Rick Patrick
rick@greenepublishing.com
It was a tough evening to be a Cowboy on Friday, Sept. 16, when the Madison County High School (MCHS) Cowboys traveled to Lake City to face a long-time rival, the Tigers of Columbia High School. Penalties, turnovers and miscues seemed to haunt the Cowboys at almost every turn, as the Cowboys were shut out, 21-0. This marks the second defeat of the season for the Cowboys and the first shut-out in over a year.
The contest began with the Tigers on offense at their own 36-yard line. The Cowboys' defensive unit forced a fumble that was recovered by Jonathan Akins at the Cowboys' 46-yard line. The Cowboys failed to capitalize and turned the ball over to the Tigers on a bad snap at the Cowboys' 45-yard line. The Tigers moved down the field and scored the first touchdown of the evening. The score was 7-0, with 2:15 remaining in the first period. The Cowboys then took over at their own 36- yard line and managed to move the ball into Tigers' territory. However, a turnover on downs ended the Cowboys' drive at the Tigers' 31-yard line as the first quarter drew to a close, with the score 7-0, in favor of the Tigers.
The second quarter began with the Tigers moving the ball, primarily on the ground, to mid-field, where the Tigers' drive stalled. The Tigers punted the ball to the Cowboys and pinned them back at their own eight-yard line. The Cowboys went three-and-out from there and were forced to punt the ball back to the Tigers. With good field position, the Tigers began their next drive at the Cowboys' 40-yard line and proceeded to move the ball into the end-zone for another touchdown. The score was 14-0, with 6:05 remaining until halftime. The Cowboys went three-and-out from their own 35-yard line, but the Tigers mishandled the punt reception and a Cowboy fell on the ball, giving the Cowboys' offense new life at their own 44-yard line. The drive was short-lived though when a Tiger intercepted a Cowboy pass and returned it to the Cowboy's 25-yard line. The Cowboys' defense stiffened and pushed the Tigers back as time ran out in the first half, with the score still 14-0.
The Cowboys began the second half at their own 25-yard line, but the drive stalled at the 46-yard line with a turnover on downs. The Tigers took advantage and moved the ball down the field and into the end-zone for their third touchdown of the evening. The score was 21-0, with 7:17 remaining in the third quarter. The Cowboys again showed some life on their next drive as they moved the ball from their own 29-yard line to the Tigers' 10-yard line. However, the Cowboys turned the ball over on downs when they came up just short on a fourth-and-five play at the Tigers' 10-yard line as time expired in the third quarter.
The Tigers moved the ball to mid-field when the Cowboys covered another Tiger fumble. Again the Cowboys drove deep into the Tigers' end of the field, only to turn the ball over on an interception inside the Tigers' 10-yard line. A personal foul penalty pushed the Tigers further back to their own three-yard line. The Tigers moved the ball out to the Cowboys' 31-yard line before turning the ball over on downs. With time running out, the Cowboys put together one more drive deep into the Tigers' territory, but an incomplete pass on fourth-and-goal at the Tigers' three-yard line kept the Cowboys out of the end-zone.
The Cowboys had a balanced offensive attack with 112 passing yards and 108 rushings, for 220 yards of total offense. The Cowboys struggled on third downs, converting only two out of 11 attempts. Turnovers proved costly to the Cowboys with one lost fumble and two interceptions.
The schedule does not get any easier for the Cowboys (2-2) as they travel to Tallahassee to face the Seminoles (4-0) of Florida High on Friday, Sept. 23. Kickoff for the contest is set for 7:30 p.m. The Seminoles are coming off a 42-0 win over the Jaguars of Gadsden County High School. Florida High is located at 3000 School House Rd., in Tallahassee.