Varsity football: Cowboys are victorious against Hollywood Hills in their first home game of the season

BY ETHAN MUNCAN

The Cooper City Cowboys played their first home game on Monday, October 2. The stands were filled with ecstatic fans covered from head to toe in white apparel. Almost every inch of the stands was covered with baby powder, thrown in honor of the annual white out game. It was the Cowboys’ first district game and they took home the win with a score of 36-14.

On the first drive of the game, the Cowboys were able to stuff the offense at the line and make a few key defensive plays to force the Spartans to punt the ball. Junior Arthur Brefil ran the ball and picked up 10 yards, shortly before turning the ball over back to the Spartans. Hollywood Hills managed to connect on passes and gain yards through running. Hollywood Hills made it all the way to the three-yard line, running the ball in to make the game 0-7. On the kickoff, senior Mark Brent returned the ball to the 30-yard line, putting the Cowboys in a good position for a comeback. Senior quarterback Michael Diliello threw a 25-yard pass to Kobie Simmons, who made the catch in double coverage. This made the game 7-7 to end the first quarter.

To start off the second quarter, the Spartans kickoff returner exploded down the field until he was pushed out of bounds at the 40-yard line. The Spartans turned the ball over. On the first drive of the quarter, Diliello completed a deep pass to Kobie Simmons, which set up Brefil to run the ball in and make the game 13-7. The Cowboys missed the extra point. Hollywood Hills completed a pass down the field and managed to get in a few solid runs before they were forced to punt on 4th down. Diliello broke out of the pocket and picked up a 25-yard rushing gain. On the next play, Diliello completed a pass to Brent in the end zone, making the game 20-7 going into the third quarter. In the second half, the Cowboys forced a safety and made the game 22-7, which remained until the end of the third quarter.

“The game was a perfect start to our district record and we’re going to keep practicing and fighting hard in our upcoming games,” Simmons said.

The Cowboys had to play good defense and not give up any points to secure their victory. Defensive ends, Mark Fontana and Manuel Almanzar, had many sacks in the fourth quarter to force the Spartans to punt or throw incomplete passes. Diliello went on a 20-yard run that ended up in a rushing touchdown, making the game 29-7 midway through the fourth quarter. The Spartans were able to get a touchdown back and make the game 29-14. Shortly after, the Cowboys responded with a late touchdown, securing the win and starting off at the top of their district.

Photo by Casey Chapter