The Varsitys (Part II): Awarding this year's best in Coppell athletics

During the 2021-22 school year, Coppell showcased no shortage of notable individual and team athletic achievements, so it’s only appropriate to put the last year of local sports into an award-winning perspective. In the coming weeks, the city’s top athletes, teams and games will be recognized among nine different awards.

With that said, Star Local Media presents the 10th edition of The Varsitys.

Best Performance

Stone nets hat trick in 3-1 win over Plano West

There was a time this year when a 25^th consecutive playoff appearance for the Coppell boys soccer team appeared to be bleak. The Cowboys commenced District 6-6A play with a 0-4-4 record, and four contests were decided by two goals or less. Coppell squeezed out just seven goals over that span of play.

In desperate need of a spark, Coppell turned to team captain Walker Stone to right the ship. And Stone came up with perhaps the best individual performance of the season. Stone recorded a hat trick in a 3-1 win for the Cowboys over Plano West on Feb. 23. His third goal was a free kick from about 20-25 yards out.

Stone’s hat trick helped to turn around Coppell’s season in a big way.  The Cowboys went 5-0-1 in their final six games of the regular season to clinch a playoff berth. Although Coppell was unable to capitalize on its chances in a 2-0 loss to Allen in a bi-district playoff game, Coppell’s late-season run helped to send head coach James Balcom out in style. Balcom recently resigned as Cowboys head coach after five seasons at the helm.

Stone earned a selection on the all-district team after he scored five goals and added 10 assists.

Best Coach

Ryan Howard, baseball

Although Howard has since resigned his post to return to Lake Dallas, there is no denying the imprint that he made on Coppell’s baseball team during his three seasons as head coach.

Last year, he helped the Cowboys to reach the regional semifinals for the first time since 2016. Coming into this season, Coppell had to reload after losing several key starters off that team to graduation – a list that included 6-6A MVP Chayton Krauss, pitcher Will Rodman, designated hitter David Jeon, center fielder Tony Vernars, pitcher Tim Malone and left fielder Ryan Walker.

But, the blue-collar style culture that Howard and his coaching staff had created for the program made it easy for his players to buy in. And what a season it was for Coppell. The Cowboys split the 6-6A title with Marcus, outlasted the Marauders in a seeding game to earn the No. 1 seed going into the playoffs, then earned series wins over McKinney Boyd, Dallas Jesuit and Prosper before bowing out to eventual 6A state champion Southlake Carroll in two games in the regional semifinals.

Coppell earned nine selections on the all-district team, including two superlative winners. TJ Pompey was named district MVP. Bradley Castillo garnered defensive player of the year for the second straight season. 

Biggest upset

Cowgirls snap Plano East’s 28-game district winning streak

To say this year for Coppell’s girls basketball team was historic would be considered an understatement. The Cowgirls won a single-season record 37 games, earned a share of the 6-6A title, won a playoff game for the first time in more than a decade and finished the season as a regional quarterfinalist.

The only team that stood in Coppell’s way of a perfect run through district play was Plano East. The Lady Panthers, who finished the 2020-21 season as a regional finalist, had been untouchable in district play in their first two seasons as a member of 6-6A. East jumped all over Coppell in the first quarter of the teams’ Jan. 11 matchup before holding off a furious rally by the Cowgirls to remain unbeaten in 6-6A.

The one thing that Coppell head coach Ryan Murphy took away from that game is that the moment proved a little too big for his Cowgirls, who suffered their first loss of the season after a historic 27-0 start. But that loss provided served as motivation for Coppell in its Feb. 7 rematch with East.

Jules LaMendola, an Indiana commit who later went on to earn district MVP honors, scored 10 of her 15 points in the first quarter to fuel a better start for Coppell. In a game that had a playoff atmosphere, the Cowgirls built a seven-point halftime lead despite committing 11 first-half turnovers.

The Lady Panthers continued to apply heavy defensive pressure and also shared the ball. Idaro Udo had a layup midway through the third quarter to give East a 27-26 lead. After a Coppell timeout, the Cowgirls rallied to take a 35-30 lead into the fourth quarter. Allyssa Potter, now a senior, assisted on 3-point field goals by LaMendola and Landry Sherrer, then buried a 3 of her own to keep the momentum going.

Coppell went on to earn a 46-40 win and snap East’s 28-game district winning streak.