Fuller's Favorite Five 

July 2, 2007 

by Chris Helterbrand

    Colleyville Heritage Head Football Coach Mike Fuller has scored many important victories since he began his career at Coppell, some which have proven to be more memorable than others.
    Ranked in order are Fuller’s favorite five wins, along with several victories that qualifed for Honorable Mention by the new Panthers leader.

#1—November 25, 2000
Coppell........31
DeSoto........28
    Brent Ryon’s 37-yard field goal as time expires caps off an improbable victory by the Cowboys, who were given little chance of advancing after winning their playoff opener. CHS would nearly make it three upset victories in a row the following week against Abilene Cooper, mounting a furious rally after trailing, 28-7.
    The Cowboys needed only an extra point to tie the game after scoring late to make it 28-27, but a controversial penalty for excessive celebration turned what would have been a chip shot into a 35-yard attempt—and the kick was no good.

#2—November 17, 2000
Coppell............35
McKinney.........30
    Fuller’s second favorite win as a coach came just one week before his first, as the Cowboys shocked everyone outside their own camp by beating McKinney in the opening round of the playoffs.
    CHS overcame its underdog status and vaunted Lions running back Donta Hickson, shutting down the future Sooner on fourth and 3 inside the Cowboys 10 with less than a minute to play.
    “All I remember at the time was thinking ‘How much time will be left if they score?’,” said Fuller. “That was really a great win for our program, because noone expected us to be there.”

#3—September 22, 2001
Coppell........................19
Southlake Carroll...........16
    Fuller still bears the distinction of being the only head coach to win at the new Dragons Stadium, as Coppell hands Southlake Carroll a 19-16 loss in overtime.
    It was the fourth straight year the game between the Cowboys and Dragons had been decided by a margin of  exactly three points, and the ninth straight season that the margin of victory between the two schools was seven points or less.

#4—September 22, 2001
Coppell......................33
Fossil Ridge................0
    The Panthers come into this key 2001 District 5-5A game undefeated and boasting one of the top offenses in the area.
    The Cowboys were 7-1 entering the contest, with playoff aspirations of their own after winning seven straight following a season-opening loss.
    Coppell’s defense swarms on Fossil Ridge, shutting down every aspect of the Panther offensive schem en route to a 33-0 win.

#5—September 13, 2002
Coppell......................42
Duncanville................34
    The Cowboys are once again put in the role of underdog against Duncanville, which appears to be running away with the game after building a 28-7 lead by halftime.
    CHS would mount the biggest comeback in recent Cowboys history, rallying for a 42-34 non-district win that served as a springboard to an eventual playoff berth.

Honorable Mention:
September, 2006
Coppell...........56
Grapevine........0
    One of Fuller’s favorite victories is also one of his most recent, coming against Grapevine during non-district play last season.
    The Cowboys dominated from start to finish, surprising even Fuller, who had this to say after the game: “This was a big win for us, because that was a good football team that we beat.”

September 22, 2000
Coppell...............55
Richland.............33
    Career victory number one for Fuller comes after the Cowboys had posted an 0-3 start to begin the year. The win over the Rebels puts Coppell on the right track, as         CHS is able to post a 5-2 record the rest of the way and advance to the postseason, setting the stage for favorite victories number one and two over DeSoto and McKinney.

November 15, 2003
Coppell................21
S. Grand Prairie....0
    The Cowboys play the role of underdog to perfection once again, cruising to an easy 21-0 win over a South Grand Prairie team picked by many to go far in the playoffs.
    Coppell's defense rises to the occasion during the bi-district match-up at Texas Stadium, stopping nine drives in their own territory to preserve the shutout, the Cowboys first in the playoffs.

    Fuller said he's looking forward to enhancing this list in the coming years after taking over at Colleyville Heritage, which will look to duplicate last season's record-setting accomplishments.
    He also understands that there may be Grapevine fans reading this with clenched teeth after seeing last year's Coppell-Grapevine game included on the list.
    "I'm looking forward to the rivalry with Grapevine," Fuller said. "That's something that we didn't have at Coppell.
    "We had our rivalries, but not like the rivalries that exist between schools like Heritage and Grapevine or between the teams in the Lewisville or Irving school districts. That's what makes it fun."