Cougars dominate ACA
Published 3:22 pm Friday, September 12, 2008
The Crenshaw Cougars, led be head coach Roland Jones, bounced back from last week’s loss in dazzling fashion by dismantling the Abbeville Christian Generals 61-6 Friday night. CCA scored early and often, rushing for over 300 yards and scoring on every possession of the first half. The Cougar offense was led by senior running back Jake Page, who rushed for 178 yards on 13 carries and scored 4 touchdowns, and junior running back Nick Kilpatrick, who rushed for 130 yards on 8 carries and 1 TD.
CCA’s first possession saw the Cougar offense move the ball down the field on a 9 play scoring drive, capped off by Kilpatrick’s 13 yard TD run with 7:25 remaining in the 1st quarter. After Michael “Thriller” Jackson’s successful PAT, CCA led 7-0. After CCA’s defense stopped the Abbeville offense for the first of many times, the CCA offense struck again. Nick Kilpatrick used speed and quickness to scamper 55 yards to the Abbeville 22 yard line with 1:24 left in the 1st quarter. A few plays later, Jake Page plunged into the end-zone from 2 yards out with 1:07 remaining in the 1st to give CCA a 2 touchdown lead.
On the first play of the second quarter, senior lineman Justin Penny recovered an Abbeville fumble to give the Cougars the ball at the Abbeville 31 yard line. A few plays later senior Quarterback Corey Green, who saw limited action due to a concussion he received in CCA’s previous game, hit junior receiver Garret Cross for a 37 yard TD pass. After Jackson’s 3rd PAT was good, CCA led 21-0 with 10:31 remaining in the first half.
CCA’s defense continued to harass the Generals’ offense on the ensuing Abbeville possession. Sophomore Justin Thrash intercepted a pass with 10:00 remaining in the half to give the CCA offense the ball back on the Abbeville 37 yard line. Nick Kilpatrick worked his elusive magic again by taking a handoff 31 yards to the Abbeville 9 yard line. Jake Page finished the drive on the next play, scoring his second TD of the night on a nine yard run. After a failed PAT, CCA led 27-0.
Abbeville tried to get back in the game when Parker Champion returned the ensuing CCA kickoff 85 yards to the CCA 10 yard line. The Cougar defense would not allow Abbeville to score, stopping the Generals on 4 consecutive plays to give the Cougar offense the ball back on the Cougar 3 yard line. On the next play, Senior Jake Page made the game’s most electrifying play when he took a handoff to the left, cut up the field behind his blockers, and broke free into the open field. Page then outran everyone else on the field to the end-zone, scoring his third TD of the night on a 97 yard run. Jackson’s PAT was good, and CCA led 34-0 with 7 minutes remaining in the half. CCA took the 34-0 lead into the half.
The second half was much of the same. Page scored on a 25 yard TD run for his 4th TD of the night with 9:29 left in the 3rd quarter. The quarter ended in the same score, 41-0. The last quarter saw CCA score 3 more times and Abbeville score once to end the game in a 61-6 blowout. Sophomore RB Kyle Furr scored his second rushing TD of the season, Michael D’Arville returned an option pitch he caught in the Abbeville backfield 24 yards for a score, and Michael “Thriller” Jackson scooped a fumble up in the final minutes of the game and returned it 37 yards for the game’s final TD.
CCA’s one-two punch of Page and Kilpatrick, the “Thunder and Lightning” of AISA 1A football, was much more than Abbeville could handle. CCA’s defense, led by 10 tackles from Cody Moses and 9 tackles from Jonathan Burt and Zach Bell, smothered the General offense all night as well. CCA’s rushing game and defense obliterated any chance Abbeville had of winning this game very early.
The Cougar’s won their first area game, but must travel to Lafayette tomorrow night to face the Chambers Academy Rebels for their second area contest. Chambers posted a 3-7 season in 2A competition last year. CCA must handle adversity on the road and continue to open holes for Page and Kilpatrick to run through. A few downfield strikes from the cannon-armed quarterback Green could likely soften up the Chambers defense for CCA’s rushing attack.
Kickoff in Lafayette is scheduled for 7 p.m.