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September 2, 2010
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Cougars outscore Hiram 58-26 in finale
Published October 30, 2009
The Covenant Christian Academy Cougars traveled to Hiram last Friday night to take on regional foe Grace Baptist Christian School Eagles in a key game that helped determined the seeding for the first round of the state playoffs. The fans traveling with the team to Hiram were not disappointed as the Cougars routed the Eagles 58-26 to head into the state playoffs 7-1 overall and 3-1 in regional action.
“It was a game we had to win to earn home field advantage and set the stage for our play into the state playoffs” said head coach Robert McCready. “We practiced well this past week and the boys were focused on taking care of business. You just want to strap it on and get the game started.”
“The boys knew we could talk about it or prove it on the field and I think we did that tonight” he added.
Kicking off to start the game, Covenant manhandled the Eagles as possession changed over on downs. The Cougars then marched right down the field on strong runs by Senior RB Tyler Bliss and Senior RB Aaron Cline for a TD and converted the two point conversion for an early 8-0 lead. At that point it looked like a rout in the making. But the Eagles adjusted, came down the field quickly on their next possession and scored on a perfectly thrown bomb into the end zone. The two point conversion tied the score at 8 all.
The Eagles, already sensing that they needed to take advantage of every opportunity, executed a successful onsides kick and proceeded to take the ball straight down the field for the go ahead score, making it 14 to 8. The Cougars responded on their next possession as they marched right down the field to tie the game at 14 all as we moved into the second quarter.
The second quarter was highlighted by strong defensive play on both sides of the ball with each team scoring only once. The Cougars however, were successful in their two point conversion and took a 22-20 lead into the half. At that point, it looked like it was going to be a thriller, but both Offensive Coordinator Josh McCready and Defensive Coordinator Alan Thrift made key adjustments at halftime. The second half would belong to the Cougars.
The Cougars took the second half kickoff straight down the field, again behind the legs of Bliss and Cline, taking a close 28-20 lead early in the third. It was now the defenses turn to take control of the game, and they did. The Cougar defense held the high powered Eagles to only 6 second half points as the Cougars offense started powering the ball. 36 second half points by the Cougars high octane offense completely overwhelmed the Eagles and home field advantage was assured for the Cougars going into tonight’s first round state playoff game against south region foe CrossPointe Christian.
For the night, the Cougars were led offensively by Senior RB Tyler Bliss with 234 yards on 19 carries and 4 touchdowns and Senior RB Aaron Cline with 89 yards on 15 carries and 3 touchdowns. For the night, the Cougars scored 8 touchdowns on 425 yards rushing as a team.
Defensively, Coach Thrift’s unit was led by Junior DL Trea Elliott with 11 tackles for the game. Sophomore Safety Jordan Argo had 9 tackles and one interception and Sophomore LB DJ Roman added 9 tackles as he attacked the Eagle offense sideline to sideline with many crushing hits. For the night, the Cougar defense also racked up 5 sacks, led by Senior Aaron Cline who was credited with 2.5 sacks for the game. Junior DE Jordan Hardee and Sophomore DL Tim Daniel also caused problems for the Eagle offense as they spent much of their time in the Eagle backfield for much of the second half. That duo contributed another 2 sacks for the night and totally disrupted the Eagle passing game.
“The win puts us in a good position as we head into the state playoffs” “We wanted to earn the home field advantage in the first round and control our own destiny” said Line and Assistant Coach Ron Watson. “The boys responded well, listened to their coaches and adjusted, to take down a very good Eagles team”
The Cougars play CrossPointe Christian tonight at home in a first round state playoff game. Game time is 7:30. This is the second year in a row the Cougars have made the state playoffs representing the North Region. The 7-1 Cougars expect a big crowd tonight at Cougarville Stadium as they have all year. “This is what they have worked for” “This is one of those moments in time the boys will take with them the rest of their lives” “They are totally focused on bringing home the state championship” said Coach McCready. "Tonight is the first test. Just taking one game at a time."
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