Rick Patrick
rick@greenepublishing.com
Just like the legendary Cowboy of the wild west, Pecos Bill, is rumored to have done, the real life Cowboys of Madison County High School tamed a tornado in the form of the Bradford High School Tornadoes on Friday, Oct. 29, in Starke, Fla. The Cowboys were challenged, but in the end, emerged victorious with a 23-21 win, improving their record to 6-3, with one regular season game remaining before the playoffs.
The contest began with the Cowboys on offense after the Tornadoes deferred possession until the second half. The Cowboys began their first drive at the 45-yard and quickly moved the ball with their typical pounding running attack, finishing the drive with a 23-yard touchdown run by Ke'Shaun Mitchell. The point-after-touchdown (PAT) was no good and the Cowboys had a 6-0 advantage still in the early moments of the first quarter. The stifling Cowboy defense held the Tornadoes to a three-and-out from their own 27-yard line. The Cowboy offensive team was back on the field at the 46-yard line, but that drive went three-and-out and the Cowboys punted the ball back to the Tornadoes. The Cowboys began to win the field position battle and the Tornadoes were at their own eight-yard line. The Cowboys' defense halted the Tornadoes and the Cowboys had the ball again at the 30-yard line. The Cowboys were able to punch the ball over the goal line with a short touchdown run by Cowboy quarterback, Jamie Hampton. Following a successful two-point conversion, the score was 14-0, with 2:12 remaining in the opening period. The Tornadoes were determined to make the contest competitive and put together a fast 65-yard scoring drive to make the score 14-7, as the first quarter drew to a close.
The second quarter began with the Cowboys moving the ball from their own 38-yard line. The drive seemed to be another three-and-out and the Cowboys lined up for a punt. In a bold move, a fake punt was dialed up and punter Jahyren Lee ran for a first down to keep the Cowboys' drive going. The Cowboys continued to move toward the goal line and Mitchell scored his second rushing touchdown of the evening. The Pat was off its mark and the score was 20-7, with approximately five minutes remaining in the first half. The Tornadoes struck quickly once again and moved the ball 80-yards, mostly through the air, to score another touchdown, closing the point-gap to 20-14 with 2:12 remaining before intermission. The Cowboys showed they too, could strike quickly by covering 62 yards in short order, capping off the drive with a six-yard touchdown run by Tommie House, with 39 seconds remaining in the second quarter. The first half ended with the Cowboys holding onto a 26-14 lead.
The second half began with the Tornadoes beginning at their own 18-yard line. The Tornadoes were able to blow to mid-field before the Cowboys' defense applied the brakes to the Tornadoes' offense. The Cowboys took possession of the pig-skin at their own 11-yard line and moved the ball into the Tornadoes' territory before turning the ball over on downs at the Tornadoes' 28-yard line. The Tornadoes made it to near mid-field before turning the ball over on downs at the Cowboys' 48-yard line. The Cowboys moved the ball down the field again and finished the drive with a short touchdown run by House. The score was 32-14, with :23 remaining in the third quarter. On the ensuing kickoff, the Tornadoes' return man found an opening in the line and sprinted through for a touchdown kickoff return. The PAT was good and the score was 32-21, with :10 remaining in the first period. The third quarter ended with the Tornadoes attempting an on-side kick, which was recovered by the Cowboys at the Tornadoes' 47-yard line.
The Cowboys were not able to make a sizable dent into the Tornadoes' territory and turned the ball over on downs at the Tornadoes' 40-yard line. From there, a combination of penalties and tackles-for-loss, courtesy of the Cowboys' defense, drove the Tornadoes back to their own 16-yard line. The Cowboys took over at their own 41-yard line and were able to maintain ball control and run the remaining time off the game clock. The contest ended with the Cowboys ahead 32-21.
The Cowboys amassed over 400 yards of rushing, led by House, with 171 yards on 27 carries and two touchdowns. Hampton had 156 rushing yards to go with his 22 yards passing, with one touchdown run. Mitchell toted the ball 13 times and covered 73 yards of real estate, with two rushing touchdowns. House was named the Offensive Player of the Week for the Cowboys. The Defensive Player of the Week was Jonathan Akins. The Special Teams Player of the Week was Jahyren Lee. The Offensive Hawg of the Week was Rhett Rutherford. The Defensive Hawg of the Week was Amahri Roberts. The Cur Dog of the Week was Hampton.
“I’m so proud of our kids,” said MCHS Head Coach Mike Coe after the game. “They never get an easy Friday night, there isn’t one game on our schedule that there isn’t a good football team waiting on us and the date isn’t circled because we are coming to town. That means they can’t have a bad day at practice or a bad day on Friday night or it will cost us. They took their bumps early and it took us a while to gell, but we are starting to get better daily and every Friday night. We played complementary football tonight with all three phases helping out. They work so, so hard everyday and play a war every Friday night and that is tough to do for high school kids. I’m fortunate to be their coach and fortunate to coach in a place that still believes in young people and the value of toughness, selflessness and work ethic. Great job tonight fellas, that was a hard earned victory over a tough Bradford Co. squad. Thank you to all of the fans and our cheerleaders. You made a difference tonight! Appreciate my guys, love them a whole bunch too. Go Cowboys!”
The Cowboys (6-3) now go on to play the Rickards Raiders (6-3) on Friday, Nov. 5, at Gene Cox Stadium, in Tallahassee, Fla. The Raiders are coming off a 34-28 victory over the Choctawhatchee High School Indians. Those wishing to go to the game will have to order tickets online at https://gofan.co/app/events/371063?schoolId=FL11637. All tickets will be sold online. Cash will only be taken at the concession stands. Gene Cox Stadium is located at 601 Paul Russell Rd., in Tallahassee. Kickoff is set for
7 p.m.