Newton County football coach Bobby Bass has harped on special teams all summer and fall.
On Thursday, he made his kick return unit go 15 straight times until he was satisfied, much to the displeasure of Carlonte Walker.
But the junior wasn’t complaining on Friday night after he blocked two punts and returned the second half kick for a touchdown as the Cougars took a 43-7 win over Morton.
With the win, Newton County improves to 2-1 on the season.
Bass said his special teams continues to make plays for the Cougars.
“We blocked two punt and ran a kickoff back for a TD and those are things that we have worked on a lot,” Bass said. “Those are things we did in practice on Thursday. We blocked three punts in practice on Thursday and did kickoff return 15 times until I was happy with it. They probably hated me on Thursday but it paid off on Friday night.”
Morton got the ball to start the game and was forced to punt when Carlonte Walker blocked the kick, giving County the ball at the Morton 38. Three plays later, Carlois Walker scored on a 26-yard run. Lee Hill booted the PAT and County led 7-0.
On Morton’s next possession, the Panthers strung together 13 plays but were eventually forced to punt again and Walker blocked his second punt of the game. County drove down the 2-yard line but turned the ball over on downs, pinning Morton deep. County then got a safety as Miguel Evans record the sack to give County a 9-0 lead.
The Cougars then struck quickly on offense as Damon Mapp hit Donavon McCoy on a 49-yard pass play. Hill booted the PAT and County led 16-0 at the half.
“Honestly, I thought we played terrible up front,” Bass said. “You go back and watch the film and we played sluggish. I was disappointed with our effort. It was frustrating because regardless of who you are playing, you have to play hard. We played uninspired. We have to play with more enthusiasm and enjoy what we are doing.”
In the second half, the County special teams got in on the action again as Carlonte Walker returned the kick 80 yards for a touchdown. Hill’s PAT was good and County led 23-0.
After Morton turned the ball over on downs after a 10-play drive, Mapp hit McCoy on 68-yard touchdown pass to make it 30-0 with Hill’s PAT.
The County defense got in on the scoring actin next as Grey Hale scooped up a fumble and returned it 62 yards for a touchdown. Hill’s PAT made the score 37-0.
After a Morton three and out, the Cougars hit another big play as Carlois Walker scored on a 74-yard turn. The PAT was blocked and County led 43-0.
The Cougars emptied the bench in the second half as Morton added a late score for the final.
Mapp was 5-of-6 passing for 119 yards while McCoy had two catches for 117 yards. Carlois Walker had nine carries for 114 yards to lead the rushing attack.
Colin Crowder led the defense with 13 tackles while Miquel Evans had 12 stops. R.K. Cain had nine stops while Will Hillman also had nine tackles.
