When the lights came on for the Class 6A Division I bi-district playoffs, the Coppell football team didn’t hesitate.

From the opening drive, the Cowboys controlled every yard of the field. Through the air, on the ground, and especially on defense, rolling to a 38-0 shutout over Plano at Buddy Echols Field and punching their ticket to the second round of playoffs.

Coppell (9-1) plays Richardson on Friday at 7 p.m. at Standridge Stadium in Carrollton in the area playoffs.

“The kids were just locked in,” Coppell coach Antonio Wiley said. “The fact that we managed to hold Plano to zero points in a playoff game says a lot, and they just played a great game tonight.”

Coppell set the tone early in the game, rushing 75 yards on 12 plays before sophomore quarterback Carter Zingelmann threw a 12-yard touchdown to sophomore tight end Drayton Shanks with 5:26 left in the first quarter. He then added a 13-yard rushing touchdown of his own with 3:59 remaining in the first half.

After Jayden Tidwell nailed a 34-yard field goal with 0:34 seconds left in the first half, later in the game, senior wide receiver Crew Davis and running backs Jayden George and Dylan McAfee carried the momentum throughout the second half, combining for multiple explosive gains and three more touchdowns.

Zingelmann fired a deep ball to Davis who kept his hands on it for a 47-yard touchdown with 4:21 left in the third quarter, and in the fourth, he passed 27-yards to McAfee who sprinted into the end zone for another touchdown with 8:12 left in the fourth.

By the time George crossed the goal line with 1:55 left in the fourth, the celebration had already started on the home sideline.

Defensively, Coppell dominated every level of the field. The Cowboys racked up sacks, swarms to the ball, and a fumble recovery that killed Plano’s best chance at shifting momentum. Plano gained only 112 yards, with Zingelmann finishing with 255 total yards and three touchdowns, while George and McAfee had 82 and 63 rushing yards, respectively, on the ground.

The Cowboys know the scoreboard reflects both preparation and execution. It was Coppell’s second shutout this season.

“I feel like our kids played well defensively,” Wiley said. “We were physical. We just had a few mishaps with a turnover in the red zone, not finishing a couple drives, and that’s what kept us from scoring probably a couple more touchdowns. But our defense read our keys, and we came out of here without giving up any points.”

Junior defensive lineman Lucas Campbell said the unit’s weeklong focus made the difference.

“We watch a lot of film,” Campbell said. “We find the tendencies. Our tackles and defensive ends do a great job finding their gap and getting their guy, and we put pressure on the quarterback and running backs all game, so they couldn’t really move the ball much.”

Wiley emphasized that the win is meaningful, but the work isn’t done.

“It’s great. Tonight we were one of 64,” Wiley said. “Now we are one of 32. We’ll enjoy it, and then we move on. You can’t live in the past too long. I’m happy for our kids and for our community, but now we go get our next one.”

With the shutout, the Cowboys advance deeper into the postseason.