Rick Patrick
rick@greenepublishing.com
The Madison County High School (Cowboys) ended their regular season with a hard-fought and disappointing, 15-14, defeat by the Bulldogs of Flagler Palm Coast High School, from Palm Coast, Fla. The game proved to be a defensive struggle for both teams for the majority of the contest.
The Cowboys began the game on offense and went three-and-out. The Bulldogs were then held to a three-and-out and punted to the Cowboys. That's when Zarrion "Chicken" Robinson returned the punt to pay-dirt for a Cowboy touchdown. After a successful two-point conversion, the score was 8-0, in favor of the Cowboys, with 9:04 remaining in the first quarter. Both teams traded three-and-out possessions until the Bulldogs got on the scoreboard with a 37-yard field goal in the final seconds of the first quarter.
The Cowboys began their next drive at their own 20. The Cowboys moved the ball into Bulldog territory, but the drive ended with a turn-over on downs at the Bulldog 10-yard line. The Cowboys halted the Bulldogs' drive near mid-field and the Cowboys went three-and-out from their own 13. The Bulldogs took over at the 20-yard line and that drive ended with a 43-yard field goal by the Bulldogs. The score was 8-6 as the first half ended.
The second half began with the Bulldogs driving the ball down the field before the Cowboy defense stiffened again and forced another field goal attempt. The 27-yard boot sailed through the uprights and the score was 9-8, with 6:20 remaining in the third period. The Cowboys went three-and-out from their own 21, giving the ball to the Bulldogs at the 45-yard line. That drive failed to move far and the Cowboys again had the ball, this time at their own 20-yard line. The Cowboys were moving the ball, but a fumble at the Cowboys' 42-yard line ended the drive. That's when the third quarter ended, with the Bulldogs holding a thin 9-8 lead.
The final period began with the Bulldogs going three-and-out and the Cowboys taking over at their own 23. The Cowboys were able to move the ball down the field and the drive was capped off with an "RJ" to "ZJ" connection on a 20-yard touchdown pass from Cowboy quarterback RJ Williams to Zechariah Jones. The two-point conversion failed and the score was 14-9, with 7:44 remaining in the contest. That's when the lights went out in the stadium. After several minutes waiting in the dark, play resumed with the Bulldogs mounting a long scoring drive to retake the lead, 15-14. The Bulldogs attempted a two-point conversion, but that failed. The Cowboys moved the ball down the field as the final moments ticked away. After a fourth-down conversion, the Cowboys were on the Bulldogs' 25-yard line, with approximately 30 seconds remaining in the game. Then a Cowboy interception turned the ball over to the Bulldogs.
"Our kids played their guts out and represented our town and community greatly," said MCHS Coach Mike Coe after the game. "We will learn from this and it will help make us even tougher once the playoffs start. I could not be prouder of the kids that I get to coach. They battled everything that was thrown at them tonight and we are beat up and banged up, but we will RISE!"
The Cowboys have a week off to rest and heal before they begin another playoff run. The Cowboys will host the Bears of Dixie County in the Region Three quarter-final on Friday, Nov. 13. The Bears (5-2) are coming off a 43-13 win over P.K. Yonge High School, from Gainesville. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. at Boot Hill stadium. This will likely be the only football playoff game to take place on Boot Hill this year.