Rick Patrick
Greene Publishing, Inc.
The stakes were high as the Madison County High School (MCHS) Cowboys took the field on Friday, Oct. 14, at Boot Hill Stadium against the Hornets of Lafayette High School (LHS). A victory would cement the Cowboys' place as Florida Class 1A District 5 champs. A loss would mean the Cowboys would have to depend on Lafayette losing two of their remaining district games. The game started with all the excitement one would expect from such a crucial match-up. By the end of the evening, the Cowboys would solidify themselves as the Class 1A District Champions as the Cowboys once again exerted their will on their opponent and walked away with a 55-7 victory.
The game started out with the Cowboys on offense and they wasted no time putting together a drive that ended with a five yard touchdown run by Teryon Henderson with 8:28 left in the opening period. After the ensuing kick off, the Hornets took the field for their first offensive drive. The drive was short lived as Travis Jay picked off a Hornet pass at the Hornet 32 yard line. After a series of uncharacteristic penalties and miscues by the Cowboys, the Cowboys looked as if they were going to score again. However, Cowboys quarterback Tre Adams made a rare poor decision and threw into tight coverage inside the Hornet five yard line. The errant pass was intercepted and the Hornets ran the ball all the way back for a touchdown. The ensuing PAT brought the score to 7-6 in favor of the Hornets. The Cowboys quickly shook off those earlier mistakes and in only 30 seconds, Henderson found the end-zone for his second touchdown of the evening. With 4:06 left in the first quarter, the score was 14-7 in favor of the Cowboys. The Hornets went three and out on their next possession and the quarter ended with the score still 14-7.
On the first play of the second quarter, Adams found receiver Josiah Mitchell for another Cowboys touchdown. On the following kick off, the Cowboys coverage team managed to pin the Hornets down on their own five yard line. The Cowboys defense again held the Hornets to another three and out, which set up the Cowboys with great field position to start their next offensive drive. The Cowboys drove down inside the Hornets five yard line and then Henderson made his way over the goal line with the help of a huge push by a “pile of Hogs” from the Cowboys offensive line. This brought the score to 28-7 with 7:42 left in the first half. After a couple more stalled drives by both teams, the half ended with the Cowboys still in the lead by a score of 28-7.
The second half saw the Cowboys continuing to dominate the game on both sides of the ball. Many of the Cowboys back up players were also able to get in on the action. At the end of the third quarter the Cowboys were up by a score of 48-7. The Cowboys finished their scoring binge with one more touchdown with 6:39 remaining in the fourth quarter to bring the final score to 55-7.
Teryon Henderson led the Cowboys' rushing attack with 186 yards on 20 carries, scoring four touchdowns. Tre Adams and Monterious Fleming also had rushing touchdowns for the Cowboys. Adams also went six for 15 for a total of 173 yards through the air with two touchdowns and one interception. Ken Hawkins and Josiah Mitchell both caught touchdown passes for the Cowboys. The Players of the Game for the Cowboys were: on offense, Alphonso Johnson; on defense, Travis Jay and Darrlyn Brooks; and on special teams, Ken Hawkins.
Next on the schedule for the Cowboys is the annual rivalry game with the Bulldogs of Taylor County. The Bulldogs are bringing a record of 5-1 to Boot Hill Stadium and are fresh off a 14-7 home win against the Crusaders of Pensacola Catholic. Kick off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 21, at Boot Hill Stadium.