Rick Patrick
rick@greenepublishing.com
Cowboy fans who have waited patiently through the summer months to get a glimpse of the Madison County High School (MCHS) Cowboys in action under their new head coach, Price Harris, had to wait a little bit longer on Friday, Aug. 19, to see the Cowboys defeat the Wakulla High School War Eagles, 25-14, in the annual Kickoff Classic. A line of thunderstorms delayed the start of action for nearly an hour while both teams waited for the skies to clear. Once the skies cleared, Cowboy fans were treated to a taste of familiar Cowboy-style football, with a few new twists thrown in. The new twists were literally thrown in as the Cowboys chose to pass the ball with greater success than they enjoyed last season. Starting Cowboy quarterback, Jamie Hampton, showed definite improvement in his throwing accuracy over much of the previous season, without losing any of his ability to scramble and move the ball while running the run/pass option offense.
The Cowboys took the ball first on offense after the War Eagles won the coin toss and deferred possession to the second half. The Cowboys were unable to make a first down, going three-and-out on their first possession. After the War Eagles took over at their own 46-yard line, they started moving down the field until the Cowboy defensive unit forced a fumble, recovering the ball at the Cowboys' 22-yard line. The Cowboys moved the ball, but failed to fully capitalize, and the drive stalled near mid-field. The War Eagles then took over at their own 15 after Cowboy punter Keoni Nelson showed off his new skill-set by pinning the War Eagles deep in their own end of the field. The Cowboys defense held the War Eagles to a three-and-out and the Cowboys offense was back on the field at the 45-yard line. Then Hampton hit receiver O'Shea Akins on a 40-yard touchdown pass. The following two-point conversion attempt was no good and the Cowboys held a 6-0 lead, with 4:40 remaining in the opening quarter. The War Eagles struck back with a long run that moved the ball to the Madison County five-yard line. The Cowboys' defensive unit stiffened with a goal line stand that forced the War Eagles to attempt a 16-yard field goal. The kick was no good and the Cowboys' offense was back on the field at their own 20-yard line as the first quarter drew to a close with the Cowboys ahead, 6-0.
The next Cowboy drive stalled near mid-field and the War Eagles regained ball possession at their own 24-yard line. Then the War Eagles struck quickly with a scoring drive that included a 50-yard pass and catch that put the War Eagles at the Cowboys' three-yard line. From there, the War Eagles were able to punch the ball in for a War Eagle touchdown. The ensuing point-after-touchdown (PAT) gave the War Eagles a slim 7-6 lead, with 8:45 still to play before intermission. The Cowboys responded with a 75-yard scoring drive that was capped off by a 15-yard, Hampton touchdown run. Nelson's PAT was good and the score was 13-7, with 4:45 remaining in the second quarter. The War Eagles took over at their own 26-yard line. Then Omarion Gentle and Tony Hamilton held a meeting in the War Eagle backfield and sacked the War Eagle quarterback for a big loss. Just like Lay's potato chips, the Cowboys can't eat just one, so the ever-hungry Cowboys defense chomped down on the War Eagle quarterback with another sack as time dwindled down to halftime, with the Cowboys holding on to a 13-7 lead.
With primarily back-up players playing the third quarter, the War Eagles took the second half kickoff to the 45-yard line. The Cowboys held the War Eagles to another three-and-out. After that, the Cowboys were deep in their own end of the field. Back up Cowboy quarterback, Josh Watts, was able to lead the Cowboys on a 95-yard scoring drive that ended with bruising running back Latoris Young taking the ball about 35 yards to pay-dirt for another Cowboy touchdown. The PAT attempt was no good and the score was 19-7, with 6:33 remaining in the third quarter. The rest of the third quarter was a defensive struggle, with both teams attempting to make headway on the other, without much success. The quarter ended with the Cowboys moving the ball from near mid field.
It was previously agreed between the two coaches that the junior varsity squads would play the final period. With the Cowboys moving the ball quickly into War Eagle territory, it did not take long to punch the ball over the goal line. The score was 25-7, with 11:55 remaining in the contest. The War Eagles took over at the Cowboys' 38-yard line and proceeded to move the ball across the goal line to cut into the Cowboys' lead. After the PAT, the score was 25-14. The Cowboys were forced to punt on their next possession, however, the War Eagles' return man muffed the punt and the Cowboys recovered deep in War Eagles' territory. The Cowboys moved to the War Eagles' five-yard line, where they turned the ball over on downs. Time soon ran out, with the Cowboys chalking up the, 25-14, pre-season victory.