By Jena Seidemann, BubbleLife Intern

An eventful and exciting boys soccer 5A State Championship game took place at B.E. Birkelbach Stadium in Georgetown, Texas.

Coppell dominated the first half with great ball control and passing. Drake Lovelady gave the Cowboys the upper hand by scoring with 23:17 left in the first half. At 1:14, Coppell’s second score was negated by an offside call. The Cowboys set the tempo for the rest of the half and continued to stretch the field.

The second half brought a change in the tide as Brownsville Hanna Eagles player Carlos Acevedo was able to score twice consecutively - one goal from a rebound after a great penalty kick save from Dante DiCiolli, and the second goal was from a header after a free kick. Coppell had more errors and less control in the second, which contributed to the deficit.

In the final minutes of the second half, the pressure was on Coppell. Several times, officials did not stop the clock and therefore burned up precious time that Coppell would need. At one point, Rakestraw urged the fans to keep cheering as the game grew closer to an end and full of more pressure.

However, the pressure did not get to Coppell as junior Chris Madden scored with 3:32 remaining with a direct kick in the game to force an eventual double-overtime. With 56 seconds left to go in the last overtime, Madden scored again to give the Cowboys the State Championship. Leading up to this point, there were many shots from both sides that could have won the game.

All of the blood, sweat and tears paid off for Coppell. Every practice and cross fit they endured was not in vain.

“I couldn’t believe it. Just the entire time I was praying to God, ‘This cannot be it, we deserve this,’” sophomore Austin Michaelis said.

As the ceremonies took place, Superintendent Jeff Turner awarded medals, and the MVP award was given to Chris Madden for his two clutch goals.

The student section, which drove three hours to see the game, cheered the “I believe that we will win” chant and also sang Should Have Been a Cowboy at the end of the game to finish off the tradition like every end to a Coppell home football game. Before the players left on the bus, fans also made a tunnel to pass through to celebrate the great win.