Bobcats Honor Late Coach With Dominant Season-Opening Win
ABILENE — Trophy Club Byron Nelson’s new era began with heavy hearts and a heavy dose of dominance. In their first game since the sudden passing of longtime head coach Travis Pride in May, the No. 5 Bobcats overwhelmed Wolfforth Frenship 30-7 Thursday night at Shotwell Stadium.
First-year head coach Zach Woodward, a 17-year assistant under Pride, guided his team with equal parts emotion and precision. And fittingly, Pride’s son Colt Pride made one of the night’s biggest plays, an interception that fueled Byron Nelson’s early surge.
The Bobcats’ defense set the tone, suffocating a Frenship attack that had averaged more than 53 points a game last season. After halftime, Byron Nelson allowed just two first downs and slammed the door completely.
Quarterback Jake Almanza, a Baylor pledge, sparked the scoring with a 1-yard sneak in the second quarter. Moments later, Hill cashed in Colt Pride’s interception with a 6-yard touchdown run, putting Nelson up 13-0. Frenship briefly answered behind Texas Tech commit Chase Campbell, who turned in a dazzling 75-yard drive capped by a one-handed 15-yard score with less than a minute left in the half.
But Nelson wasn’t finished. Almanza marched the offense 58 yards in five plays, connecting with Gavin Tracer on a tipped 20-yard touchdown that restored momentum and a 20-7 cushion at the break.
From there, the Bobcats controlled every snap. Oliver Bell drilled a 31-yard field goal, Almanza added a 10-yard strike to Franck Makong, and the defense shut down every Frenship answer.
Almanza spread the ball around with surgical efficiency — 20 completions to 11 different receivers for 175 yards — while adding 60 yards on the ground. Hill’s bruising runs and the relentless Bobcat defense finished the job. Campbell was the lone bright spot for Frenship, hauling in eight passes for 117 yards.
The win not only launched Byron Nelson to 1-0, it served as a tribute to the coach who built the program. “This one was for Coach Pride,” Woodward said after the game.
The Bobcats won’t have long to savor it, though. A brutal September awaits with matchups against Lewisville, No. 1 Southlake Carroll, and No. 3 Euless Trinity.
