Cougars take TAPPS crown as defense rises to occasion
HEWITT — Legacy Prep coach Clint McDonald went down the line, hugging each of his players one by one as the red ribbons dangling from their necks displayed the state runner-up medallions they had earned by getting to this point.
Standing in the glare of the afternoon sun on their sideline at Panther Stadium, this was not the storybook ending the Lions had envisioned But what a ride it was. The Woodlands Legacy Prep saw its historic season come to a close Saturday, falling to Colleyville Covenant 14-0 in the TAPPS Division IV state championship game.
In what turned out to be mostly a defensive battle, the Cougars made enough plays to edge Legacy Prep, which advanced further in the playoffs than any team in program history.
“I’m just proud of them,” McDonald said. “Nobody expected us to be here, and they’ve done such a great job throughout the season to even get to this point. Our seniors, they’ve set the bar very high. I just told them there’s no reason to hang their heads.” Both TDs by Maldonado
Covenant leaned on its running game all afternoon, feeding the ball to workhorse tailback Alan Maldonado 28 times for 109 yards and two touchdowns.
The Cougars (11-3) were stout defensively, holding the Lions (10-2) to 209 total yards and forcing three turnovers.
“Our defense won this game,” Covenant coach Rick Jackson said. “They got stop after stop, generated turnover after turnover, and they did everything we asked them to. Our defensive coordinator Eric Anderson, he does a great job with game-planning. So defense definitely won this one for us.”
Covenant used nearly half of the opening quarter to take a 7-0 lead with 6:25 remaining. Maldonado capped the 69-yard drive with a 15-yard touchdown run up the middle.
Aside from the opening drive, Legacy Prep did a nice job of corralling the Cougars’ offense and came up with two big turnovers. Jared May collected the first of his two interceptions on a deep pass into Lions territory in the first quarter, and Patrick Locke recovered a fumble at the Legacy Prep 7 after a 40-yard pass play.
The Lions’ defense also kept points off the scoreboard in the second quarter, blocking a 41-yard field-goal attempt.
But Legacy Prep struggled to move the ball, heading into halftime with only 77 yards of offense.
The Lions attempted a fake punt on their opening possession after running just three plays, but Covenant snuffed it out. May also tossed an interception in the second quarter, and Legacy Prep failed to advance the ball past midfield.
“Field position hurt us all day,” McDonald said. “We did a great job of getting those turnovers, but we just weren’t able to capitalize on them. But credit to those guys — it just wasn’t our day, and they just played great defense. They’ve got a great team over there.” Untimely turnover
Covenant extended its lead on its first second-half possession as Maldonado broke free for a 31-yard TD.
The Lions began to find a rhythm on offense late in the third quarter, driving the ball to the Covenant 10, but Daniel Turner got his second interception.
That turnover led to a missed 41-yard field goal attempt by the Cougars.
Dion Pinkard led the Lions with 55 rushing yards on 11 carries, while Smith and May finished with 49 and 45 yards rushing, respectively. Turner finished with six catches for 106 yards for Covenant.