The Newton County Cougars used the big plays to pull away from Lake on Friday night at East Central.
The Cougars used a big-play offense and a stingy defense to take a 27-0 win over the Hornets.
Coach Bobby Bass was mainly pleased with what he saw from his young team.
“I was really pleased with our effort,” Bass said. “It’s one of the best effort grades overall that I have ever given. We have progressed so much since the spring. We just have to continue to work and get better. There are some things we have to work on and can’t have penalties that give teams extra chances.”
The Cougars got on the board first as Grey Hale hit Ethan Bounds on a. 53-yard touchdown pass. Cade Mangum hit the PAT and Newton County led 7-0. The second score came late in the first quarter when Hale hit Tylan McNichols on a 72-yard touchdown pass. Mangum banged in the PAT and County led 14-0.
“We struggled early a little but finally got rolling,” Bass aid. “The offensive line coming along and needs to work to get better. The quarterback needs to make the right reads. I think as the year comes along, we should get better and better the more they play together.”
Lake hit a 50-yard pass late in the second quarter but the drive stalled out as the Newton County defense forced the Hornets to turn the ball over on downs.
“That long pass was on a freshman,” Bass aid. “It’s just one of those things. Coming out of a timeout, I expected them to throw some kind of ball on their sideline. We just made a freshman mistake there. We have to be more consistent. Sometimes we squeezed well and sometimes we didn’t. The more they do it, the better they will be at it.”
After holding Lake out of the end zone, the Cougars hit another big play as Kimari Brown scored on an 80-yard run.
The Cougars added another when McNichols intercepted a pass on the last play of the game and returning it 70 yards for a touchdown.
Hale was 4-of-5 passing for 151 yards and two TDs. The Cougars rushed for 141 yards on 17 carries. Brown had 96 yards on five carries while LT Phillips had 26 yards on six carries. McNichols had 76 yards receiving on two carries.
This week’s game
The Cougars will hit the road and make the short trip to Collinsville to take on the Knights.
The Knights were scheduled to play Union last week but the jamboree was cancelled on Wednesday.
Last year, the Knights took a 32-16 win over the Cougars. Bass knows exactly what to expect out of the Knights.
“They are going to run power, county and buck sweep,” Bass aid. “I expect a good, physical football game from them. We run almost the exact same offense. We run the same formations, same plays, it’s almost identical. We are very similar and have the same mentality. I know we lost a good bit and they lost a good bit as well. They may have a few more guys coming back than we do.”
