Now, that’s more like it!
By "Big Joe" Lombardi
Cup O' Joe
About 10:30 p.m. Friday, September 2, the monkey jumped off the back of our Copperas Cove Bulldawg football team.
The ice was broken.
It had been a long time since Copperas Cove won a varsity football game. How long, you ask?
My calendar said 13 months and six days since Cove toppled Killeen 56-32. One year earlier, the Dawgs had won another..41-22 at Granbury during the COVID- wracked 2020 campaign. Otherwise, there was nothing but goose-eggs in the W column.
That all changed a week ago tonight.
Hopefully, you were there to see it. Copperas Cove used the slashing runs of Craig Brown and the vastly improved passing of Gabriel Rodrniguez to outpoint Georgetown Eastview 39-9, which gave first-year head coach Tony Johnson his initial win wearing the Blue and Gold.
Another plus was the team’s sideline reactions to good plays, which transferred to the fans in the stands.
It’s been a long while since we’ve heard the decibel level that filled our radio microphones all night long. Gotta love it!
Long story short..the Bulldawgs played well in all three phases of the game. They’ll continue to improve, which is a must with just two non-district tilts and an open week before the District 12-6A grinder gets going Sept. 30 with Bryan coming in.
Now, with the films graded out and the celebrating over, it’s time to put this historic win behind us, because the price of poker goes way up tonight.
Cove takes its first road trip, headed southbound to meet the Manor Mustangs, a team we defeated 7-6 in 2018 and you can be sure they’ll remember that. The Mustangs are picked for the third seed out of District 25-6A and sport tailback Quinten Joyner (2,497 yards rushing, 33 TD in 2021), plus DL Princewell Umanmielen (6-5, 235). Our guys have their work cut out for them.
One setback I have to deal with personally is the march of time. Arthritis has caused me to go on injured reserve for the second time in two years, since the Manor Athletic Complex, which is a beautiful facility, has no pressbox elevator and having to climb the bleacher steps, even with a handrail, causes me concern. Basically, my wife said “you ain’t gonna do it.”
So, like all other Dawg fans that can’t make it to Manor, I’ll listen to Russ Cochran, Ben Petit and Matt Thompson on the Bulldawg Radio play-by-play call. They won’t mention irate coaches and they will not dispute officials’ calls. They promised.
Right.
Go Dawgs!