Rick Patrick: Greene Publishing, Inc.
It was supposed to be a special night for the seniors on the Madison County High School (MCHS) Cowgirl flag football team. That is exactly what it was on Tuesday, April 17, when the Cowgirls faced the Lady Tigers of Jefferson Somerset High School, from Monticello. It was the final game of the season for the Cowgirls after being eliminated from playoff contention and a chance to honor the senior members of the squad. The Cowgirls capped off their second season with a resounding 66-0 victory.
The seemingly non-stop action started on the Cowgirls' first offensive play from scrimmage, when Iesha Aikers made a big play, taking the ball all the way to the Tigers' end-zone. After the extra point, the score was 7-0 with 10:46 left in the opening period. Only a few moments later, Isabella Herndon intercepted a Tigers' pass and ran the ball back for a pick-six.With 6:45 left in the first period, the score was 14-0. As the opening period came to an end, the Cowgirls were again in the end-zone with a touchdown pass to Lasage Ferguson. The score was 20-0 at the end of the first quarter. Ferguson was not finished for the evening, scoring the next two Cowgirl touchdowns; one, a rushing touchdown, then a punt returned for a touchdown. Shakira Cooks added another pick-six interception, bringing the score to 40-0 as the first half came to a close.
The second half showed little letup from the Cowgirls when Cooks scored another touchdown with 6:38 remaining in the third quarter. Ferguson was still not finished for the day, scoring the third Cowgirl pick-six of the evening, bringing the score to 53-0 with 4:03 still to go in the third quarter. Markeyvia House took the ball "to the house" with a touchdown run that spanned the length of the field. The score was 59-0 with 5:30 yet to go in the game. Ferguson had her second punt-return touchdown of the evening late in the fourth quarter. With just over two minutes left in the game, Hannah Cooper caught a touchdown pass to put a cap on the evening. The final two minutes were skipped, and the Cowgirls had earned a 66-0 win.
The Cowgirls finished their second season with a 9-3 record. "I'm really proud of the way the girls played the entire season," said Head Coach James Ertzberger. "We played some really good teams and held our own. We took the number three team in the state to overtime, and we beat some other top-ranked teams."
If you would like to see more pictures from the Cowgirls Senior Night, pick up a copy of the Madison Enterprise-Recorder. In newsstands now.