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 matchup 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 came out on top against Del Valle by a score of 21-14.
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 matches.
Meanwhile, Killeen was not able to break out of their rough patch on Thursday as the team picked up their fourth straight defeat. They had to suffer through a 73-42 loss at the hands of Brenham. The contest was a close 38-35 at the break, but unfortunately for the Kangaroos it sure didn't stay that way.
Despite the loss, Killeen had strong showings from D'Angelo Ingrim, who threw for 310 yards and three touchdowns, and Kardae Hicks, who rushed for 139 yards 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 Antwoine Warren, who picked up 154 receiving yards.
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 defeat 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 when the teams last played 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
