Cooper offense showed diversity at its finest

By AL PICKETT / Sports Editor

As Austin Westlake's defense prepares to face Cooper on Saturday in the Class 5A Division II state championship football game at Texas Stadium, the Chaparrals had better prepare for everything.

Because everything is exactly what the Cougars threw at Richardson Lake Highlands in their 24-21 overtime win Friday in the semifinals.

"At this stage of the season, you can't save anything for next week," Cooper quarterback Michael Anderson said.

On a night when Lake Highland's tremendously quick defense was keying on Cooper tailback Dominic Rhodes, the Cougars gave the Wildcats nearly every possible look to counteract their speed advantage.

Rhodes was held to just 98 yards rushing, his lowest totla since a 74-yard effort in the fifth game of the season against Amarillo High. After scoring 15 touchdowns in the Cougars' first four playoff games, Lake Highlands kept Rhodes out of the end zone.

Late in the first half, Cooper sent Rhodes in motion. Anderson lateraled across the field to Rhodes, who threw back across the field to Anderson for a 21-yard gain.

Cooper took their first two possessions of the third quarter in for touchdowns to build a 21-7 advantage. In those two series, Anderson hit receivers downfield; the Cougars ran short crossing patterns near the line of scrimmage to their wide receivers; they ran screen passes to wide receivers, tight ends and Rhodes. They even ran a shovel pass to tight end Cory Aldridge as well as a tight end reverse to Aldridge.

In those two series, the Cougars ran 19 plays. Rhodes carried it six times, and Anderson completed passes to five different receivers.

It was offensive diversity at its finest.

"They were keying on Dominic," Cooper coach Randy Allen said. "Lake Highlands had great speed and lateral quickness. We could run the ball, but we couldn't sustain a drive by just running it. When we mixed it, we moved the ball. I got a little conservative with the lead in the fourth quarter."

In Friday's win over Lake Highlands, Cooper ran the ball 38 times and threw 24 passes for 189 yards. Seven different receivers caught passes.

Cooper proved that teams can't just simply stop Rhodes in order to stop the Cougars. Their offensive diversity causes opponents to prepare for many different looks.

But don't forget about Rhodes, either. Even with his least productive game of the playoffs, the 195-pound senior still carried the ball 30 times for 98 yards, caught three passes for 11 yards, and had 55 in return yards, including a 48-yard kickoff return to open the second half and set up Cooper's go-ahead touchdown.

In 15 games this season, Rhodes has 1,953 yards rushing on 299 carries, another 379 yards and four touchdowns on 29 catches, 21 punt returns for 310 yards and two scores, and 18 kickoff returns for 634 yards and two more scores.

In 15 games, Rhodes has touched the ball 367 times for 3,276 yards, an average of nearly nine yards per touch.

Hardly a factor to ignore. But the Cougars proved Friday night against Lake Highlands that they can offer an effecient, diverse offense that features more than just Rhodes.