The show came in the form of No. 7-ranked Copperas Cove.
The Bulldawgs were dominant on offense, made timely plays on defense and were sound in the kicking game as they blew past Belton 52-26 at Tiger Field.
“They lived up to a Jack Welch team,” said Southern, who served as Welch’s defensive coordinator for seven seasons at Cove from 1995-2001. “They’re talented, physical and well-coached - exactly what I expected.
“We’re a year away in the weight room. We’re a year away in 7-on-7. Their defensive backs look like my linebackers.”
Belton fell to 1-6 overall and 1-3 in District 12-5A while Cove - which got 188 receiving yards and an 89-yard touchdown from Josh Boyce - improved to 7-0, 4-0. The Bulldawgs now sit alone in first place after College Station A&M Consolidated lost at Killeen Shoemaker.
“That was a good ballclub we played tonight and I thought it was a good ballgame we played against them because we had to rise up,” Bulldawgs coach Jack Welch said.
Led by Welch, who with Southern helped turn the once-lowly Cove program into one of Texas’ best, the Bulldawgs showcased the depth, balance and speed the Tigers are striving for.
Cove held out six of its top athletes, most notably junior running back Brandin Byrd, who has 758 yards and nine touchdowns. But the Bulldawgs didn’t miss a beat.
Backup running back Tommy McLeain rushed for 113 yards, and Brelan Chancellor added 54 and hit Texas Christian commitment Boyce with the 89-yard touchdown pass.
“We’re getting better every week but our competition is getting better, too,” Southern said. “This is the best football team in this area. Every facet of the game is there.”
And that was evidenced from the start.
On Belton’s first series, Kyle Voss lost 2 yards on a run and sophomore David Ash - who was 30-of-40 passing for 335 yards, all career highs - threw an incomplete pass.
On third-and-12 from the 14-yard line, Ash overthrew his target and Cove’s Chris Miller made his eighth interception of the season, returning it to the 8.
Two plays later, Chancellor scored from the 1 for a 7-0 lead just 1 minute, 43 seconds into the game.
Ash led his team down the field before the Tigers settled for Tyler Pate’s 31-yard field goal to make the score 7-3.
Then the Bulldawgs’ offense methodically put the game away.
Quarterback Cody Vaughn hit Boyce twice for 48 yards before McLeain rumbled in from the 10 for a 14-3 first-quarter lead.
On Cove’s next series, McLeain had five carries for 38 yards and Tanner Brock - a two-time all-state linebacker and a TCU Texas commitment - capped the 11-play drive with a 4-yard score, his first touchdown this season.
Starting deep in Cove territory, Chancellor threw a halfback pass to Boyce, who went 89 yards for a score to give the Bulldawgs a 28-3 halftime lead.
“Our effort was good,” Southern said. “We tackled good in spurts. Then we had some where we got them in situations we want and we missed tackles.”
Cove used Michael Roell’s 25-yard field goal on its first possession of the second half before Miller picked off another Ash pass, returning it 56 yards for his fourth TD of the season to make it 38-3.
Despite being held to a field goal, Belton managed to move the ball consistently.
From a stretch that began in the second quarter and lasted until the fourth, Ash completed 20 of 21 passes, with the lone incompletion being Miller’s interception.
Ash hit nine receivers, led by Anthony Huber with four catches for 109 yards.
Running back Seth Alcozer left after his first carry with an apparent knee injury. District-leading junior receiver Kevin Thornton, who had five catches for 29 yards, suffered a concussion right before halftime and did not return.
While his team thoroughly dominated throughout, Welch still had only positives to say about his former colleague’s young, developing program.
“I really have a lot of respect for Belton,” Welch said. “I think they are a powerhouse on the rise."
Belton will play at Killeen Ellison (4-3, 2-2) next Friday.
cmeister@temple-telegram.com
