Prosper rivalry continues on gridiron

Leopards+take+on+their+district+rivals+in+hopes+of+improving+their+5-2+record+in+midst+of+stormy+conditions+on+Oct.+23.

Stu Mair

Leopards take on their district rivals in hopes of improving their 5-2 record in midst of stormy conditions on Oct. 23.

Jake Chamberlin, Staff Reporter

Coming off a difficult district loss to Wylie East last Friday, the Leopards (5-2 overall, 3-1 in district) look to bounce back against rival Prosper (4-3, 2-2) at home on Friday, including a total pink out for breast cancer awareness month.

The football team has also been showing its support.

For the entire month of October, the football team has been wearing a breast cancer sticker on the back of their helmet. Head coach Ryan Cox said adding the sticker has personal meaning for him.

“I’ve lost a grandmother to breast cancer, and my aunt is a breast cancer survivor,” Cox said. “Putting a pink sticker on our helmet isn’t a lot, but it’s something to support breast cancer.”

In preparation for Prosper, Cox said “taking care of the little things has been a big focus this week.”

“We can clean up some areas of focus and really concentrate on those little fundamental techniques that we have to get better at every single week,” Cox said.

Wylie East (6-1, 4-0) defeated the Leopards 42-28 last week at Wylie. The Leopards stayed within 8 points the first three quarters, but East pulled away in the fourth. Last week’s SportsDayHS hero of the week, sophomore linebacker Bumper Pool, identified areas of improvement for the team.

“[We could’ve stopped East’s run by] fitting faster and tackling better,'” Pool said.

Prosper beat Wylie 48-27 last friday, maintaining the lead the entire game. Prosper’s leading rusher versus Wylie was running back Kaleb Adams, who ran for 107 yards on nine attempts.

Prosper’s other running back, Robert Mahone, ended the game with 88 yards and three touchdowns. Wide receiver Cedric Haskens caught for 109 yards and one score.

“[In practice, we’re] working on tackling, pursuit angles, and more tackling,” Pool added.

Senior quarterback Bowman Sells threw for one touchdown against Wylie East, and ran in for another. Sells was also intercepted for the first time this season against East. Senior wide receiver Aaron Fuller caught for 89 yards and one score.