The Leopards (7-3 overall, 5-2 in district) play their first playoff game against Frisco (8-2, 6-2) at AT&T Stadium in Arlington on Saturday at 5:30 p.m. Players are eating and preparing differently to help with health concerns while playing indoors, head coach Ryan Cox said.                                                                                                                                                                                    
“There’s a lot of things [that we did to prepare] and one of them is diet and snacking,” Cox said. “We talked to a lot of teams that played at Cowboys Stadium, and one of the things they said is because of the different atmosphere and climate, there is a lot more cramping.”

The Leopards defeated McKinney High (3-7, 1-6) in a high-scoring shootout 65-50 last Friday. The game had gotten as close as 58-50 in the fourth, but the Leopards finished the game with a 19-yard touchdown.

Cox said the team made an adjustment to the varsity practice schedule this week by switching to after school practices.

“We’re going to be playing at 5:30 on Saturday,” Cox said. “I really wanted the guys to get more of a feel then they would have practicing in the morning by practicing in the afternoon closer to game time.”

Last week, Frisco dominated over Frisco Liberty 42-7. Running back Lucas Reynolds ran in for three touchdowns, each less than 7 yards. Quarterback Rohan Vasa threw for only 30 yards and one score. Frisco is known for its ground game, with only a fraction of the plays being passes.

“We are hitting fast downhill and we are going to fly around,” sophomore linebacker Bumper Pool said. “I’m excited about our gameplan and it’s going to be a good one.”

Senior quarterback Bowman Sells threw for 255 yards and scored seven total touchdowns against McKinney High, six throwing, one rushing. Senior receiver and defensive back Dakota Michaels caught for 112 yards and three touchdowns.