It was well worth the wait for Odessa High.
One week after not getting to play its season opener against Amarillo High, the Bronchos made up for lost time with a 50-39 upset win over L.D. Bell on the road last Friday in Hurst.
Not only was it the first win of the season for the Bronchos (1-0) but it was also Erik Hartman’s first victory as a head coach for Odessa High.
“It feels awesome,” Hartman said. “Our kids played well. They were resilient. It lifts the weight off your shoulders as a coach. You always hope to get that first win pretty quick because you don’t want to sit there and stress about it.”
It was the first meeting in history between the Bronchos and the Blue Raiders (1-1).
The Bronchos used a strong second half, erasing a 33-21 halftime deficit.
Odessa High’s offense put up 29 second half points while the defense stepped up and only allowed two field goals from the Blue Raiders the rest of the way.
“It was an all-around team effort,” Hartman said. “The offense picked up the play when they needed to and the defense stepped up in the second half. Dominic Taylor was a big part of that. He had 17 tackles and four for loss and a fumble recovery. The other guys on defense really stepped up. I loved the environment on the sidelines. The fans traveled well. There were a lot of OHS fans in the stands. That was fun to see.”
>> COTA’S BIG NIGHT: Not much really stood in the way of Odessa High quarterback Mikey Cota.
The senior put up 432 yards passing with three touchdowns while rushing for 57 yards and two touchdowns on the ground.
“Mikey played great,” Hartman said. “He had over four hundred yards passing and three touchdowns. He had a couple of hiccups here and there but he came out and played really well. I liked his bounce back because he had a couple of interceptions but he fought back and brought us back to victory. Our defense, they were the ones that stepped up. They only allowed six points in the second half.”
>> HOME OPENER (PART II): The original home opener for the Bronchos was ruled a no-contest.
Now, they’ll get another chance to play in front of a home crowd at Ratliff Stadium when the Bronchos face El Paso Eastwood (1-1) at 7 p.m. Friday.
The Eastwood Troopers (1-1) enter this week’s contest after defeating Chapin 49-34 in last week’s game.
Eastwood’s first game of the season resulted in a 71-14 loss to St. John Bosco (Calif.).
“Our mentality is 1-0 again,” Hartman said. “Every week, we go in 0-0 and aim to get our victory again. Not being able to play our first game at home, there’s going to be a lot of excitement here. It’ll be homecoming so that’s something too. We just need to make sure that our kids are focused and ready to play.”
>> HOMECOMING: This week’s game will also be homecoming for the Bronchos.
Like most schools, Odessa High will be getting homecoming out of the way during the nondistrict portion of the schedule and not risk having it during district play and have an added distraction.
“You don’t need any more distractions during district,” Hartman said. “We’re looking for our kids to have fun and enjoy the week but also come away with a victory.”
El Paso Eastwood at Odessa High
>> When: 7 p.m. Friday
>> Where: Ratliff Stadium
>> Last Season: Did not play
>> Records: El Paso Eastwood 1-1; Odessa High 1-0
>> Radio: KMCM (FM-96.9)
