Byron Nelson holds off Coppell in Texas high school football playoff battle of unbeatens

Bobcats advance to UIL Class 6A Division II regional final in thrilling fashion

Buck Ringgold, SBLive Sports | Nov 25, 2023

ARLINGTON, TEXAS - Tom Von Grote patiently waited his turn to be the starting quarterback for Trophy Club Byron Nelson.

The senior is definitely making the most of his opportunity, and with a career performance on Saturday, he's helping the Bobcats reach uncharted territory.

Von Grote rushed for two first-half touchdowns and passed for four second-half scores as the Bobcats held off a furious late rally to defeat Coppell, 52-45, a matchup between undefeated squads in the Class 6A Division II Region I semifinals at Choctaw Stadium.

“As long as we can win, I don’t care what happens; I’ll run and I’ll throw," Von Grote said. "As long as we win, I’ll do whatever I can.”

Von Grote actually tied a career high of six total TDs in his first start for Byron Nelson earlier this season, his first game after replacing prolific passer Jake Wilson after the latter graduated in the offseason. But Von Grote has never lost a game as the starting signal-caller.

“It’s amazing, I had to wait so long," Von Grote said. "I loved Jake, he made me so much better, but as long as we’re winning now, that’s all that matters and I’m just happy right now.”

The Bobcats (13-0) also made history on Saturday.

For the first time in program history, they advance to the regional championship game next weekend.

Byron Nelson goes up against Southlake Carroll, which is coming off a win against Highland Park on Friday. Byron Nelson beat Carroll, 34-17, in a regular-season game on Oct. 27.

Texas high school football playoff scores: UIL regional semifinal live updates (11/25/2023)

“I’m sure they’ll have a great scheme, they always do, but we’ve just got to try to come out and out-perform," Von Grote said.

As it turned out, the Bobcats needed every one of Von Grote's scores.

After trailing by 21 earlier in the fourth quarter, Coppell cut the lead to a score with a touchdown with 14 seconds left, then recovered the ensuing onside kick at midfield with only a second going by on the game clock. A Hail Mary attempt into the end zone as time expired was batted down into the turf by the Bobcats' David Kabongo.

That was after Byron Nelson's Landon Farco caught a 53-yard TD reception on third down to push Byron Nelson's lead to two scores — a play the Bobcats hoped would be the final nail, but Coppell always seemed to deliver an answer.

Farco scored his third TD on that play, a middle slant that enabled him to race to the end zone upon catching the ball.

“It was a great ball, and we practiced that play a lot," said Farco, a senior receiver. "I knew if I could get open that we were going to execute and we were going to get a first down.

“It was good; they gave me opportunities to make plays and I did my best to just take advantage of them."

But at the same time, Farco sort of expressed regret he didn't take a knee before reaching the end zone, which Byron Nelson quite possibly could have run out the rest of the clock and avoid the frantic final seconds.

"At the end, I probably could have slid on that (last TD) and run out the clock, but my mind was just clear and I was just worried about getting that first down," he said.

Von Grote scored both of his rushing touchdowns in the second quarter. His first came on the opening play of that quarter, a 20-yard keeper which was set up the previous play by Von Grote running a keeper 14 yards on a fourth-and-5. The TD gave Byron Nelson a 10-3 lead.

Then after Coppell (12-1) tied it at 10-all, Von Grote found the end zone again with 1:37 remaining in the first half. He took a keeper to the left, bounced off a tackler and getting a key downfield block from Ezra Malamura, reached past the goal line for an 8-yard TD.

After both teams traded touchdowns to start the second-half scoring, Byron Nelson regained a two-TD advantage, 31-17, when on a fourth-and-2 play, Von Grote found receiver Landon Farco for a 24-yard TD with three seconds remaining in the third quarter.

“We came out, and we thought we can get away with the quarterback draw because I’ve been doing it so much," Von Grote said. "We came out here, they couldn’t get the quarterback draw, so we ran it until they (eventually) stopped it.

"Then once they stopped it, that left more people open and then we scored more, so we kept throwing.”

The Bobcats appeared to have some breathing room when they recovered a fumble with 10 minutes to go. But moments later, they turned it back over, and Coppell's Weston Polk ended up recovering a fumble and taking it to the house for a 58-yard score, cutting the Nelson lead to seven, 31-24.

However, once again, Von Grote and the Bobcats responded.

On a third-and-10 from the Cowboys' 37, Von Grote hooked up with Farco for a 24-yard gain down to the 13. Then on the next play, Von Grote found receiver Pierce Dahlin in the end zone, and though Dahlin was heavily blanketed by a defender, still made the catch with 6:24 left to put Nelson back up by two TDs.

Then on the ensuing kickoff, the Cowboys fumbled it right back to the Bobcats deep in Coppell territory. The Bobcats pounced on the break, as on a third-and-goal from the 2, Von Grote rolled to his left and flipped a pass to a wide-open Farco for another TD with 5:28 remaining.

“(Von Grote) stepped it up a lot; he’s great," Farco said. "He can throw it and he can run it, and he’s proven that to everybody, so I’m very proud of him.”

Coppell did make things interesting late, as its quarterback, Edward Griffin, threw two fourth-quarter TDs, the latter to receiver Luca Grosoli with 2:15 left to make it a one-score game. The Cowboys tried an onside kick, but it was recovered by Kabongo.

But after Coppell got the ball back following a punt, the Cowboys were able to get within a touchdown with 14 seconds left, and were able to recover the onside kick. However, Byron Nelson was able to withstand the late onslaught.

Down 17-10, the Cowboys drove downfield with time running out in the first half. With Coppell at the Nelson 10 on the final play of the half, Griffin's pass was picked off in the end zone by Jonathan Kabeya.

Kabeya nearly returned it all the way, but just beyond midfield, he was brought down by Griffin.

Both teams kicked field goals in the first quarter. Nelson got on the board first on its opening series, a 20-yard kick from Justin Bequette. Coppell tied it up late in the quarter on a 29-yard field goal by Bryson Patten.

After Nelson went up 10-3, the Cowboys tied it at 10-all with more than four minutes remaining in the half on a 5-yard TD pass from Griffin to Grosoli.

But in the end, it was Von Grote which made more plays at quarterback, allowing Byron Nelson to keep winning. Not to mention Von Grote adding to his perfect record as a starter.

So does Von Grote have three more wins left in him to enable Byron Nelson to go even farther and win the program's first state championship?

“Of course I do," Von Grote said without hesitation. "Anything to win the game. That’s all that matters, winning.”

All photos by Robbie Rakestraw.