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By Travis M. Smith | Ellis County Sports
WAXAHACHIE — Ol’ Lady Mo shifted sidelines in the second half Friday night in a non-district tilt between Waxahachie and Forney. And she never tiptoed near midfield again at Stuart B. Lumpkins Stadium.
Coppell senior safety Scott Fishpaw batted away a would-be Jeyer Meyer III completion to the back corner of the endzone to secure the Cowboys’ come-from-behind 28-27 road victory in the game’s first overtime period.
He needed every inch of his paw, vertical and 6-foot frame in order to slap the pigskin toward the (2-0) Coppell sideline. Those efforts came after (1-1) Waxahachie senior running back Wade Lemons bullied his way through the Coppell front-7 for a 6-yard touchdown to put the Tribe in a position to kick a field goal to tie or go for the win.
In a non-district game and with the offense struggling in the second half, Waxahachie head coach Shane Tolleson decided on the latter. It’s a decision that will only be scrutinized by those outside the Waxahachie locker room.
Coppell exploded offensively in the second half, scoring three touchdowns on 286 yards to force overtime. The third score came on 3rd-and-goal with 21 seconds to play.
You can go ahead and insert the old “a tale of two halves” adage here. The following, combined with the above, is very likely why Tolleson and the Indian coaching staff elected to try for the win in the first overtime frame.
Waxahachie outpaced the Coppell offense 246 total yards to 122 in the first half, which included 204 yards and two touchdowns through the air.
Coppell ultimately outgained Waxahachie 408 total yards to 367 and 18 first downs to 14. Both teams had over 100 penalty yards.
Combine those stats and stalled second-half production (when momentum had clearly shifted sidelines) with an increased likelihood of injury in a non-district game that will not affect playoff standings, and….the correct call was made. You go for the win. The ball just didn’t deflect the Indians’ way — this time. Just don’t be the one caught dogging the decision now only to celebrate — if and when it works — in the future. The internet won’t forget.
Waxahachie sophomore quarterback Jerry Meyer III completed 15-of-his-21 passes for 262 yards and 3 touchdowns with 1 interception. Tristian Gardner caught 3 of those passes for a game-high 121 yards, including an 86-yard touchdown with 45 seconds to play in the first quarter.
Meyer later tossed touchdown passes to Kohen Brown (39yds, 48 seconds, 2Q) and Ly’Modrick Daniels (6yds, 6:54, 4Q).
The Waxahachie ground game that propelled the Tribe to a week 1 victory against Ennis amassed just 105 total yards in Friday’s loss. Wade Lemons led the way with 16 carries for 45 yards and the 6-yard touchdown run in overtime.
The game was the annual Gold Out against childhood cancer. Several awareness events and recognitions were held throughout the game, including the spear at midfield being painted gold on both sides of the block green-and-white W. The Tribe also donned stickers depicting a gold folded ribbon on the back of their helmets.
UP NEXT
Waxahachie continues its non-district slate against a third-consecutive playoff contender in (1-1) Forney. The Jackrabbits will be fresh off of a 35-34 overtime loss to (2-0) A&M Consolidated.
Kickoff at City Bank Stadium in Forney is slated for 7 p.m. Friday.
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Travis M. Smith, @EllisCoSports @Travis5mith
tsmith@elliscosports.com
