Cougars show improvement at home
From our weekly issue dated September 16, 2009
The Cougar football team came up on the short end, losing 38-17 to the Pleasant Hill Billies at Illinois Valley High School on Friday night, Sept. 11.
With only 18 players out of 32 suited up, the Cougars were behind the 8-ball from the start. Also, having only 10 juniors and seniors available meant a lot of new players got a chance.
However, youth and inexperience took their toll. Said coach Ray Yarbrough, “Three of our two-way starters were out. Two were hurt, and one had to sit out for disciplinary reasons.
“But the one advantage of being shorthanded is, you see a kid in practice and get to see him in the game with a lot of PT, you say to yourself, this kid can play, which you may not have known if he was not in there.
“A good example,” said Yarbrough, “is Jon Anderson. He did a great job.”
The Cougar defense started the game strong and held the Billies to only seven plays during their first series and then turned it over on downs. Pleasant Hill then forced the Cougars to punt.
On the first play the Billie quarterback rolled out and turned up-field for a 20-yard gain, then connected on a 14-yard pass and capped it off with an 11-yard touchdown on a bootleg and a 2-point conversion. The Cougars had to punt again.
Déjà vu. Once again the Billie quarterback rambled for 20 yards. He then tried to score on a pass play to the back of the end zone, where Roger Hults came through with an interception and a touchback for the Cougars. I.V. went on an eight-play drive only to punt again.
The Cougars must have thought it was “Groundhog Day.” The Billie quarterback again rolled out for a 20-yard gain and then a 46-yard touchdown run on the next play. The 2-point conversion was good, and the score was PH 16, I.V. 0.
Big plays have hurt the Cougars during the past two games. The Billies held tough on the run, so R. Hults went to work completing nine consecutive passes, with the last a 3-yard touchdown to J. Anderson. He made it 10 straight when he hit his brother Freddy Hults for the 2-point conversion.
T.J. Parker and Curtis Paulson had 25-yard and 12-yard receptions respectively on the scoring drive, making the score PH 16, I.V. 8.
This fired up the “Black shirts” because on the next series Parker had two consecutive quarterback sacks of 9 and 10 yards and forced the Billies to punt. R. Hults and the Cougar offense then went on a 12-play drive that started on their own 9-yard line and ended on the Pleasant Hill 8.
The Billies buckled down and the Cougars kicked a field goal. It was Ben “Pit Bull” Kendall’s first field goal, and it was dead center with room to spare.
Advertisement:
The Cougars shut out the Billies in the second quarter. The score could have been in the Cougars’ favor, but the offense dropped a wide-open touchdown. Completing that pass might have changed the complexion of the game, but the score was Billies 16, Cougars 11 at the half.
The real turning point of the game was on the next two possessions from both schools. Illinois Valley punted twice and The Billies quarterback scrambled for two touchdown runs of 25 and 53 yards, in just nine plays. PH 31, I.V. 11.
The Cougars were visibly worn out due to lack of substitutions. However, they showed Cougar pride and played as hard. Led by R. Hults, the Cougs went on a 10-play drive deep into Billie territory, only to turn it over on downs.
Inspired, the I.V. defense forced a fumble on the first Billie play. Cougar ball. R. Hults picked up right where he left off, connecting with Paulson for a 10-yard end around and a 12-yard touchdown reception. The Cougars dropped the 2-point conversion attempt. Pleasant Hill 31, Illinois Valley 17.
On the Billies’ next possession, Brian Biggs and Parker made tackles for losses and forced Pleasant Hill to punt. R. Hults again went on a 10-play drive only to come up short when his 18-yard pass completion to F. Hults was just shy of the first-down marker. I.V. turned over on downs. The Billies responded, and eight plays later scored on a 40-yard touchdown pass. Extra point good. PH 38, I.V. 17.
Despite missed tackles and a lack of substitutions, the Cougars made great strides and improvement, with six big plays of 25 yards or more. “With no substitutions, they sucked it up and played Cougar football,” said Yarbrough.
“Brandon Foreaker played well and went full speed the entire game with several secondary blocks on offense and a solid performance on ‘D’. Roger and Freddy are amazing how they are always on the same page, it is like they have mental telepathy,” said Yarbrough.
TEAM STATS
- Passing: R. Hults, 18 for 34 and 236 yards – 2 TDs (3 yards and 12 yards)
- Rushing: Parker, 8 carries for 44 yards; R. Hults, 7 carries for 29 yards; J. Anderson, 9 carries for 25 yards
- Passing: Paulson, 5 catches for 68 yards; Parker, 4 catches for 68 yards; J. Anderson, 5 catches for 44 yards; F. Hults, 4 catches for 40 yards; Z. Anderson, 4 catches for 21 yards
- Defense: Crombie-Fujita, 7 tackles; R. Hults, 5 tackles, 1 interception; Parker, 5 tackles, 3 sacks; Mackey, 4 tackles, 1 sack
Advertisement:
