In a second half filled to the brim with offense, Brandon Hamilton’s dazzling rushing display stood head and shoulders above a very noisy final 24 minutes.

Hamilton rushed for all but 25 of his 246 yards in the second half, running in a pair of second-half touchdowns to guide Copperas Cove to a 41-31 victory at Waco ISD Stadium.

The teams combined for 52 second-half points, but the Bulldawgs (1-1) got the better of the Lions (1-1) thanks to Hamilton’s heroics and an increased reliance on his services in the second half. He had just 21 yards on four carries in the first half, but he carried 15 times in the second half and scored a pair of huge touchdowns.

Waco High ball carrier Darrell Harris (center) is taken down by Chris Rhodes (right) and Sean Harris of Copperas Cove in the first quarter.
Duane A . Laverty / Waco Tribune-Herald

On a night when quarterback Orlando Thomas had a forgettable game, Hamilton needed to be sharp. Thomas rushed for 51 yards on 15 carries and threw three first-half interceptions to keep the scoring low initially.

For the second straight week, Waco High running back Darrell Harris put on a show, rushing for 226 yards on 27 carries and a pair of touchdowns to bring his total to eight scores through the first two weeks of the season.

But his night, which was marred by a pair of crucial fumbles, was overshadowed by Hamilton’s second half.

After Waco High took its first lead of the night and stretched it to 17-13 on a Ben Diaz field goal, Hamilton struck for the first time with a manful 54-yard burst up the middle to reclaim the lead, 20-17, with 5:02 left in the third quarter.

Waco High looked poised to answer when Harris showed his human side, fumbling on the Cove 5-yard line to scuttle a 10-play drive and turn the game in Cove’s favor.

In a second half that turned into a back and forth track meet, the next drive proved pivotal. Hamilton ripped off consecutive runs of 19 and 24 yards to set Cove up with a play at the 1-yard line, which led the way for a keeper from Thomas for a 27-17 lead with 10:40 to play, capping a game-changing 95-yard drive.

The Lions kept fighting, illustrated by a 25-yard touchdown run from Harris’s light feet three plays later, but Hamilton answered with an equally impressive 32-yard touchdown run on the next drive that put Cove up 34-24.

Harris fumbled again on the ensuing drive, and Hamilton punctuated Cove’s next march with a 48-yard run to set up another goal line plunge from Thomas. That was plenty for the Bulldawgs.

Waco High seemed to gain the inside track early in the second half when Harris took a toss around the right side, then flipped to it to a streaking Will Hines on a reverse. Hines burned down the left sideline and romped in from 29 yards to hand Waco High its first lead.

It didn’t last long. The Lions recovered a pooch kick, which ultimately led to a 28-yard field goal from Ben Diaz.

Piling up the yardage

That was as far as Waco High got before Hamilton and Copperas Cove’s vaunted rushing attack took over.

While Waco High racked up an impressive 497 offensive yards in defeat, Cove ended up with 376 rushing yards and 430 overall.

The first half took on none of the high-scoring characteristics most anticipated, the Bulldawgs heading into the half with a slim 13-7 lead. Thomas threw three picks, had just 26 rushing yards at the break and Cove racked up a mere 100 total yards on the ground amid a barrage of penalties.

Copperas Cove ball carrier Johnny Sirmans eludes Waco High defender Chase Hobbs during the first quarter of the Bulldawgs' 41-31 win.
Duane A. Laverty / Waco Tribune-Herald

For its part, the Lions’ start wasn’t nearly as slow. Waco High had 228 total yards by half, a far cry from their Week Zero output but still more than one might expect out of a seven-point half.

The Bulldawgs were flagged eight times for 65 yards in the first 24 minutes and finished with an astonishing 17 penalties for 143 yards. Still, the Bulldawgs got off to a rolling start, scoring on each of its first three drives to snag a 13-0 lead with 2:40 left in the first quarter.

Waco High punted on the opening possession of the game, and Cove needed just six plays to score on its opening drive.

Thomas found a well-covered Andre White on the left flank and hit him perfectly in stride, allowing Cove to take a 7-0 lead.

It was by far Thomas’ best toss of the half, and one of his only good ones to boot. His three interceptions, two of which were to Adrian Norwood, blunted promising drives, including one to Will Hines on the goal line at the start of the second quarter.

Waco High went three-and-out on its second drive, and Cove turned that into a beauty of a 37-yard field goal from Eli Kuhns. The Bulldawgs hopped on a pooch kick a play later to wrest back possession, and Waco High’s defense bent once again but didn’t snap.

Lester Walker crashed through the Cove line and pulled down Thomas for a sack on third down to force Kuhns’ second field goal, a 42-yard boot for a 13-0 lead.

After a quiet first quarter, Harris finally got revved up on the Lions’ next possession.

Waco High pieced together a plodding 11-play drive that Harris punctuated with one of his trademark runs, jetting 34 yards to make it 13-7 with 10:57 left in the half, which is how it stayed into halftime.