Coppell went on the road Friday night and pushed one of the state’s top-ranked teams to the final possession before falling to Waxahachie 27-24 at Lumpkin Stadium.

The loss moved Coppell to 1-1 on the season, while Waxahachie improved to 2-0.

Coppell opened the game with a 13-play, 75-yard drive that took nearly seven minutes off the clock. Sophomore Zavier Kichan finished the possession with a two-yard touchdown run to give the Cowboys a 7-0 lead. Kichan later scored again from two yards out early in the fourth quarter, putting Coppell back in front 24-21.

Waxahachie tied the game in the second quarter before Coppell regained the lead at 10-7 on a 20-yard field goal. The Indians answered with a touchdown in the closing seconds of the half to take a 14-10 lead into the locker room.

The Cowboys responded early in the third quarter after a mishandled Waxahachie punt gave Coppell possession at the Indians’ 30-yard line. Carter Zingelmann connected with Jacob Anene for a 16-yard touchdown two plays later, giving Coppell a 17-14 advantage. Anene, playing his first game of the season, finished with five catches for 64 yards and a touchdown.

Waxahachie moved back in front 21-17 before Coppell answered with another long drive. The Cowboys went 76 yards in 13 plays, with Kichan scoring at the start of the fourth quarter to make it 24-21.

The Coppell defense then produced one of the biggest plays of the game. With 10:32 remaining, Anthony Lewis intercepted a deep pass near the sideline to give the Cowboys another opportunity with the lead. It was Lewis’ first interception of the season.

Waxahachie eventually put together the deciding drive, scoring on a 13-yard run with 1:55 remaining. A mishandled extra-point attempt kept the score at 27-24 and left Coppell within a field goal.

The Cowboys had one final possession and moved near midfield before back-to-back Waxahachie sacks created a fourth-and-long situation. Zingelmann completed the fourth-down pass to Diego Rodriguez, but Rodriguez was stopped just short of the line to gain, ending the game.
Zingelmann finished 22-of-29 passing for 255 yards and a touchdown. Coppell totaled 345 yards of offense, just two fewer than Waxahachie’s 347.

The Cowboys were held to 90 rushing yards on 33 attempts, while Waxahachie finished with 215 yards on the ground. Coppell also created three turnover opportunities during the game, including Lewis’ interception, a first-half takeaway and the mishandled Waxahachie punt.

Coppell scored 10 points following those opportunities.
Before the game,.

Head Coach Antonio Wylie told Champion Sports Radio that the matchup would provide a good measure of where the Cowboys stood early in the season.
“Be bigger than the moment. Don’t allow the moment to be bigger than you,” Wylie said.

Special thanks to Tom Dorr and Dakota Burke of Champion Sports Radio for their play-by-play, analysis and postgame statistics. Their postgame report noted that only two yards separated the teams in total offense.

Coppell returns home Friday, Sept. 11, to face Timber Creek at 7 p.m. at Buddy Echols Field for Hero Night.