Cougs surprise NV in conference opener
From our weekly issue dated October 14, 2009
Illinois Valley hosted the North Valley Knights on Friday, Oct. 9, and apparently the Knights underestimated the Cougs and their desire to defend home turf and Cougar pride.
The outcome of the contest did not reflect how well Illinois Valley played.
I.V. and the Knights punted on their first possessions. The next time the Knights had the ball they put on a six-play drive that ended with a 5-yard TD run with 5:04 left in the first quarter.
The Cougars then went to work using a new formation which definitely confused the Knights. The “Lonesome Polecat,” a variation of the swinging gate, where the offense splits the linemen to both sides of the field and only the center and quarterback are in the middle of the field.
The first two times the Cougs ran the formation, T.J. Parker gained 10 yards and Jon Anderson 6 yards. However, two penalties and a dropped pass forced the Cougars to punt. Two Knight handoffs and 55 yards later, North Valley scored again, made the 2-point conversion and took a 16-0 lead.
Keeping possession going into the second quarter, the Cougars used their speedy skilled players Parker and Anthony Becker with runs and passes. R. Hults rolled out and tucked the ball up for a 15-yard gain; and Parker took a reverse for 8 yards, but came up inches short of a first down.
The Cougars decided to go for it on fourth; NV stopped the 15-play drive and took over on downs.
Parker then put an end to the Knights’ hopes on the third play of their next possession and intercepted the North Valley pass deep in Knight territory. The Cougars pushed the ball downfield only to come up with a dilemma: too close to punt and not close enough to kick a field goal.
I.V. elected to go for it and again was denied. The Knights used a lateral in the next play, which bounced off the Knights’ intended receiver and was recovered by the observant R. Hults.
Re-enter the “Lonesome Polecat.” R. Hults threw a 23-yard TD pass to Becker, but the PAT failed: NV 16 - I.V. 6.
The Cougars forced and recovered another fumble on the first play from scrimmage. Parker then took off for a 24-yard run; R. Hults kept the ball for 14 more yards; and Becker finished it with a 16-yard run. R. Hults hit F. Hults for the 2-point conversion. Illinois Valley was within two, 16-14.
HV continued with a seven-play drive that ended with a 1-yard TD run to bring the score to 23-14. With 2:38 left in the first half, the Cougars shot themselves in the foot with a penalty and a dropped pass to a wide-open receiver with the possibility to go the distance.
The Knights fared no better when on their first play in shotgun formation, a wild snap over the QB’s head resulted in a sack for a 16-yard loss. Two plays later, Parker came up with his second interception of the game with 27 seconds to play in the half.
R. Hults rolled out and hit Parker for a 27-yard gain and the Cougars got to the line in a hurry and spiked the ball to stop the clock. With the ball at the Knight 30-yard line, 19 seconds left and no time outs, the Cougars took a shot at the end zone, but the pass was incomplete.
With the clock running down R. Hults threw underneath to Parker who evaded and broke tackles, carrying Knight defenders in his attempt to break the plain of the goal line, but came up two ball lengths short. Half time score North Valley 23 - Illinois Valley 14.
After punting on their first possession of the second half, the Cougars recovered a Knight fumble. R. Hults went back to work and was 5-8 passing for 50-yards with completions to F. Hults, Parker and Becker. It was third down on the North Valley 12-yard line and R. Hults’ pass was broken up by a Knight defender.
Ben Kendall kicked his second field goal of the season to make the score 23-17.
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On the ensuing kick-off, Kendall, the kicker, had his second TD-saving tackle on special teams. Six plays and 55 yards later North Valley scored on a 22-yard run to make it 30-17, Knights.
R. Hults, wanting to get those points back, tried to squeeze the ball through a small window only to have it tipped and intercepted. The Knights went on an eight-play drive to end the third quarter, and on the first play of the fourth scored on a 23-yard TD run to take a commanding 36-17 lead.
I.V. failed to capitalize on its next possession, and the Knights scored on their next play with a 25-yard TD pass.
The Cougars passed their way to three consecutive first downs, but the next attempt bounced off a Cougar receiver and was picked off by a Knight defender. North Valley then scored again. The Cougars’ last drive ended when a Knight defensive lineman batted the ball and caught it himself for the pick.
With the Knights’ first team still on the field they scored one more time on a 6-yard run to end the game at 56-17.
“The score by any means does not indicate the complexion of the game. We had our chances,” said head coach Ray Yarbrough.
The Cougar coaches really deserve pats on their backs for the outstanding job they have done to keep their team focused and ready to play with all the obstacles and setbacks they have faced this season. I.V. just seems to run out of gas in the third and fourth quarters.
The Cougars were without six two-way starters, which equates to most teams as 12 starters. Missing due to injuries were Curtis Paulson, Jerrod Houston, Augie Duarte, Tim Mackey, Brian Biggs. Matt Nolan was unavailable due to sickness.
“I really feel we would have won this game if we were at full strength. Being banged up really hurt this game,” said Yarbrough. With 15 first downs, 341 yards of total offense and five turnovers on defense, the Cougars put up some positive stats.
- Receiving: F. Hults 6-61 yards, Parker 3-48 yards, Becker 4-43 yards, J. Anderson 3-29.
- Passing: R. Hults 16-32 for 180 yards and 2 interceptions; Parker 1-2 for 3 yards and 1 interception.
- Rushing: R. Hults 10 for 102 yards; Parker 9 for 46 yards.
- Defense: B Foraker 13 tackles; M. Van Tassel 10 tackles; R. Hults five tackles and two fumble recoveries; Parker five tackles and two interceptions; Justin Bartow three tackles.
The Cougars are now 2-10 overall and 0-3 in Skyline Conference play.
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