supercentex
11-29-2005, 08:12 AM
Understated Cove duo peaking in the postseason
By Monty Campbell
Killeen Daily Herald
COPPERAS COVE — Every coach's dream is to take his team to the state playoffs and have an opportunity to win a state title. Jack Welch and the Copperas Cove Bulldawgs are three games away from that state title.
Winning that state title takes many key ingredients — excellent coaches, great athletes and some good old fashioned luck.
The Dawgs have excellent coaches, backed by the 98-37-1 record in the 12 years that Welch has been at the helm. They continued to produce athletes — five professional football players in the Welch era. Finally, they have had the good fortune of not having many players go down with an injury this season.
Another key element for a successful football team is to have players that are ready to step up and produce at any point in the season, giving that team more players to use as weapons. Cove has found two of those players in the playoffs to step up and give the Dawgs that added dimension to their offense — Billy Abreu and Travis Wheeler.
The two players typify Welch's persona of being prepared for anything that the Dawgs may encounter along the journey toward capturing the hill. They have been ready to answer the call, to make a play all season and have been given the opportunity in the playoffs.
In describing his theory of having his team prepared for the next round of the playoffs Welch said, "The ready man doesn't have to get ready."
Copperas Cove fullback Abreu has been ready all season long and has finally gotten the opportunity to prove his worth in the playoffs. He has gained 145 of his 266 yards in the three playoff games while scoring a touchdown against Klein Forest in the bi-district round.
Although he has suddenly found his place in the Bulldawg offense, the fullback has kept a level head while the Dawgs have progressed in the playoffs.
"The whole team has excelled, with the offensive line creating holes for me to run through," Abreu said. "I am just doing my job, everyone has a role on this team."
As far as roles go, his role as a power runner to complement Donald Buckram's speed is exactly what the Bulldawgs have used to help open things up for the passing game. Brent Garner has completed 67 percent of his passes while throwing for 353 yards in the Dawgs' three wins but Abreu is not ready to accept any of the praise.
"I'm not really a factor to key on, I am just an ingredient to the team," Abreu said. "We have so many key players on this team that could break a play."
As for the rest of the playoffs, the humble junior says that while his contributions have been able to keep the Bulldawg train on track, he does not think that his exploits will create a diversion.
"I am just going with the program and play game by game," he said, "and continue to have more focus because of the playoffs."
Wheeler has also been focusing a little more in the playoffs as well. He collected his first two catches of the postseason, and his first touchdown reception of the season in last week's 30-14 victory over Garland. He has caught eight passes this year for 68 yards but none of them was bigger than the touchdown in the regional semifinal.
"Our offensive line blocked well and Brent (Garner) put it in a good spot, between the DB's," Wheeler said.
The touchdown came as somewhat of a surprise, not because of Wheeler's lack of reaching the end zone this year, but because of the chemistry that the two seniors have created.
"We have chemistry because we know what each other is thinking," he said. "We worked out with each other in the summer and in 7-on-7 and always are together on the weekends."
The chemistry does not stop with just the receiver and his quarterback, though, as he admitted that this team was a close-knit group that cared about one another, to a man.
"We are friends with everyone on this team. There is no drama," Wheeler said laughing. "We all know what it will take to win a championship, we know what we have to do."
By Monty Campbell
Killeen Daily Herald
COPPERAS COVE — Every coach's dream is to take his team to the state playoffs and have an opportunity to win a state title. Jack Welch and the Copperas Cove Bulldawgs are three games away from that state title.
Winning that state title takes many key ingredients — excellent coaches, great athletes and some good old fashioned luck.
The Dawgs have excellent coaches, backed by the 98-37-1 record in the 12 years that Welch has been at the helm. They continued to produce athletes — five professional football players in the Welch era. Finally, they have had the good fortune of not having many players go down with an injury this season.
Another key element for a successful football team is to have players that are ready to step up and produce at any point in the season, giving that team more players to use as weapons. Cove has found two of those players in the playoffs to step up and give the Dawgs that added dimension to their offense — Billy Abreu and Travis Wheeler.
The two players typify Welch's persona of being prepared for anything that the Dawgs may encounter along the journey toward capturing the hill. They have been ready to answer the call, to make a play all season and have been given the opportunity in the playoffs.
In describing his theory of having his team prepared for the next round of the playoffs Welch said, "The ready man doesn't have to get ready."
Copperas Cove fullback Abreu has been ready all season long and has finally gotten the opportunity to prove his worth in the playoffs. He has gained 145 of his 266 yards in the three playoff games while scoring a touchdown against Klein Forest in the bi-district round.
Although he has suddenly found his place in the Bulldawg offense, the fullback has kept a level head while the Dawgs have progressed in the playoffs.
"The whole team has excelled, with the offensive line creating holes for me to run through," Abreu said. "I am just doing my job, everyone has a role on this team."
As far as roles go, his role as a power runner to complement Donald Buckram's speed is exactly what the Bulldawgs have used to help open things up for the passing game. Brent Garner has completed 67 percent of his passes while throwing for 353 yards in the Dawgs' three wins but Abreu is not ready to accept any of the praise.
"I'm not really a factor to key on, I am just an ingredient to the team," Abreu said. "We have so many key players on this team that could break a play."
As for the rest of the playoffs, the humble junior says that while his contributions have been able to keep the Bulldawg train on track, he does not think that his exploits will create a diversion.
"I am just going with the program and play game by game," he said, "and continue to have more focus because of the playoffs."
Wheeler has also been focusing a little more in the playoffs as well. He collected his first two catches of the postseason, and his first touchdown reception of the season in last week's 30-14 victory over Garland. He has caught eight passes this year for 68 yards but none of them was bigger than the touchdown in the regional semifinal.
"Our offensive line blocked well and Brent (Garner) put it in a good spot, between the DB's," Wheeler said.
The touchdown came as somewhat of a surprise, not because of Wheeler's lack of reaching the end zone this year, but because of the chemistry that the two seniors have created.
"We have chemistry because we know what each other is thinking," he said. "We worked out with each other in the summer and in 7-on-7 and always are together on the weekends."
The chemistry does not stop with just the receiver and his quarterback, though, as he admitted that this team was a close-knit group that cared about one another, to a man.
"We are friends with everyone on this team. There is no drama," Wheeler said laughing. "We all know what it will take to win a championship, we know what we have to do."