Bulldawg football returns Saturday for annual scrimmage
By DAVID MORRIS
Cove Leader-Press
Copperas Cove High School Bulldawgs head coach Tony Johnson will suit up his players and showcase their talents, Saturday, during Media Day and the annual Soap, Shampoo and Towel Scrimmage at Bulldawg Stadium. Media day festivities begin at 8 a.m. with team and individual photos and is followed by the intersquad scrimmage of all three levels of play.
“Football cannot be made in a microwave. You must give it time. In practice, your kids are learning so much more than scheme. They are teaching each other and how to react to situations. They are working on skills and doing drills that enhance their performance,” Head Football Coach Tony Johnson said. “In a scrimmage format you see them think and react on their own without the possibility of doing it with a coach constantly correcting. I always say, ‘We can’t play for you’ so really it’s like a dress rehearsal.”
The community is invited to attend, and entry into the stadium requires the donation of a hygiene item to help the teams throughout the season.
“For many years, my mother and I helped collect the soap, shampoo and towels at the scrimmage,” Bulldawg supporter Sherry Hoffpauir said. “Joe Lombardi always took a couple of bags on behalf of our family. The donations help offset the costs to the budget. It’s a huge help so I encourage everybody to donate Saturday with a towel, a bottle of shampoo or a bar of soap!”
The Quarterback Club will be on hand to finalize memberships for the booster club that has new leadership.
Dale Seitter is the incoming President with Betty Adams being the Vice President for the club. Serving as secretary is Leroy Simms Jr. and Cheryl Lewis returns as Treasurer.
“We are looking for members and volunteers willing to support our deserving high school and junior high student athletes,” President Seitter said. “Please come out and support the kids, donate some hygiene items to help the kids out this year.”
Returning for the Dawgs on offense is Trishstin Glass at receiver. A year ago he hauled in passes for 670 yards and seven touchdowns. Junior quarterback Anthony King will be taking the snaps on offence and handing the ball off to Malik Cuthbert out of the backfield.
On defense, look for defensive back Teagan Facison (42-tackles and 4 interceptions) to return on defense alongside Marques Uini on the offensive line and Mike Dennis at the tight end position. The Dawgs a year ago went 2-8 and finished sixth in the district with a 1-5 record in district play. They will be looking to improve on that record as they are picked to finish fifth in district play behind Heights, Shoemaker Midway and Temple.
Copperas Cove will see their first true test of the year when they scrimmage Lake Belton on Aug. 24 in Belton. The Broncos are a fourth-year program that made the postseason a year ago before falling in the in the 4A bi-district round of the UIL playoffs.
“They are one of the premier programs in 5A. As you know our numbers say 5A, but we play 6A. Honestly if you look across the state there is great football at the 5A level that could compete very deep in the playoffs in 6A,” Johnson said. “We wanted a challenge early on because there really are no cream puffs on our schedule. We accept the challenge and think it will give our kids confidence going forward in our season.”
The season opener will come against Ellison on Aug. 30 and will be the first of a two-game home stand as they welcome Leander Sept 6. Weeks three and four are road games with a Sept. 13 contest in Georgetown and Sept. 20 at Del Valle High School. All games except for the Georgetown contest are set for 7:30 p.m. kickoff. Georgetown and Midway, to end the district schedule are set for 7 p.m. kickoffs.
The 24-25 campaign will see a A District 12-6A lineup of Killeen 9/27, Bryan 10/4, Harker Heights 10/18, Shoemaker 10/25, Temple 11/1 and Midway 11/7.