BY MARCUS ELLIOTT
ANNA-MELISSA TRIBUNE
ANNA --The Coyotes played host to Paris Chisum in their season opener on Friday night and defeated the Mustangs, 28-0. It was the Coyotes' third consecutive win, after winning their final two games in 2009.
In their opening drive, Cory Meaders hit senior wide receiver Mark Jackson for a 30-yard touchdown strike to give the Coyotes a lead they would never give up.
"It was a play designed for Mark, I just threw the ball up there and he did the rest," Meaders said. "We still have work to do but we will get there."
The two teams traded punts and the quarter ended with Anna ahead 7-0.
"The Mustangs are a hard nosed and well coached team," Anna head coach Curren McMahon said. "They came in wanting an old-fashioned, smashmouth football game."
Defense was the story in the second quarter. Halfway through the quarter, Daniel Chandler stopped the Mustang quarterback on a fourth-and-two draw giving the Coyotes the ball on downs.
Anna drove the ball down to the 23-yard line but an incomplete pass on fourth-and-10 gave the ball back to Paris Chisum. The Coyotes would get the ball back on downs with 1:48 left in the half when Mark Chandler stuffed a fourth-down run.
"This defense has really come together as a team," linebacker Daniel Chandler. "It's not about one person, it's about the team. We're ready to win."
The Coyotes offense came alive in the third quarter. Meaders threw a first-down strike to Jackson on third-and-seven and on the next play Matt Williams blasted through the line and around the left side for a 44-yard touchdown run.
After another defensive stop by the Coyotes, Keith Lockhart broke free for a 35-yard run before Meaders threw a pass to Austin Griffin, who broke several tackles to score.
"The difference tonight from the beginning of last year is our ability to handle and overcome adversity," McMahon said. "We need to continue to control and distribute the ball."
With less than 2:30 left in the quarter, Williams scored again on an 11-yard run and the Coyotes finished the third with a 28-0 lead.
The defense continued their domination in the fourth quarter, keeping the Mustangs out of the end zone on their way to the shutout victory -- marking their third win in a row going back to last season, all shutouts.
"These guys are on a roll with three shutouts in a row," McMahon said. "I am proud of these boys and how they have raised their level of execution."
The Coyotes will play their first of three straight road games on Friday at John Paul II in Plano.