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Football: Coppell settles for spot in consolation bracket
BY JUSTIN THOMAS, jthomas@acnpapers.com
Following its most successful season in program history, Coppell's football team headed to College Station Friday and Saturday for the Division I State 7-on-7 Tournament hoping to continue to build on its previous year and begin to lay the groundwork for a successful 2011 campaign.
And while the Cowboys featured a young roster transitioning at many of the skill positions including quarterback, Coppell still managed to post a 2-1 record and tie for first in Pool C.
The Cowboys only hiccup came in a 32-31 loss against Belton. However, that misstep was enough to cost Coppell a spot in the championship bracket as Coppell settled for third based on tiebreakers.
"We went out there and had a good time," said Joe McBride, Coppell head football coach. "The kids played well and had a great time. We had six sophomores and only two seniors, but they went out there and really competed. The chemistry between the guys continues to develop and it was another chance to evaluate players and see who is stepping up, which we were able to do."
But while Coppell was pleased with its performance, they were still wondering how they missed out on a spot in the championship bracket.
The Cowboys opened the tournament with a 32-28 win against Dobie and closed pool play by getting past Cinco Ranch, 41-14. Coppell, Belton and Dobie each finished with a 2-1 record. However, Belton and Dobie earned championship bids. As a result of leading the pool in points, Dobie advanced, leaving Coppell and Belton with the Tigers getting the nod based on head-to-head results.
"I think they need to figure out a better way to determine the tiebreakers," McBride said. "I don't think there was any question we were the better team in our bracket. We led the whole way against Belton and by as many as two scores at one point, but they were able to beat us on kind of a fluky hail mary on the last play. Dobie scored the most points and they went to head-to-head between the bottom two teams (Coppell and Belton) for the last spot. But I think it would make more sense to go head-to-head for the top two teams first."
McBride added that Justin Strong, David Busby and Jacob Logan all played well for the Cowboys.
DeSoto earned the Division I title by topping Houston Lamar, 34-25, while Terry defeated Cooper in the consolation finals, 46-26.
Coppell will continue with its offseason conditioning program before opening practice Aug. 8.
Coppell wasn't the only local squad competing in College Station though, as Hebron and Creekview took part as well.
The Hawks and Mustangs entered with differing histories as Hebron was playing in its 11th consecutive tournament while the Mustangs were making their first appearance since the 2001 season.
Hebron managed to go 2-1 in Pool K to advance to the championship bracket, where they defeated Dobie, 33-24, before falling in the second round against Arlington Bowie, 33-19.
Creekview posted a 1-2 mark in the Pool L and was eliminated in the first round of the consolation bracket by Arlington Lamar, 38-27.
In pool play, Hebron topped Frenship, 48-13, but was defeated by Elkins, 28-26, and Lake Travis, 33-27. Lake Travis posted a 3-0 record to take the top seed, while the Hawks advanced on scoring.
"Our coaches said we played pretty well," said Brian Brazil, Hebron coach. "We lost a couple of close ones to Lake Travis and Bowie, but those are both pretty good teams. I've always thought that 7-on-7 doesn't mean everything. You want to go out there and have a good time, develop some chemistry and try to get some positive results to carry over to the season. If it helps our guys improve, then it's worth it. But there is a lot more to football than what 7-on-7 offers."
Brazil added he was pleased with the way the team behaved.
"I'm glad the way we went out there and competed and with the way the kids acted," he said. "They represented the city and program well. We had a number of different kids out there and it was nice to see how they came together."
Creekview also settled for a spot in the consolation bracket after falling against Bowie, 53-32, and Westwood, 32-13. The Mustangs' win was over Pearland, 33-25.
"I was very pleased with how our guys competed," said Jay Cline, Creekview coach, who was not in attendance but received constant updates from the coaches. "Last year, we made some improvements on the field and this summer, advancing to the state tournament for the first time in a while, was the next step for us. Our goal was to get to state and next year we'll look to get even better. But we had a great showing and it was great for the kids."
Cline said Stephen Buckner played well returning from an injury he suffered during track season, while Jordyn Peeler and quarterback David Blough also performed well.
"David played the whole game and did a great job against Pearland," Cline said. "We played well against Bowie too; they're just a tough team. And we had a little trouble with a couple of formations against Lamar."
Like Coppell and Hebron, Creekview will conclude its offseason program in the upcoming weeks before opening practice Aug. 8.
"We're very excited," Cline added. "We're proud we qualified and competed well but we know there is still plenty of room for improvement."
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