Davis scrambled for 23 yards on the play moving down to the 30 and picked up another seven yards at the two-minute warning. Dooley and Davis connected on a 17-yard touchdown pitch and catch to give the Dawgs a 14-7 lead in the winding minutes of the half. On the drive, Davis carried the ball 50 yards on the seven play 67-yard drive.
Following a block in the back penalty, the Grizzlies were set at their own 12-yard line. Davis, picked up 12 and a first down, and were gifted an additional 15 yards out to the 39-yard line on a personal foul penalty. A delay of game moved them back five yards and brings up 3rd and 15 to gain. An incomplete pass on third brought out the punt team with 32 seconds left in the half.
Starting at their own 36-yard line, Davis found his receivers Adams and Hocutt for seven-yards each before ending the half on a lateral play that moved the Dawgs inside the 10-yard line for 42-yards.
Ledger sent the opening kickoff of the second half down to the Grizzlies’ 28-yard line after nearly recovering the live ball for themselves. Stopped on three consecutive runs, the Grizzlies lined up on fourth and two, where Ortiz would scoot 68-yards for his second touchdown of the night and knotting the game at 14 each.
Davis and the Dawgs started the next drive at their own 31-yard line following the kickoff by Leander. Moving the ball 26 yards on three plays, the Dawgs faced another third down needing three for the first when Davis is sacked for a seven-yard loss. Ledger is called up for another punt, sending the ball down to the 18-yard line with no return.
Gilbyrt Davis stopped Luke Carter with a solo tackle and 7-yard loss. On fourth down, the Grizzlies punted to the Dawgs own 47-yard line where Davis and the Dawgs would begin again.
The Dawgs fell behind the sticks with a holding call but would earn most of it back on the legs of Dooley making it fourth and five from the original first and 20. Davis found the endzone on a 38 yard run, however a chop block on the run negated the score and set Cove up at 4th and 6. The Dawgs were moved further back on a delay of game penalty before Ledger punted the ball from the 43-yard line bouncing down at the 12 yard line.
A false start set Leander up at first and 15 from the 7-yard line. Running from the wildcat, the Grizzlies picked up 3 yards before throwing an interception corralled by Brandon Stubbs at the 19-yard line.
Davis scrambled down to the 13-yard line on first down before the third quarter would come to a close.
Knocking on the doorstep to open the fourth quarter, with first and 10 from the 13-yard line, the Dawgs found paydirt on a connection with Adams and Davis from 13-yards out, with Ledger adding the point after attempt.
A personal foul following the touchdown marked off 15 yards on the kickoff where Ledger kicked from the Dawgs own 25-yard line.
Starting on the Dawg’s side of the 50 at the 41-yard line, Carter and the Grizzlies sea sawed the 50-yard line before a sack by Elijah Lynn knocked them back to their own 46-yard line with a third and 23 to gain, the Dawgs defense knocked the long pass to the ground and bring out the punt crew.
A one-yard punt set Cove up in a positive position and a defensive holding on first down gave free yards to the Dawgs. Dooley picked up 17 down to get the Dawgs in the. Redzone. On the next play Davis finds the endzone on a 20-yard run to give the Dawgs a two-score lead with 8 minutes in the quarter.
Leander’s Davis returned the kickoff 27 yards out to the 43-yard line where the Grizzlies began their drive. The drive would stall when Qenyon Donnell intercepted a deflected pass for a 22-yard return out to midfield.
Chewing the clock, the Dawgs moved the ball in spurts, collecting runs by Davis for 16 yards and 21 by Dooley moved the ball to the redzone. Three plays later, Davis with the help of his linemen was pushed across the goal line for a score. Ledger’s kick made it 35-14.
The Grizzlies needed 14 plays to find the endzone and cut into the lead, but it would be too little too late as their onside attempt was negated with illegal touching and the Dawgs with the ball at midfield where they would run the clock out to get their second win of the infant season.
The Dawgs will play host to Georgetown, Friday night with kickoff set for 7 p.m. at Bulldawg Stadium.
“We got to be a lot more focused coming in, because this is this team coming this week is the real deal. And you know, they've been good for a long time now,” said Southern. “We'll have to clean up. We got to figure out what's wrong couple guys, but we’ve got to play much better.”
In Sub-varsity action, the Bulldawgs’ JV Gold team improved to 2-0 on the season, defeating a JV Grizzly team, 19-14. Brelan Chancellor, coach for the Gold team, reported that interceptions by Elijah Myer and Domonic Miles were key plays in the game, Miles’ interception was returned for a touchdown. Brenham Taylor and Xavier Eclavea each added a rushing touchdown to the Dawgs scores.
“Good team win for the Bulldawgs,” Chancellor said. “Had to fight all the way to the end.”
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