Offensive inconsistency, turnovers plague Fossil Ridge football in loss to The Colony
UIL realignment saw Keller Fossil Ridge move down to Class 5A, but the transition doesn’t necessarily mean the Panthers will have an easier road this season.
The Panthers started their season with a 38-21 loss to The Colony at Keller ISD Stadium on Thursday. Offensive inconsistency plagued the Fossil Ridge offense, and the Cougar defense capitalized.
Fossil Ridge quarterback Malaki Lockhart had turnover troubles, ending the game with five of them. The Colony cornerback Tre Burton Jr. hauled in three interceptions.
“We’ve got a lot of young kids,” Fossil Ridge head coach Derek Ramsey said. “We got some good experience tonight. There were a lot of bright spots. We just can’t turn the ball over five times and three in the red zone. I think we can be successful.”
Ramsey said he was pleased with the effort and believes his team can become more consistent by taking care of the ball, especially in the red zone. The Colony quarterback Carson Cox took advantage of the extra opportunities, tallying 420 total yards and five touchdowns.
Fossil Ridge has struggled in the ultra-competitive District 4-6A against local powerhouses such as Southlake Carroll, Byron Nelson and Euless Trinity. Now, they’ll have to deal with Aledo, Richland and Denton Ryan.
“We didn’t get cut much of a break,” Ramsey said. “We’re in there with the one, two and seventh team in the state, so those guys can play with anybody, and then we’ll see how it shakes out. It’s good to be moved down. We’re playing with people in our enrollment now -- not double it.”
The first quarter saw a lengthy injury stoppage. A Fossil Ridge player was carted off the field following an on field collision. When play resumed, The Colony took the lead with a 3-0 field goal.
Ramsey said he huddled the team up and ensured them he would be okay.
“He was talking to me,” Ramsey said. “He knew where he was, what he was doing and all that. But he had been unconscious for a little while. They are going to take him and check him out, but I think he’s going to be okay.”
Following the break, both teams struggled until The Colony quarterback Carson Cox caught fire; he found wide receiver MJ Muchimba for a 47-yard gain. On the next play, he connected with wide receiver Xavier Green, who juked out a defender en route to a 34-yard touchdown; he finished the game with 131 receiving yards.
The Colony defense forced a punt and Cox continued the offensive attack, taking it himself for a 29-yard rushing touchdown. Soon after, Lockhart threw his third interception of the half.
“We lack a lot of depth, and then we got lazy with our tackling, didn’t bring our feet, didn’t wrap up, and they were able to break some runs on us,” Ramsey said.
The Fossil Ridge defense shifted the momentum; linebacker Jordan Cedillo forced a fumble and defensive lineman Chica Ancho recovered. Lockhart finished the first half with 31 quick passing yards on three completions and a one-yard rushing touchdown.
Fossil Ridge started the second half strong. Running back Draylon Galloway tallied 69 all-purpose yards in the drive and Lockhart capped it with a one-yard score. The Colony, however, responded with a 71-yard touchdown drive that was capped by a seven yard pass from Cox to tight end Vincent Canzano.
Inconsistency continued to plague the Fossil Ridge offense. The Colony cornerback Tre Burton Jr. hauled in his third and final interception. It appeared Fossil Ridge retaliated with a forced fumble, but it was overturned. Cox proceeded to throw a 66-yard touchdown to extend the lead.
“They said he was down. And then we looked at it on video, you know, because now we got video in the box,” Ramsey said. “And our coaches agreed – he was down on it, so they made a good call.”
Fossil Ridge responded with a 56-yard touchdwon drive ended by an athletic, leaping three-yard reception on a goal line fade by tight end Jayden Cowan. The Panthers then recovered an onside kick, but Lockhart fumbled the ball away.
Cox put the exclamation mark on the sizable victory with a 12-yard pass to wide receiver Carmelo Torres.
Fossil Ridge will look to win its first game of the season against Carrollton Smith at 7 p.m. on Sept. 5 at Standridge Stadium. The Colony will also play that day and will host Frisco Wakeland at 7 p.m.
This story was originally published August 29, 2024 at 10:54 PM.
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