A&M Consolidated held on to the football for the longest time, then the Tigers took it away from Copperas Cove at a crucial moment in a 24-10 victory over the eighth-ranked Bulldawgs.

Now Consol has a grip on the District 12-5A lead with a championship in reach.

The Tigers combined a ball-control offense with a gritty defense that forced two late turnovers to win the battle of league leaders on a warm, windy Friday night at Tigerland Stadium. Consol (7-1, 5-0) stretched its winning streak to seven games and moved past Cove (7-1, 4-1) into sole possession of first place while clinching a playoff berth.

"That was a big, big win," Consol coach Jim Slaughter said. "The big thing is we were playing an opponent the caliber of Cove and we were able to get the feeling that we're a better ballclub. That means a bunch."

Consol's formula for success began with a ball-hogging running game that kept the speedy Bulldawgs offense off the field for most of the first half. The Tigers held the ball for nearly twice as long as Cove on the way to a 10-0 lead at halftime.

The Tigers pushed the lead to 17-0 by scoring on their first possession of the second half, but the Bulldawgs jumped back into contention quickly. Cove needed just three plays to answer Consol's touchdown, then the Bulldawgs recovered an onside kick and added a field goal to pull within 17-10 midway through the third quarter.

Preventing the high-scoring affair many observers expected, both defenses delivered stops that kept the Bulldawgs within a touchdown as they took possession at their 32-yard line early in the fourth quarter.

Consol cornerback Ernest Payton produced the defensive play of the game when he ripped the football out of the hands of Cove running back William Randolph, who was trying for more yards at the end of a 10-yard gain. Payton pounced on the fumble at the Cove 41 to set up a short touchdown drive for the Tigers.

"I really thought we were going to score and tie this thing up and go into overtime," Cove coach Jack Welch said. "It was one of those things. He got caught up in a mesh of people. It wasn't a bad fumble. They did a good job of stripping that ball.

"I think that was the game right there. That was probably the nail in the coffin."

If that was the nail, the Consol running game was the hammer. The Tigers rushed for 206 yards in the first half and finished with 339. Consol attempted just two passes, completing one for 13 yards, but good blocking by the offensive line and hard running by senior Chris Nutall and the rest of the running backs provided plenty of offense.

"It was a tremendous football game," Welch said. "Our kids played hard and played well, but I think the best team won tonight. They made things happen when they had to."

Consol's improving defense controlled the dangerous Bulldawgs except for the brief stretch in the second half that was extended when the Tigers failed to handle an onside kick. The Tigers allowed 277 yards, but Payton's play set up the key touchdown and junior safety Brett Mahnke contributed two huge plays.

The Bulldawgs marched from their 5-yard line to the Consol 12 in the fourth quarter, but Mahnke stopped speedster Orlando Thomas for a 1-yard gain on fourth-and-two. The next time Cove got the ball, Mahnke's diving interception sealed the upset.

"They're tough in every phase of the game, so we had to be tough in every phase," Slaughter said. "We had a lot of kids contribute and a lot of kids learn some things about what it takes to win a big game."

Consol dominated the opening half with a relentless running game. The Tigers drove 66 yards on 18 plays to start the game, but Cove stopped Nutall on fourth-and-one from the 4. Consol finished its next march, going 65 yards on 12 plays with Nutall scoring on a 1-yard run.

Jordan Jeter kicked a 40-yard field goal late in the half to extend the lead.

Nutall finished with 168 yards on 25 carries, including a 37-yard burst early in the third quarter. On the next play, junior wingback Quinton White zipped 25-yard on a jet sweep play to make it 17-0.

Randolph answered with an 8-yard touchdown run and then Eli Kuhns kicked a 40-yard field goal as Cove pulled within 17-10.