Rick Patrick: Greene Publishing, Inc.
After suffering a loss at the hands of the Columbia County High School Tigers on Friday, Sept. 21, the Cowboys were faced with a decision to make for the rest of the season. Were they going to throw the towel in and pout; or were they going to pull themselves up and learn from the miscues of last Friday? As soon as Coach Coe addressed his team after the hard-fought game against Columbia County, he had his answer to that question. "On the way home, they were disappointed," said Coach Coe. "I would have been worried if they hadn't been [disappointed]. But there was no blaming and no finger pointing."
According to Coach Coe, the team has had a good week of practice and has taken the opportunity to examine game film and pinpoint the areas needing improvement from last Friday. "The times when we practiced good eye discipline and played within the game plan, we had success," said Coach Coe. "It was when we strayed from that we got into trouble. It was good for the guys to be able to see that."
This week, the Cowboys will be tested again when they face the Tigers of Dunnellon High School. Last season, when the Cowboys faced the Tigers in Dunnellon, the Cowboys were forced to come from behind to win the game on a late field goal. The Tigers are coming into this week's game with a 2-3 record, but Coe warns about reading too much into that fact. "Don't pay too much attention to the record, they [Dunnellon] are a very good football team. They have played some very good teams. They are like us; they will play anybody." The Dunnellon Tigers have some talented athletes on their squad, namely their elusive dual-threat junior quarterback, Javon Lee. Lee has the ability to throw the ball downfield, but can also make plays with his legs if receivers are covered. The Cowboys will have to be very disciplined if they are going to contain him. Defensively, the Tigers' middle linebacker, Maurice Jefferies, is quick and has an instinct for the ball. Jeffries has the ability to disrupt plays along the line and behind the line of scrimmage. The Tigers are coached by a familiar face; Price Harris. Harris graduated from Madison County High School (MCHS) and served as an assistant coach for the Cowboys under former Cowboy coach Randy McPherson.
The game kicks off at 7:30 p.m. tonight at Boot Hill Stadium on the MCHS campus. This will be the final game in the Cowboys' "Touchdowns Against Cancer" campaign to raise funds for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. Donation buckets will be placed at the concession stands. Donations may also be made online at www.touchdownsagainstcancer.com. The game play-by-play can be heard on Talk 105.7 FM or streaming online at talk1057.com.