Second-half effort, late conversion stop rallies Colleyville Covenant by Lubbock Trinity
A win in its district opener looked bleak for Colleyville Covenant after starting quarterback Austin Scheets left with a game-ending injury following the first series, but the Cougars used a stout defense and strong second-half to stun Lubbock Trinity Christian, 21-20, on Saturday.
With a 7-point lead and trying to run out the clock, Covenant was forced to punt, but the attempt was blocked and recovered at the 2. Two plays later, Marcus Ramon-Edwards scored for Trinity and the Lions decided to go for the win.
“To come all the way back and for them to possibly tie it or win, it was just a sigh of relief,” Covenant head coach Phil Towe said. “Just a dominating second half for our defense which is what we talked about at halftime. To find ways to score and take the lead, it was an incredible effort by our kids.”
Davis Reeves’ pass attempt was batted down in the end zone during the 2-point conversion that sent the Cougars to a 2-0 mark and 1-0 in TAPPS Division 3 District 1.
“It seemed like they didn’t quite know what to do, they rushed to the ball, but we knew all their positions so when they tossed the ball, we were right there to make a play,” senior defender Preston Jones said.
Trailing 14-0 at halftime, Covenant scored 21-unanswered points to take a 7-point lead behind backup QB and starting receiver Christian Wells, son of former MLB power hitter Vernon Wells. It was Wells’ first game at QB.
He finished with 52 yards rushing and two touchdowns, and threw for 88 yards.
“I think we were all kind of nervous when I came into the game, but we started moving,” Wells said. “We kept on fighting for the win. We came out strong in the second half.”
Covenant finally scored with 2:16 left in the third quarter when running back Isaiah Swift found the end zone on a 5-yard run. The drive was set up after Daniel Calabrese returned a punt 37 yards to the Trinity 12.
The Cougars forced the Lions to punt on four consecutive drives in the second half.
On the third, the snap got away from the Lions’ punter and traveled back 24 yards to the Trinity 5. Two plays later, Wells tied the game at 14 with a 5-yard keeper on the first play of the fourth quarter.
Following the fourth straight punt and with the ball at their own 42, Wells used his feet to pick up 6 and 24 yards on back-to-back plays. Brooks LaMar gained 14 to the Trinity 9 and Wells rolled out to his right and squeezed the ball inside the pylon for the score and 21-14 advantage with 6:55 to play.
“Our defense stepped up big time and made four straight stops,” Wells said. “I think [Trinity] started to get intimidated.”
The Lions (1-1, 0-1) had a chance to tie the game and set up a first and goal, but Reeves came up inches short on a fourth-down play at the Covenant 8 with 2:41 left.
Covenant out-gained Trinity 252-184 in total yardage. The defense held Trinity to 26 yards and three first downs in the second half. The Cougars made eight tackles for loss after intermission and Calabrese picked off a pass.
“Proud of the way they battled,” said Vernon Wells, an assistant at Covenant. “[The 2-point conversion] was a bold move. I think they felt if it went into overtime, they couldn’t keep up with us.”
Swift rushed for 81 yards on 15 carries for the Cougars, who play at Weatherford Christian on Friday.
The Lions got 99 yards rushing from Ramon-Edwards and 79 from Reeves.
This story was originally published October 3, 2020 at 4:43 PM.
