Cowboys rally for win, eye playoff berth
Tyler Brown led Cooper City with four touchdown runs as the Cowboys scored three unanswered fourth-quarter touchdowns to come back and defeat host South Broward 34-27 on Friday night.
The win put Cooper City (4-3, 3-1) in position to finish as the runner-up in District 15-7A behind McArthur and earn a playoff berth.
“It was a great team win; we all played together and got it done. I had to be the leader and get it done,” said Brown, who rushed 33 times for 260 yards.
Cooper City got the ball first and kept it on the ground, running six minutes off the clock before going four plays and out. On its next drive, the Cowboys scored on a 53-yard run by Brown, who rushed for 109 yards in the first quarter on 12 carries.
South Broward’s first score came early in the second quarter on an elusive 17-yard run by quarterback Tyrese Smith.
The Bulldogs (5-2, 2-2) faced a tough drive to end the first half, getting the ball with 82 yards to go and 1:30 left. Smith led a scoring drive with just two passes. The first went to Timothy Nelson for 23 yards and the second to Akeem Hayes for a 59-yard touchdown with 31 seconds left. The extra point was good, and South Broward led 13-6 at halftime.
South Broward started the second half with an opening drive capped by Najha Edwards on a 2-yard touchdown run. Cooper City responed with a long drive that ended with a 4-yard touchdown run by Brown.
The Bulldogs answered on the following kickoff when Destra Benoit scored on a 74-yard return. South Broward led 27-13 going into the fourth quarter.
The first Cooper City fourth-quarter touchdown came on a 17-yard run by Brown with 7:15 left. Following the score, the Cowboys recovered an onside kick.
On the first offensive play, quarterback Michael DiLiello connected with Manuel Almanzar for a 45-yard touchdown that tied the game at 27-27. On the next possession, Brown scored on a 63-yard run to give Cooper City its first lead since the first quarter.
The Cowboys tried another onside kick, but it almost backfired when South Broward returned it to the 18-yard line.
South Broward went four and out. Hayes nearly had a potential game-tying touchdown catch at the pylon, but a hit by a Cooper City defender knocked the ball loose.
“Our kids are never out of it, and I told them that if we continue to play good things will happen,” coach Brandon Walker said.
The loss cost South Broward a playoff berth after a turnaround season following a 1-9 finish last year. Smith led the Bulldogs with 212 passing yards, 30 rushing yards and two touchdowns.
This story was originally published October 21, 2016 at 11:26 PM with the headline "Cowboys rally for win, eye playoff berth."