Football Preview: Copperas Cove Bulldawgs vs. Killeen Kangaroos
Copperas Cove has been on the road for two straight, but on Friday they'll finally head home. They will host the Killeen Kangaroos at 7:30 p.m. Killeen took a loss in their last match and will be looking to turn the tables on Copperas Cove, who comes in off a win.
Copperas Cove gave up the first points last Friday, but they didn't let that get them down. They walked away with a 21-14 victory over Del Valle.
Copperas Cove found their leader in underclassman Kj (Lejuandro) Zeigler, who rushed for 182 yards and three touchdowns while picking up 10.7 yards per carry. With that strong performance, Zeigler is now averaging an impressive 103.8 rushing yards per game. Another player making a difference was Malik Cuthbert, who rushed for 96 yards on only ten carries.
Copperas Cove was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 279 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 160 rushing yards in three consecutive contests.
Meanwhile, Killeen was not able to break out of their rough patch last Thursday as the team picked up their fourth straight loss. They were beaten by Brenham 73-42. The matchup was a close 38-35 at the break, but unfortunately for the Kangaroos it sure didn't stay that way.
Despite the defeat, Killeen got top-tier performance from Kardae Hicks, who rushed for 139 yards and two touchdowns on only eight carries. That's the most rushing yards Hicks has posted since back in September of 2023. The team also got some help courtesy of D'Angelo Ingrim, who threw for 310 yards and three touchdowns.
Copperas Cove's win ended a seven-game drought on the road dating back to last season and puts them at 2-2. As for Killeen, their loss dropped their record down to 0-4.
The upcoming game will be a clash of competing strengths. Copperas Cove has deployed a run-first offense that has averaged 195.2 rushing yards a game. Meanwhile, Killeen has preferred to attack from the air: they average 389.5 passing yards per game. So which strategy will prevail on Friday? There's only one way to find out.
Copperas Cove took their victory against Killeen in their previous meeting back in October of 2021 by a conclusive 56-33. Will Copperas Cove repeat their success, or does Killeen have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
