On Monday, April 21st, the courageous Cougars finally got a chance to defend their home field! Cumberland Academy came to town ready to play their first game in almost three weeks. Even though Cumberland was hungry for a win, the Cougars were determined not to back down.
The game started with a new face on the starting lineup for our Cougars- Mr. Reese Silverman. Before Spring Break, Silverman had been putting in the hard work and earned a starting role on defense for this game! As kickoff started, Cumberland Academy got to see that the Cougar defense was ready for whatever passing or running game they brought. The Cougars were flying all around the field, pulling flags and blocking passes. Captain Aidan Briggs continually demonstrated great verbal leadership throughout the game and the ability to make big plays when his team needed it. He came away with a handful of tackles, an interception, and a big sack on a 4th down. Middle linebacker, Sam Bayer, did a great job pressing Cumberland’s quarterback and running the QB down after each snap. Middle Schoolers Christian Dawson, Braxton Henderson, and Eric Tepper also provided great pressure on the opposing team’s quarterback all game. Ben Johnson and Alex Hogg took on the challenge of guarding Cumberland’s top two wide receivers. Both young men stepped into this pivotal role and did a great job not letting Cumberland’s wide receivers get open. Reese Silverman, Jack McGrew, Ben Batten, and Blake Lackey also did a great job covering their receivers and blitzing when they got the chance.
The Cougars offense saw a new face at starting QB, Mr. Ben Johnson. The Cougars were shorthanded at QB with absences and injuries. Ben stepped up and courageously led our Cougars on offense. Ben may have been a little nervous but no one at the game could tell after Ben threw two beautiful touchdown passes in the first 10 minutes of the game. The Cougars offense was rolling and showed no signs of slowing down. Second half, Blake Lackey moved to quarterback and really had a nice game spreading the ball out to various receiver. He never seemed worried about the Cumberland blitz. He would scramble left or right, find an open receiver, and make the throw. Senior Captain Mike Janyska had a big game without a single bad snap, tremendous blocking, and three big catches for first downs. Mike turned one of the catches into a big gain, running a good 30 plus yards after the completed pass. Ben Johnson decided he was not done after throwing 2 TDs. He moved to wide receiver and also caught a touchdown pass. Aidan Briggs had another great game on offense walking away with a handful of catches and three touchdowns!!! Alex Hogg, Nick Elliott, and Jack McGrew ran crisp routes all game. Middle schooler Ben Batten stepped up with two catches of his own.
As the time ran out The Cougars won their first game at home, 28 to 12.
Players of the Game were Mr. Ben Johnson and Mr. Aidan Briggs
