Rick Patrick: Greene Publishing, Inc.
It has been said that "pretty" only really matters in a beauty contest. When the Madison County High School (MCHS) Cowboys traveled to Jacksonville on Friday, Oct. 19, for a game with the ever-tough University Christian Fighting Christians, the Cowboys proved the old saying to be true when they came out of the hard-fought contest with a close 19-17 victory. Special teams and the stifling play of the Cowboys' defense late in the game were the keys to the Cowboys' success.
The game began with the Christians on offense at their own 17-yard line. That opening drive stalled and the Christians were forced to punt. On a bad snap, the Cowboys recovered a fumble and had the ball with a first-and-goal inside the five-yard line. Then, Travis Jay easily trotted into the end zone for the first Cowboy touchdown of the evening. Thomas Miller's successful point-after-touchdown (PAT) was good and the Cowboys had an early 7-0 lead. The next Christian drive began at their own 11-yard line. On second-and-long, the Christians hit a long pass to mid-field. The drive continued to the Cowboys' 24-yard line when the Christians turned the ball over on downs. The Cowboys moved the ball to the University Christian 40-yard line, then coughed the ball up on a fumble, which the Christians recovered at their own 37-yard line. That drive ended with a 35-yard field goal, making the score 7-3 as the first quarter drew to a close.
The next Cowboy drive started at the 20-yard line. The Cowboys struck quickly when Jay hit Derrrion Staten on a long touchdown pass play. A Cowboy penalty after the play forced Miller to attempt a 35-yard PAT, which drifted to the left. With 10:06 remaining until halftime, the Cowboys had a 13-3 lead. The next University Christian drive stalled near mid-field and brought up a punting situation. The Cowboys managed to block the rugby-style punt and Melvin Brown scooped up the ball and raced 70 yards down the field into the end-zone for a big Cowboys special teams touchdown. The PAT was off the mark and the score was 19-3 with 7:07 remaining in the first half. Effectively utilizing the screen pass, the Christians moved the ball into Cowboys territory, but the Cowboys recovered a fumble at their own 31-yard line to end the drive. The Cowboys were unable to capitalize and went three-and-out. The first half ended with neither team able to move the ball on the opposing defense. The half ended with the Cowboys holding a 19-3 lead.
The second half began with the Cowboys moving the kickoff to their own 40-yard line. The Cowboys went three-and-out and the Christians moved a punt return to their own 38-yard line. The Christians quickly moved the ball deep into the Cowboys' end of the field on two long pass plays. The Christians scored from the Cowboys' one-yard line and followed up with a two-point conversion. The score was 19-11, with 8:51 remaining in the third period. The following Cowboy drive stalled with a turn-over on downs at mid-field. The Christians again moved the ball downfield and scored another touchdown. The Christians attempted to tie the game with a two-point conversion, which failed. The score was 19-17 at the end of the third period. The fourth period became a game of field position as both teams traded three-and-outs. The Cowboys began a drive on their own 20-yard line. A powerful 29-yard run by Robert Hiers and a big shoe-string catch by Staten on third down gave the Cowboys a first down at the Christians' 17-yard line. Then, the Christians recovered a Cowboy fumble at the six-yard line, ending the Cowboys' scoring threat. Hoping to get into field goal range the Christians were stopped on a third-and-short. The Cowboys went three-and-out on their next drive and the Christians had the ball at their own 15-yard line. The Cowboys' defensive unit stepped up with a quarterback sack on third-and-eight. On fourth-and-19, the Christians turned the ball over on downs and the Cowboys were able to run the clock out to seal a close 19-17 victory.
The Offensive Player of the Week for the Cowboys was Derrion Staten. The Defensive Player of the Week was Melvin Brown for his 12 tackles, including one tackle-for-loss and one fumble recovery. The Special Teams Player of the Week was Dawson Rutherford. The Offensive Hog was Zac Coe. The Defensive Hog was Terray Jones.
"First off, hats off to [University Christian], they played their tails off and have a great team/program," said MCHS Coach Mike Coe. "I'm really proud of my guys. It wasn't pretty and we did all we could do to mess it up, but when the money was on the line and we had to have it, they stepped up and made huge plays! Defense bowed their necks and made two huge stops in the fourth quarter, especially a third and one stop by Jarrod Johnson and our punt team made a huge play pinning them down in their own territory. Huge tackle by Dawson Rutherford and Melvin Brown. We needed a game like this to see how we would respond to adversity and they found a way. Doesn't matter what it looks like or how it sounded, a win is a win is a win! We will get better from this because we have young men who are competitors and who take great pride in their performance."
Next up for the Cowboys will be an away contest with a long-time rival, the Bulldogs of Suwannee County High School, on Friday, Oct. 26. The Bulldogs have a record of 5-3 and are coming off a 46-14 victory over the Hornets of Yulee High School. Suwannee County High School is located at 1314 Pine Ave. SW, in Live Oak, Fla. Kickoff is slated for 7:30 p.m.