The Locker Room


Cougars Roar, Comets Fizzle
by Ardent Cougar


--BOX SCORE-

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The Cougars ended a frustrating losing streak by defeating the Blue Comets 51-8. Halifax won the toss and elected to receive. Paul Taylor’s squib kickoff was covered by the Comets’ Jarvis Hankins at the HC 21. Halifax was able to convert twice on 3rd down plays before facing 4th-and-4 at the PC 43. QB Daniel Brandon’s pass intended for Hankins was broken up by Bubba Walker, and the Cougars took over on downs.

Starting from their own 43, the Cougars only took two plays to score. Josh Calfee carried the ball on 2nd-and-8, going 55 yards for the score. Paul Taylor added the PAT. PC 7-0 with 5:36 left in the first quarter.

Taylor once again squib-kicked on the kickoff. The Comets returned the ball 15 yards to their own 34. Facing 4th-and-4 from the HC 40, Jordon Clark punted for the Comets. The ball was downed at the PC 29.

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On 3rd-and-5 from the PC 34, Calfee got just enough yards for the first down. On 2nd-and-10 from the Cougar 39, Frank Cobbs took the criss-cross play down the left sideline for 35 yards. On 1st-and-10 from the 26, Antoine Meadows then carried for 10 yards and another first down. Two plays later, Cobbs again took the criss-cross, this time up the middle for 11 yards and the second Cougar touchdown. Taylor’s PAT made it PC 14, HC 0.

On the last play of the first quarter, Taylor kicked off deep to the 4, and Hankins returned it to the Halifax 15. The Comets would run three plays to face 4th-and-4 at the 21. Clark then punted to the Comet 43, where the ball was downed.

For the second time in the game, the Cougars took only two plays to score. Meadows carried for 15 on 1st-and-10 from the Comet 43. Calfee scored from 28 yards out on the next play. Taylor added the PAT. Cougars 21, Comets 0 with 9:43 left in the half.

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Taylor kicked off deep to the 2, and Leon Green returned it 19 yards to the 21. On 3rd-and-8, QB Daniel Brandon was sacked by PC’s Travis Hale for a 12-yard loss. Halifax lined up in punt formation. Clark took a high snap, and somehow managed to get the kick off. However, the Cougars’ Jonathan Anderson got a piece of the ball, and the punt only traveled 9 yards, going out-of-bounds at the Comet 20.

Once again, the Cougars only needed two plays to score. On 2nd-and-11 from the 21, Meadows took the handoff up the middle and went the distance. Taylor’s PAT made it 28-0 PC with 7:51 left in the half.

Taylor kicked off deep to the 1, and the Comets returned the ball to their own 13. Halifax managed one first down before facing 4th-and-2 from their own 34. The Comets lined up to punt, and the Cougars kept the drive alive with an offsides penalty. This gave Halifax some life. After an illegal procedure penalty set the Comets back for a 1st-and-15, Casey Spencer carried for 29 yards up the middle, with only Anderson’s tackle stopping a score. Three plays later on 1st-and-10 from the PC 27, Spencer again broke it open up the middle, getting down to the 6 before being tackled by Alan Wheeling. Three plays later, Brandon faked a handoff and went left, cutting back upfield and scoring. Hankins scored on the two-point attempt. PC 28-8 with 1:00 left in the half.

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Calfee returned the kickoff 17 yards up to the PC 36. On 2nd-and-8, Wheeling kept the ball himself, running left. Kenneth Fitzwater’s block allowed Wheeling to get to the Halifax 40 before being forced out-of-bounds with 14.3 seconds left. On the next play, Wheeling rolled left to the short side of the field, and found Jeff King wide open over the middle. King carried the ball down to the Halifax 4 with 5.2 seconds remaining in the half.

"We ran X out, but the corner was on the out. I saw Jeff waving his hand and we hooked it up," said Wheeling.

"It wasn’t intended to come to me. I was about the 4th choice. We made eye contact and then he threw", King said.

After a timeout, the Cougars decided to go for the field goal. Taylor’s kick from the 21 was good. The half thus ended with PC comfortably ahead 31-8.

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The Comets kicked off to begin the second half. Clark’s kick went to the 12, where Calfee took it and returned 28 yards to the PC 40. This time, the Cougars took three plays to get back on the board. Calfee ran 49 yards down the right sideline on 2nd-and-10 for the score. Taylor added the PAT for a 38-8 Cougar lead with 10:44 left in the third quarter.

Taylor kicked off to the HC 13, and Chris Brewer lost a yard on the return after slipping. Two plays later, Walker intercepted a pass at the Comet 35, and took it back for an apparent score. However, a clipping penalty on the return moved the ball back to the HC 34.

After two consecutive runs of 15 yards by Cobbs and Calfee, Calfee took the pitch left and scored from the 4. Taylor once again added the PAT, and the Cougars led 45-8 with 9:02 left in the quarter.

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Taylor’s kickoff was taken at the 2 by Carleton Roach, who slipped and fell at the 8. However, a Cougar unwisely dove on the already-down Roach. The personal foul penalty gave the Comets the ball at their own 23. Facing 4th-and-9 from their own 24, the Comets punted. Wheeling returned the ball 8 yards to the Halifax 48.

For the fourth time in the game, the Cougars scored on only two plays. Cobbs took the sweep down the left sideline for 48 yards and the score. Taylor’s PAT attempt was wide left this time. PC 51-8 with 7:03 still left in the third quarter.

Taylor’s squib kickoff was covered by the Comets at their own 40. Halifax would manage one first down. Then on 3rd-and-7 from the HC 47, Walker intercepted a pass from Brandon for the second time in the game, and returned it from the 50 to the Halifax 31.

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Joseph Radcliffe now took over for Wheeling as the Cougar QB. The Cougars would manage one first down before facing 4th-and-5 at the Comet 31. Taylor’s 48-yard FG attempt was low and wide left. The Comets took over on their own 20.

The Comets managed one first down before facing 4th-and-13 at their own 29. Clark punted, and the ball rolled dead at the PC 37.

The Cougars faced 4th-and-2 at their own 45. Taylor then sent a booming punt into the endzone.

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Photos by Jeff Wolfe

The Comets fumbled on 2nd-and-1 from their own 29, and the Cougars recovered.

Travis Goad was now under center for the Cougars. On 4th-and-4 from the Comet 25, Rusty Lane took the pitch right, but was hit for a 4-yard loss.

Halifax would manage one first down before the time expired.

"We will build on this win", said Coach Joel Hicks. "Our kick coverage is improved, without question," he added.

--BOX SCORE-


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