Friday night, things looked bleak.
The Cougars hadn’t done much for a half. They had seen a 10-0 lead evaporate into a 22-16 deficit early in the fourth quarter. A trick play caught the Cougars off guard, and Moss Point had completed a comeback and had the momentum.
However, Newton County didn’t give up. The defense kept fighting and held Moss Point scoreless the rest of the way. Along the way, the Cougars kept pounding away, and they eventually tied the game and took the lead with less than one minute to go.
The Cougars have faced a tremendous amount of adversity. They started with high hopes, but then the middle of the season hit. They lost their quarterback to injury, along with several other key players. The Cougars were struggling to make first downs on offense while the defense kept them in most games.
It came down to the end of the season. The Cougars could either keep fighting to make the playoffs or they could have quit.
They chose to keep fighting, and it paid off.
The team that struggled found a way to work through it. The path was difficult, but they kept going and pressing on.
That’s what you hope to see in athletics. Yes, we want to see teams that can dominate their way to a 15-0 record, but sometimes, the better story are the ones that had to work really hard to get where they are. They are the Cinderella stories that we hear about in the NCAA Tournament.
However, a fairy godmother didn’t give them the opportunity. They earned it.
I don’t know if Newton County can keep winning and wind up in the state championship, but what I do know is that these young men may look back on this in their life and realize that they can overcome any obstacle with hard work and the belief that they can make a difference.
Brent Maze is the publisher of the Appeal. Contact Brent at bmaze@-newtoncountyappeal.com.
