Dawgs face tough test against Sachse tonight
Fri, 2016-09-16 05:00
News Staff
By TJ MAXWELL
Cove Leader-Press
Head coach/athletic director Jack Welch and his Copperas Cove Bulldawgs football team face their toughest test of their young season when they travel to Garland tonight to face the powerful Sachse Mustangs in the final non-district contest before the Dawgs get District 8-6A play underway on the road next week against defending the district champion Midway Panthers’ squad.
Welch knows the contest is a good measuring stick for his team heading into district play.
“It’s going to be a heck of a football game,” he said. “We are not playing the sisters of the poor in this game. I’m excited and ready for this ball game. We have to see what we’ve got so we can see what we’ve got to do coming into district play.
“I love this ball game because there are people in our district like this and we have to find out what you’ve got to do to defeat your opponent when you match up or they may be stronger on paper.”
Offensively, the Dawgs must contend with an opportunistic Sachse defense that spends a lot of time in opponents’ backfields.
Tracy Welch, Cove offensive coordinator and associate head coach, knows his young offensive line is the key to their success offensively.
“They are a 4-3 defense and they like to bring the heat,” he said during the weekly Quarterback Club meeting. “They like to cause problems and put heat on the quarterback in a hurry. We’ve got to make sure our young offensive line continues to mature and protect our quarterback.”
They have showed vulnerabilities in their perfect start this season. They have allowed almost 31 points per game from their opponents this year. They just edged out Byron Nelson 47-41 in overtime to begin the season before a 33-19 win over a winless Plano West and a 41-32 win over a two-win Mesquite squad.
Senior linebacker Riko Jeffers, junior linebacker Cedric Johnson, sophomore linebacker James Whyte; along with defensive linemen senior Tony Krasniqi and junior Chase Davis; bolster the defense. Jeffers leads the team with 13.3 per game, including one for a loss per.
The Cove offensive matches up favorably with 34.5 points per contest and a well-balanced mix of pass and run. The Dawgs have averaged 236.5 rush yards and 191.5 pass yards per game for a total of 428 yards per contest.
Senior Jaylon Hannah leads the rush attack with 108.5 yards per game and three scores in two contests. Bruiser junior Tim Edwards and senior quarterback/running back Caine Garner add another 170 yards of rushing and four scores between them.
Garner leads the pass attack with 268 yards and three scores on 23 of 31 passing and senior Josh Canete leads a versatile receiving corps with 13 grabs for 132 yards and two scores.
The Bulldawgs’ defense will get a tough test. They have held opponents in check in their two contests this season. They held the strong running offense of Mexico’s Nuevo Leon to just 14 points and 199 yards of total offense in their first game before holding the pass-heavy El Paso Franklin team to just 10 points and 297 total yards last Friday.
“Offensively, they have a dual threat quarterback,” said head coach Welch. “He does a very good job of throwing the football with accuracy and he does a good job of scrambling and running.”
Junior Jalen Mayden returns at quarterback for the Mustangs. He has averaged 251 passing yards and three passing touchdowns per game on 55 of 89 passes while rushing for 56 more and a touchdown on average.
Mayden has a lot of weapons at his disposal as well, including senior running back Christian Cole and senior receiver Nate Shelton. Cole is averaging just over 100 yards per game and has found pay dirt once. Shelton is a big play threat. He has 13 grabs for 319 yards and five scores over the first three games with an average of more than 106 yards per contest.
“He’s already thrown for nine touchdowns with only one interception and he’s rushed for three touchdowns on almost 170 yards,” said Cove defensive coordinator Reb Brock. “He’s very talented and has a talented running back and a whole slew of receivers.
“We’ve got to be aware of where (Nate Shelton) is all night long.”
The Dawgs will look to disrupt the Mustang offense by matching speed to their size. The Mustangs average around 250 pounds across the offensive line so the smaller Dawgs will rely on quickness and technique to win the battle.
“We’ve got to make sure we put pressure on the quarterback, we stuff (Shelton) and we’ve got to bring heat,” said Jack Welch. “We can’t the guy just sit back there because he’s too good of a quarterback.”
Seniors Eric Cain, Rylan Hunter, Antoine Smith, Armand Adams and Tyson Curry along with junior Zach Moody bolster the Dawgs’ front seven while seniors Blair Fraser, Marcus McRae, Tariq Anthony and Jacques Tyler anchor the secondary.