By Sam Weiger / Contributor
While Dallas Covenant too often hurt itself with penalties, Colleyville Covenant found the spark it needed off the bench in a 34-22 win on Friday at Miller Field.
The nondistrict rivalry game had the same outcome as last year’s TAPPS playoff matchup, in which the Cougars eliminated the Knights.
“This is a huge rivalry. We play them twice a year,” said Dallas Covenant head coach Jacob Zinn. “It’s a trophy game, and we don’t have many of those in high school football.”
In the rematch, the Knights came out firing with a heavy and effective use of the run game with quarterback Ryan Hillner plus Jack Henry Blakeslee, Davis Kerlin, and Clive Rowland.
Yet after an efficient opening drive, a potential touchdown was negated by a holding penalty and the Knights (2-3) turned the ball over on downs.
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Meanwhile, the Cougars (2-4) scored first, thanks to reserve quarterback Peyton Jankowski. He completed pass after pass, effortlessly moving his team downfield, and eventually capped off a near-perfect drive with an incredible lob pass into the end zone early in the second quarter.
After a failed onside kick attempt gave the Knights excellent field position, they capitalized. Kerlin’s touchdown run followed by a two-point conversion from Duke Black put the home team ahead 8-6 with three minutes left in the first half.
The lead didn’t last for long, as a handful of costly penalties helped the Cougars cruise down the field. Jankowski took advantage by leading his team to another score for a 14-8 lead at halftime.
The game opened up in the second half. Trailing 20-8, the Knights responded with a massive punt return by Black, but once again, a penalty erased the play.
“We just did not execute,” Zinn said. “Either Coach is not putting us in position to be successful, or we’re just not executing.”
However, Hillner began to heat up, as did his chemistry with Black. He capped off an excellent drive with a 20-yard rush touchdown to cut the Cougars’ lead in half at 20-14.
Hillner followed that up with his play of the game, an 80-yard scramble that landed the Knights three yards away from the end zone. A Kerlin rushing touchdown and two-point conversion gave Dallas Covenant a 22-20 advantage with two minutes left in the third quarter.
But from that point forward, the Cougars completely took over the game. The Jankowski show continued, as he threw a gorgeous pass into the end zone and converted the two-point try to steal the lead back for Colleyville Covenant, 28-22.
Then the Cougars extended the margin, and squelched any late Dallas Covenant comeback hopes, following a late interception and another touchdown pass by Jankowski — who accounted for five scores in the game.
The Knights will aim to regain momentum next week when they host Tyler All Saints in their TAPPS district opener.
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