There were a lot of questions facing the Bulldawgs at the start of the year in what coach Jack Welch had once considered somewhat of a rebuilding year after Cove lost current Baylor quarterback Robert Griffin and moved up to Class 5A. But the Bulldawgs soared to the District 12-5A championship.
Last week Cove entered the Division II playoffs with more questions, as starting quarterback Cody Vaughn was out with a shoulder injury. Nick Greene, also the backup to Griffin last season as Cove reached its second straight 4A Division I state final, helped lead the Bulldawgs to a 21-7 win over Mesquite Horn.
Now the Bulldawgs (10-1) enter the area round at 7:30 tonight at Waco ISD Stadium knowing that Greene will make his second consecutive start, but they still have questions about how they’ll play against Garland Naaman Forest (9-2), which is arguably a much better team than Horn.
“They are a good team,” Welch said of Naaman Forest. “They have two (NCAA) Division I running backs, and we will have our work cut out for us trying to stop the run.”
The Rangers have rushed for 3,492 yards, led by Oklahoma commitment Jonathon Miller, who has 1,792 on 224 carries. Demario Broadnax has 650 yards in seven games, giving the Rangers a solid 1-2 punch.
Welch said that plays to the Bulldawgs’ strengths. Cove has seen a lot of running teams this year and two-time all-state middle linebacker Tanner Brock, a Texas Christian commitment, leads a run defense that has allowed just 1,628 yards on the ground.
The one bad game the Bulldawgs had was in a loss at College Station A&M Consolidated. Welch said that might have been one of the best things to happen to Cove because it helped the players refocus and discover some weaknesses. They know they can’t have another game like that.
“We have to make sure they don’t get in a running game on us we can’t stop,” Welch said. “They are the opposite of Horn, which establishes the pass to set up the run. Forest runs to set up the pass.”
Passing was something the Bulldawgs had trouble doing against Horn. Greene failed to connect in five attempts, but Welch isn’t too worried.
“There was a strong wind and he still made a couple of really nice passes,” Welch said. “Plus, we were controlling the game and we didn’t want to do anything stupid. We had close to 400 yards rushing and that’s pretty stout. People can look at the stats and say we needed to pass more, but the only stat we care about is the ‘W.’”
Welch said the Bulldawgs should also be better this week because they can plan their offensive attack better around Greene’s strengths - running and mobility.
Greene had 68 yards rushing against Horn, adding to the Bulldawgs’ potent running game. Cove has 2,794 yards rushing, led by Brandin Byrd’s 954 and Will Wright’s 502. Brelan Chancellor led the team with 160 yards on 14 carries, and Brock rushed five times for 64 yards - highlighted by his 43-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter.
“We feel good about all of our running backs,” Welch said. “We don’t know who is going to break out until we see what (the other team) is giving us.”
The winner of tonight’s game will face Lufkin or Houston Cypress Ridge next week in a Region II semifinal.
mhood@temple-telegram.com
