That’s why after an overtime loss at Waco to end the regular season, the Bulldawgs’ players kept their heads high and were ready for the playoffs.
It’s also why ninth-ranked Cove, which trailed by two touchdowns in the fourth quarter, scored 23 points in the final five minutes to edge No. 10 Waxahachie 37-35 last week.
And now it’s why the Bulldawgs (9-2) won’t be overconfident when they face the Dallas Samuell Spartans (8-3) - winners of their last six games - in a Class 4A Division I Region II semifinal playoff game at 3 p.m. today at Waco ISD Stadium.
“That was better than a good comeback win - they don’t get much better than that,” Welch said of Cove’s victory over Waxahachie. “As a coach you preach never giving up. And the kids respond as the coaches respond. The coaches have no quit in them and the kids see that and respond to that.”
It was Cove’s fourth game decided by a touchdown or less, and Welch said the previous three helped make the difference last week.
“Going through those games, the kids realize the importance of staying alive,” said Welch, whose 2006 team was the 4A-I state runner-up. “We had tough contests against Brownwood where we lost our quarterback (Robert Griffin), then (Waco) Midway and finally Waco.
“And it all came to fruition against Waxahachie. You find the true character of a man in those situations.”
Like the Bulldawgs, Samuell didn’t have an easy game last week as it edged Dallas Kimball 13-12. The Spartans trailed 12-0 before rallying for the win, scoring a touchdown late in the fourth.
Samuell is an athletic team that relies on speed. Running back Dhabion Wolf’s 1,015 yards leads a rushing game that has 2,201 yards and quarterback Dewaylon Cook is a dual threat who has passed for 1,225 yards and rushed for 603.
“He’s most dangerous when he scrambles,” Welch said. “You don’t know what he’s going to do. We have to contain him and have good assignment defense.”
Samuell’s defense has allowed only nine points per game in its last five games. The line relies on quickness but does feature two players who weigh more than 300 pounds.
But the Spartans’ fastest player will be hard-pressed to match the Bulldawgs’ speed, highlighted by senior quarterback Griffin, a double state champion in the 4A hurdles.
Griffin has passed for 1,099 yards with 16 touchdowns and has rushed for 935 yards with 19 scores. When Griffin isn’t making the plays, the ball can be found in the hands of running back Troy Vital, who has 1,484 yards on 196 carries.
Welch expects a battle from Samuell and knows that his team will have to sustain drives and avoiding allowing the big play to the Spartans, especially Cook.
He said if the game is tight going into the fourth quarter, he likes his team’s chances to prevail again.
“We pride ourselves on our conditioning,” he said. “We will be playing in the fourth quarter but we are in shape and we can run with anybody.”
The Cove-Samuell winner will play the winner of Saturday’s Marshall-McKinney Boyd game next week for the Region II title.
nmhood@temple-telegram.com
