Colleyville Covenant holds off Fort Worth Lake Country in TAPPS state semifinal
Colleyville Covenant did a very difficult thing in its TAPPS Division 3 state semifinal on Saturday night at Globe Life Park.
The Cougars were trying to defeat a really good Fort Worth Lake Country squad for the second time this season.
It took a stop on fourth down with 1:06 left in the game, but the Cougars held off Lake Country, 26-20, to advance to the state title game.
“That final drive where we held them on fourth down was just a gritty effort by our defense. We didn’t play that well today, but we had some big plays on offense and it feels special to be playing next week,” CC coach Phil Towe said.
Covenant (7-0) is headed to the state final for the third time in five years and will face Houston Cypress Christian (6-2) at 7 p.m. Saturday Dec. 19 at Waco Midway High School. The Cougars won a state title in 2017.
Cypress Christian defeated San Antonio Holy Cross 14-0 in the other semifinal.
“It was a good team win and it means a lot that we put up a good fight against a really good team. I’m proud of our boys and coaches,” CC defensive end Nathan Kaja said. “It feels so good. I’m a junior so it’s going to be my first time so it means a lot.”
Covenant is the only team Lake Country (9-2) couldn’t solve this season and by almost identical scores. The Cougars, coming off of a three-week layoff due to cancellations, downed the Eagles 28-21 on Oct. 30 in district play.
“They’re well coached and they have some really good players,” Towe said. “We let [Hayden Whites] get loose a few times and if you miss a tackle on him he’ll take it to the house. We were fortunate enough to make a couple of bigger plays than they did.”
The teams traded scores until Lake Country’s first series of the second half when Covenant defensive lineman Preston Jones picked off a screen pass at the Eagles’ 17 and returned it down to the six.
Three plays later Covenant quarterback Austin Scheets hit Caleb Turner in the right flat. Turner battled his way to the goal line and just broke the plane with a stretch to give the Cougars a 26-13 lead with 6:59 left in the third quarter.
“We saw that the safety was playing up a little bit so I acted like I was going to run a stop, but I kept going and it was a perfect throw by Scheets and I was wide open for the touchdown,” Turner said.
But Lake Country, which was playing in the state semis for the third consecutive season, battled back. The Eagles moved 66 yards in 12 plays on the ensuing drive including a fake punt that picked up 11 yards.
It was one of three fourth-down conversions on the march which included a 21-yard pass play from Cade Hollingsworth to Connor Donathan on fourth-and-7.
The pass set up running back Hayden Whites, who capped the drive with a 5-yard scoring run to cut the lead to 26-20 with 11 ticks left in the third quarter. Whites led Lake Country with 103 hard-earned rushing yards on 29 carries and scored all three of the team’s TDs.
The Eagles had two chances in the fourth quarter to tie or take the lead, but Covenant held both times.
Following a punt by the Cougars, Lake Country moved from its own 45 to the Covenant 35, but Whites was tackled for a loss on fourth-and-3 with 7:30 left.
Covenant lost the ball on downs with 2:54 to go at the Lake Country 24, giving the Eagles one last chance.
A chop block penalty hampered the Eagles, who faced a third-and-19 from the 15. Hollingsworth hit Whites across the middle for 18 yards forcing a fourth-and-1. But Whites was stopped three inches short of the first down by the Covenant defense on a run off right tackle with 1:06 left.
Scheets threw for 253 yards, hitting 13 of 23 passes and had three scores. Scheets hit Daniel Calabrese in the right flat on the Cougars’ second play from scrimmage and Calabrese turned it into an 87-yard touchdown to give Covenant a 7-0 lead.
Calabrese recorded five catches for 157 yards.
“It feels great. It wasn’t the prettiest game, but we fought until the end. Going back to last year, we had it instilled in us to never give up,” Scheets said. “I’m excited. I’m ready to go, ready to play.”
Lake Country answered each of Covenant’s first two scores immediately. A 55-yard kickoff return set up a 1-yard scoring run by Whites to tie the game with 3:56 left in the opening frame.
Isaiah Swift, who led Covenant with 90 yards rushing on 18 carries, scored on an 8-yard run at the 8:46 mark of the second quarter, but the Eagles countered again.
“Our offensive line is really good. It starts with them up front and ends with them up front,” Swift said. “Man it feels real good. I’ve never been since I wasn’t here when we went when I would have been a freshman and we won.
“I’m ready to experience it for myself.”
Hollingsworth tossed a pass in the flat to Whites, who mirrored Calabrese by outracing the defense 68 yards for a TD. The point after was missed and Covenant’s lead was cut to 14-13.
An interception by Covenant defensive back Preston Lynn allowed the Cougars to take a 20-13 lead into the half. Five plays after the pick, Scheets threw a perfect pass down the left hash to a wide open Turner for a 39-yard score with 2:20 left in the second quarter.
This story was originally published December 13, 2020 at 1:27 AM.