TESTING 1, 2

by TJ MAXWELL

 

The Copperas Cove Bulldawgs will get their second major test of their young season when they travel to Austin to take on the Lake Travis Cavaliers, ranked No. 12 in the Class 6A AP Texas high school football poll. “Bottom line is this – Lake Travis is a good football team and very well coached,” said Jack Welch, head football coach and athletic director of the Bulldawgs during the weekly Quarterback Club meeting at Lil’ Tex Restaurant. “They got after Midway last week and Midway is ranked to win our district.” Welch knows this is a monumental task for his young squad, but relishes the teaching opportunities derived from tough competition. “These are the kind of games that are opportunities all across the field,” he said. “If we want to get better, we’ve got to rise to that occasion. These are the kind of seasons and games that I live for. It’s fun to put things together, see growth and see the game of life come about. You see all those aspects when seasons like this happen – when you have to build and grow.” Lake Travis returns a stout defense with eight returning starters, led by an explosive defensive line. “All four of the defensive lineman are back,” said Tracy Welch, offensive coordinator and associate athletic director for Cove. “The strength of their defensive line are (Sammy Ochoa and Tevin Paul). Ochoa is 270 (pounds) and Paul is (6 foot, 4 inches, 255 pounds). They play a four-man front with multiple linebackers and they move these guys around well.” The Cavaliers are coming off a huge win over the Bulldawgs’ District 12-6A rival Midway, 48-24. Midway was ranked no. 18 at the time. The Cavs return starting quarterback junior Charie Brewer and starting running back senior Abe Willows. Both guys were integral in last week’s win over Midway. Both guys also were key cogs in last year’s win over the Bulldawgs. Brewer was 16 for 34 for 312 yards and four touchdowns through the air. “It was his first start and we hit him like there was no tomorrow and he kept getting up,” said Cove defensive coordinator Reb Brock. “I’ve got a lot of respect for him. He’s a threat with his feet and his arm. His brother is starting quarterback for Virginia Tech. His dad played at Texas and his uncle played at Texas Tech, so he comes from a football family.” Willows was mostly held in check with only a 3.3 yards-per-carry average but was able to punch in a sevenyard score on the ground. “Offensively, they are a very disciplined and they are very smart,” said Brock. “They run a lot of formations at you. We’ll see several things Friday night that we haven’t seen yet. They do that to get you confused. They don’t rely on athleticism as much, not that they’re not good athletes, but they are going to rely on their brain and playing sound football.” Senior running back Antonio Lealiiee, who led the Dawgs offensive effort last week with 134 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries, knows this is another tough task for his young squad but feels if they do what they’re coached, they could pull out the upset win. “We just need to stay on our blocks, work on technique and get body on body,” said Lealiiee. “They have a very good (defensive) line so we just need our (offensive) line to get a push, stay body on body, create a little crease for the running backs and we’ll be good.” Senior captain Johnathan Fuselier feels the same way about his defense. “To beat Lake Travis this Friday we need to play fast and physical, swarm to the ball, play what we’re taught all the time and do what we’re coached all around,” said the senior defensive end. “We need to play our techniques 100 percent of the time – not 90, not 80 – just play together as a team as one.”