When: Saturday, November 21st
Where: Dallas Cowboys Stadium
Listen: Pregame show at 10:30am
Radio: KFCD-AM 990

#6 Coppell Cowboys (10-1 / 4-1 in 6-5A) – The Cowboys were up late last Saturday night as their Bi-District round matchup with Keller didn’t start until after 9:00pm at Cowboys Stadium. Coppell led 17-7 at halftime before Indians K Seth Wicks knocked in two field goals in the third quarter to cut the Cowboys’ lead to four, 17-13. However, the ferocity of the Coppell defense helped the Cowboys get their swagger back in the fourth quarter. Coppell NG Naveed Amirhekmat sacked Keller QB Cameron Allerheiligan in the endzone for a safety, and LB Josh Montgomery forced a key interception that set up a touchdown for RB Cam McDaniel in the closing minutes. McDaniel finished the game with a solid effort as he accounted for 143 yards on 19 carries including four touchdowns. The Cowboys outscored Keller in the fourth quarter 16-0, and now Coppell find itself in the area round of the playoffs for the second straight year. The Coppell offense will face a very tall and physical secondary in the Plano East Panthers on Saturday. QB Hayden Hawk’s ability to fit the ball in extremely tight windows will be incredibly important, and the Cowboy receivers must trust their routes amidst the tall trees down field.

#10 Plano East Panthers (7-3 / 5-1 in 8-5A) – The Panthers had plenty of reasons to celebrate last weekend after coming from behind to defeat a very scrappy MacArthur football team in overtime. After Cardinal RB James Sims opened the extra period with an 11-yard touchdown, the Panthers answered right back with a score on fourth down thanks to a 16-yard run from PESH RB Brandon Lewis. Panther head coach Johnny Ringo rolled the dice once again, and QB Ryan Foster found Lewis all alone in the end zone to secure the 2-point conversion and the win for Plano East. Lewis clearly provided a major spark in overtime and ultimately finished the game with 16 carries for 115 yards and two total touchdowns. The Panther defense came prepared to handle the Herculean task of slowing down the ground oriented attack of the Cardinals. Sims was held to less than 200 rushing yards for the first time in three weeks thanks to the relentless efforts of the PESH linebacking corps, and LB Sam Trotter was named the Plano Sports Center defensive player of the game after closing the gap on several key Macarthur running plays. The Panther linebackers will need to bring the same passion when facing Coppell RB Cam McDaniel who ranks second in scoring among all offensive players in the Metroplex.