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LOOK AHEAD: Melissa Cardinals Football as strong as ever
With summer practices right around the corner and camps already underway or finished, the Melissa Cardinal football program is looking forward to getting their name back out there when it comes to being one of the top teams in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. VYPE DFW takes a glance into the future and walks fans through what fans can expect from this squad in the fall.
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A Look Back
Melissa football posted an incredible season last year while finishing at the top of their district with an undefeated 6-0 district record. The team even beat out usual district champion Argyle. Despite opening preseason play against tough opponents for tough losses, the Cardinals didn't hesitate to regroup and bounce back- even completing a task that many in the area couldn't do: not only defeat Argyle, but hold the Eagles scoreless.
Through playoffs, Melissa ended the seasons of North Dallas, Midlothian Heritage, and Waco La Vega, before falling to eventual state champions Stephenville in an extremely close, tooth-and-nail 24-21 battle.
Looking Ahead
The team has a lot of strong returners like Nigel Smith, Nathan Adejokun, and Jackson Ford who can be expected to make big names for themselves as they take the field in summer workouts and preseason games. With a team full of strong leadership, it shouldn't come as a surprise when the Cardinals show up strong for their first game of the season.
What To Expect
Another strong playoff push- full stop. The team isn't ready to slow down and no one should expect them to waiver from their goals. Melissa football is on the rise and can be expected to continue to fight for their moment in the spotlight.
STUNNED: Melissa Cardinals shutout reigning State Champs Argyle
Another long streak has come to an end in the Dallas Fort Worth area as the Melissa Cardinals not only post a dominating win over the defending Class 4A Division I State Champions, but a dominating SHUTOUT win over the Argyle Eagles on Friday night.
A 20-game win streak for Argyle came to a halt as the Cardinals stepped onto the field and never looked back Friday night. In what proved to be a successful revenge game for Melissa, the Cardinals fought tooth and nail for a hard-fought win against Argyle who beat them 16-0 last season.
Led by senior quarterback Sam Fennegan, the Cardinals posted three unanswered scores against Argyle. Fennegan accounted for one rushing touchdown on a two-yard keeper. Freshman running back Nathan Adejokun and senior running back Ashton Mitchell-Johnson both accounted for a touchdown each. Adejokun's touchdown coming on a 43-yard carry for a touchdown while Mitchell-Johnson's came on a 10-yard run. Junior kicker Aidan Pintor accounted for two point-after kicks while senior female kicker Anna Blankenship kicked the final point-after in Melissa's statement win. All of the Cardinals' scores came in the first half of the game and although Argyle's defense met the Cardinals' offense with force in the second half, Argyle's offense simply could not answer back against a Melissa defense that did everything right on Friday night.
The loss is Argyle's first regular-season loss in four years (a 46-36 loss to Celina in 2015). The win is the fourth straight win for the Cardinals who originally opened the season with back-to-back losses against Celina (who lost to Argyle earlier this season) and Frisco Memorial.
Melissa improves to a 4-2 record (2-0 in district play) and looks ahead to a well-deserved BYE week before taking on Anna on October 15th.