Rick Patrick: Greene Publishing, Inc.
During his Tuesday, Aug. 20 coach's show on WJHC Talk 107.5, Madison County High School (MCHS) Head Coach Mike Coe talked about the Cowboys' performance during the "Kickoff Classic" game against Wakulla High School on Friday, Aug 16. The game, which didn't count as part of the official record, was called off at halftime with the Cowboys ahead 27-26. Coach Coe mentioned the fact that, on the defensive side of the ball, only one player, Chalon Howard, had any more than four starts in their high school career. Most Cowboy players on the defensive unit had not started any games. Coach Coe did not use this as any kind of excuse. Instead, he used the opportunity to challenge the players, telling them, "It's your turn. It's your time. Let's go."
Coach Coe seemed to be pleased with the play of the special teams unit during the pre-season game. "We had one kickoff run back for a touchdown and one run back inside their 20 [yard line] and another one inside their 45 [yard line]," said Coach Coe. With former running back Vinsonta Allen taking the role of quarterback, freeing Robert Hiers to take most of the snaps at running back, the Cowboys were able to move the ball effectively. "I like being able to put Vinsonta and Robert in the backfield at the same time. They are both talented and I would not want to try and defend against them," said Coach Coe. "Vinsonta has a good arm and his passing will improve." On the defensive side of the ball, the Cowboys' inexperience showed with misalignments and penalties that allowed the War Eagles to continue drives. "The good part is, we can fix those things; and we will," said Coach Coe. "We have had a really good couple of days of practice, working on those issues. We'll be ready for Crescent City."
The Cowboys begin their regular season on the road in Crescent City this evening to face the Raiders of Crescent City High School. This will be the first game in a season that could prove to be the toughest schedule faced by the Cowboys in many years. "This is probably the toughest schedule we've had since I have been here," said Coach Coe. This evening, the Cowboys face a good Raiders team that made a deep playoff run in 2018, before being defeated in the Region Final by Hawthorne High School. "They [Crescent City] have good skill players and an electrifying quarterback," said Coach Coe. "They have a defense that will get after you."
The Cowboys begin their season tonight at Crescent City High School. The school is located at 2201 S. U.S. Hwy 17, in Crescent City, Fla. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. Live play-by-play of the game can be heard on the Madison County Cowboy Football Facebook page.