Capital One Bank Dallas Coach of the Week: Joey McGuire

When his Cedar Hill Longhorns overcame an early 10-point deficit to defeat Mansfield 42-17 on Friday night, coach Joey McGuire had a couple of reasons to celebrate.

Cedar Hill clinched the school's ninth straight playoff berth and the No. 1 seed from District 7-5A in the Division II playoff bracket.

On a personal note, it was victory No. 100 for the McGuire in 11 seasons as Cedar Hill head coach.

For the two-pronged accomplishment, McGuire was selected as Capital One Bank Dallas Coach of the Week.

The Longhorns (7-2, 5-1 in 7-5A) scored the game's final 35 points.

"The big thing was getting that No. 1 seed,'' McGuire said. "The 100 wins, though, was in the back of my mind. It is pretty special.''

Cedar Hill assistant coaches, some with McGuire since 2003, joined in an impromptu picturing-taking post-game celebration on Mansfield's R.L. Anderson Stadium playing surface. Athletic director Gina Farmer was there, and so were some former players and parents of former players. It wasn't necessary for those with cameras to request their subjects to smile.

"It's great to be able to celebrate with the coaches and people that have been with us for a long time,'' McGuire said. "Cedar Hill took a chance on a young punk 11 years ago. I'll remember this night for a long time.''

In the six seasons before McGuire was promoted from assistant to head coach before the 2003 season, Cedar Hill's record was a dismal 17-44. The school had never even won a playoff game.

Fast forward to today. Under McGuire, the Longhorns are 100-35 with 19 of those wins coming in the playoffs.

Cedar Hill has made it to two Class 5A Division II state title games, winning it all in 2006 and losing, 35-24, to Katy last season. The 2006 team, which relied heavily on the running of quarterback William Cole, went 16-0.

Midway through the second quarter in Friday‘s game, Mansfield (5-4, 4-2) had upset on its mind, holding a 17-7 lead. The Tigers were finding success with their "I" formation running attack, using motion to create gaps in Cedar Hill's tackling angles.

"Our defense got things straightened out and I thought we played a lot better after that,'' said McGuire.

Already ahead 10-7, a 52-yard interception return set up what turned out to be the Tigers' final touchdown and a lead of 10 points.

Mansfield failed to score on its final five possessions.

Offensively, Longhorns' quarterback Justin McMillan kept the chains moving with accurate third-down passing and one well-timed 40-yard scramble. Fellow junior Aca'cedric Ware rushed for 128 yards.

In its scoring spree, Cedar Hill converted on six consecutive third downs.

Senior Larry Hill, making a strong recovery from off-season knee surgery, ran for four short-range touchdowns.

"Our running backs are so unselfish,'' said McGuire. "They block for each other so well. And they are powerful. By the fourth quarter, defenses can't tackle all of them.''

An alert special teams play set up Cedar Hill's go-ahead touchdown late in the second quarter. David Ashilonu pounced on a well-placed pooch kickoff at the Mansfield 25. Five plays later, Ware was in the end zone after a 10-yard run for a 21-17 halftime lead.

"Kyle Morales, our special teams coach, thought we had a chance of making a play with a pooch kick,'' McGuire said. "It turned out to be a huge play.''

Ware broke a 51-yard run on the first play of the second half to set up Hill's touchdown that made it 28-17.

The next two possessions in the third quarter also resulted in Cedar Hill touchdowns. McMillan capped a 71-yard drive with a 12-yard scoring pass to Devon Murdock and Hill added the finishing touch with a 5-yard touchdown run.

Before beginning what McGuire hopes is another long playoff run, the Longhorns have one regular season game remaining against Midlothian (4-5, 2-4) on Friday at Cedar Hill's Longhorn Stadium.