Mustangs look to focus for Abilene Cooper

What you want and what you get may not necessarily be the same thing. In the case of the Grapevine football team, that could be for the best.

Head coach Randy Jackson preferred to play Friday’s opponent Abilene Cooper at Shotwell Stadium in Abilene. However, schedule conflicts and availability made it tough to start this home-and-home series on the road. It has to start at Mustang-Panther Stadium.

Considering the Mustangs struggled but found a way to come out of Azle with a 29-21 victory, coming home could help. The Mustangs (1-0) play host to the Cougars (1-0) at 7:30 p.m.

Grapevine’s offense sputtered throughout the night as quarterback Alan Bowman was 10-23. That may not be too surprising, since Bowman is still getting in sync with a new group of receivers. But he connected with Dylan Gonzalez and David Clayton on long touchdown strikes.

The Mustangs also hurt themselves with 116 yards in penalties. What they didn’t do was turn it over. The Mustangs defense, which is the strength of this team, forced six turnovers.

“We’re kind of an ugly team right now,” Jackson said. “[Running back Zach Wolf] and the offensive line played like seniors. It was nice to see. Our wide receivers had too many drops. It’s a big point of emphasis this week.”

Obviously, that’s not going to be the recipe for success. And it can’t be against the Cougars, who are the favorites in District 4-5A, led by their quarterback Austin Smith and running back Devin Johnson. Cooper wasn’t exactly explosive (277 yards) in its 30-14 victory over Keller. But this group advanced to the 5A Region I semifinals in 2015.

Colleyville Heritage (0-1) at Frisco Heritage, 7 p.m. Friday, Toyota Stadium, Frisco: Despite a heartbreaking 41-36 loss to Class 5A No. 1 Aledo, head coach Joe Willis saw what he wanted to see from his team.

“What we’ve preached is playing for four quarters and competing, and we did that,” Willis said. “We held up on the lines. Our kids were great on Saturday. I know we have some competitors.”

Two players emerged: sophomore wide receiver Kameron Brown and junior defensive back Mosley. Brown was the second leading receiver (4-89), while Mosley didn’t flinch against a pretty versatile Bearcat passing attack. Mosley’s status is being assessed after taking some hard shots during the game.

“The big thing for those two is that they are still learning the game,” Willis said. “They’re going to help us.”

Backup linebacker Gage Johnson is not expected to return to the lineup until potentially the start of district play due to an undisclosed injury.

Arlington Martin (1-0) at Carroll (0-1), 7:30 p.m. Friday, Dragon Stadium: Carroll’s offense sputtered to just 226 yards in its 21-10 loss to Tulsa Union in the opener. If karma means anything, the Dragons didn’t look very good in their 2015 season opener at Austin Westlake and lost, 20-14. They rebounded with a 34-30 win at Union.

However, head coach Hal Wasson admitted his team needs an infusion. The longest play from scrimmage covered a little more than 30 yards. Carroll also missed some chances with possessions that crossed midfield.

Senior safety Robert Barnes could see time at outside wide receiver. Barrett Buck may also work out at running back, Wasson said.

“We’ve got to find playmakers,” Wasson said. “When you run a spread, you have to win the one-on-one matchups. That’s why you’re in it. We have to be creative in our approach.”

Meanwhile, linebacker Ryan Thompson is out indefinitely with an undisclosed injury. Carroll’s game can be heard on KWRD 100.7 FM with the pregame show starting at 6:30 p.m.

This story was originally published August 31, 2016 at 2:28 PM with the headline "Mustangs look to focus for Abilene Cooper."