In a matchup of two Northeast Texas teams off to strong starts in the 2023 season, Cooper rode an explosive offense to a 62-7 victory over visiting Wolfe City at Bulldog Stadium Friday night. Wolfe City (4-1) took its first loss of the season, while Cooper (4-1) picked up its third consecutive victory. It was the Region III District 9-2A opening game for both teams.
A trio of high-powered Bulldogs set the pace in scoring. Cooper all-purpose runner and receiver Markell Smith ran for two touchdowns and caught another one. Smith rushed for 144 yards on five carries while totaling 92 yards receiving on two catches. Cooper quarterback Canon Ingram threw for two touchdowns and ran for two more. Ingram rushed for 49 yards on four carries while completing three of four passes for 137 yards. Junior Adryean Mapps led all Bulldog rushers with 128 yards on six carries, with one rushing TD, as well as a single reception, a 45-yard touchdown catch-and-run.
In the first half. Ingram connected with Smith on a 52-yard touchdown play that set the tone for the game. After Ingram added to the scoring with a 36-yard TD run, Smith posted an 18-yard rushing touchdown of his own, and Cooper led 20-0 after one quarter.
Bulldog wide receiver and running back Adryean Mapps enjoyed the longest score of the game, a 94-yard scamper toward the end of the second.
Cooper pulled away in the second quarter which included two long scoring runs: Mapps' 94-yarder and a 70-yard TD run from Smith. Ingram added a four-yard keeper scoring run and a 45-yard pass from Ingram to Mapps to round out the display of offensive prowess. Cooper led 48-0 at halftime.
A 40-yard touchdown run by Keywine Denson at 10:25 of the third quarter promised more of the same from the Bulldogs in the second half. Later in the third, Cooper got some late scoring from running back Julian Castorena (9-yard TD run) to enjoy a 62-0 lead heading into the fourth.
Wolfe City perked up on offense late in the game, when junior quarterback Carson Herron hit senior wideout Landon Tomiello for a 17-yard touchdown reception with a little less than nine minutes to play. Junior kicker Pavel Marquez’ successful boot brought the score to 62-7.
Tomiello caught two catches for 23 yards, while Carson Herron threw seven completions for 79 yards. Senior receivers Harry Martinez (27 yards) and Ryan Wallace (23 yards) also each caught a pair of passes for the Wolves. For the Wolves on the ground, Carson Herron had 11 carries for 44 yards , while freshman Jory Young carried 10 times for 45 yards.
Defensively, the Bulldogs forced two turnovers: an interception by Smith, and a fumble recovery by sophomore defensive end Tyler Hoskison. On Cooper special teams, senior end and kicker Abraham Lopez converted 6 of 7 extra point attempts.
Next week, Wolfe City looks to get back on track with a trip to Alba-Golden (5-0, 1-0) which defeated Quinlan Boles 39-18 on Friday. Cooper begins a three-game road swing with a visit to Como-Pickton (1-4, 0-1), which was blanked by Rivercrest 44-0 at Winnsboro. Both games are district matchups.
