Photography by John Tabet
The freshman team traveled out to Buddy Echols field this past Thursday to take on the mighty Coppell Cowboys.
First to take the field was the freshman Blue Team with some new found confidence after beating Plano East. The game-plan was for the defense to “make sure the players lined up correctly” according to Head Coach, Bob Wunderlick. Coppell, having many different variations of plays and complex formations, didn’t make it easy, however.
In the first game, the boys in blue started off behind 6-0 going into the half. The Rangers, although having a rough start, played on and eventually took the lead in the second half. In the end of this low-scoring, defensive game, the Blue Team held on to the 7-6 lead they got in the third quarter.
Pleased with the win and pointing out specifics to improve on, Wunderlick stated that “the defense bent but did not break” and in a final note added, “and the offense was led by the O-Line.”
Last but certainly not least to take the field was the Gold Team who faced the top freshman team for the Cowboys. The Rangers had learned from their previous mistakes; although beating their previous opponent, Plano East, 25-8, they would have to concentrate on the field and contain the fast paced play action presented by Coppell’s offense.
Running onto the field, the Gold Team players had a positive outlook on the game. The Rangers scored early on in the game, but were losing late in the second half.
In the last quarter a tragic injury befell one of our Rangers wide receivers when Hank Bitterman ’18 took a hard hit and had to be carried off the field. Inspired by the concussive blow dealt to their fallen comrade, the Gold Team’s defense held Coppell in the last two minutes of the game and returned a short punt for a touchdown, which then resulted in the completion of a two point conversion to win the game 14-3.
Cade Brewer ’18 talked about the late game comeback: “…the inspiration to come back and beat Coppell came from Hank Bitterman’s injury, although it was very 
unfortunate it gave us the determination we needed to fight our way back.”
Both undefeated, the Blue Team and Gold Team advanced their records to 3-0, which was the third sweep in a row for the Rangers.
Coach Bob Wunderlick ended the game with some constructive criticism when he said, “I think both teams played inconsistently against two strong opponents, but I also think both teams found another way to win a close game.”
Some standouts on the Blue team included all of the Offensive Line, Linebacker Omar Dibba ’18, Defensive Tackle Daniel Nguyen ’18, and Wide-Receiver Will Fynes ’18. The standouts of the Gold Team include Defensive Tackle Jacob “The Hulk” Totah ’18, OC Tyler Copeland ’18, and Safety Cade Brewer ’18. Special mentions go to Defensive-End/ Wide-Receiver, Hank Bitterman ’18, for persevering through his traumatic concussion and still holding strong even after he was carried off of the field, and to Wide-Receiver, Fletcher Rosenbleeth ’18, who caught a touchdown pass, returned a punt for a another touchdown, and caught a pass for a game winning two point conversion.
