Published: October 15, 2008 05:33 pm            

Cougars crush Carthage

NEWTON — The Newton County Cougars struck early and hard in whipping Carthage 34-3 last Friday in Region 5-3A action.

The Cougars scored 17 points in the first quarter and added 14 more in the second to take a 31-0 lead into halftime.

Newton County improved to 7-0 overall and 4-0 in 5-3A. Carthage dropped to 2-5 and 1-2.

“We came out and executed well,” said Newton County head coach Jeff Breland. “We scored on six of our eight possessions on offense. Defensively, we played well. They had a couple big plays on their first drive and got down there and wound up throwing an interception in the end zone.

“The good thing about it is we were able to play some younger guys a good bit in the second half and try to get a little experience there.

“We were happy to come out with a win and now get ready to go this week at Heidelberg.”

Carthage reached the Cougar 8 on its first possession, but Michael Granger picked off a pass by Charles Hill in the back of the end zone to erase the threat.

The Cougars then went 80 yards in just two plays as they asserted themselves early. After an 18-yard pass from Patrick Ezell to Gabe Loper, Michael Granger went 62 yards around right end to put Newton County up for good.

Aaron Scoggin’s extra point gave the Cougars a 7-0 lead with 9:51 remaining in the first quarter.

The Cougars were back in business at the Tiger 20 after Hill muffed a punt with Newton County’s Trenton Evans recovering. Scoggin booted a 32-yard field goal with 5:23 to go in the opening period for a 10-0 Cougar lead.

Kicking woes continued to plague the Tigers as a high snap on a punt resulted in a 22-yard loss that gave Newton County the ball at the Carthage

14. Two plays later, Floyd Graves scored on a 12-yard run. Scoggin’s kick upped the lead to 17-0 with 2:58 to play in the first quarter.

Graves finished the night with 121 yards on 18 carries.

Ezell teamed with Loper on a 13-yard touchdown toss with 10:26 left in the second quarter for a 24-0 lead following Scoggin’s kick. The six-play drive covered 64 yards.

For the night, Loper had three catches for 47 yards. Ezell was 4-of-6 passing for 57 yards.

Diason Martin extended the lead to 31-0 when he scored on an 8-yard run with just 13 seconds remaining in the first half. Scoggin’s kick was good.

Martin gained 107 yards on a season-high 14 rushes.

Scoggin added a 32-yard field goal midway through the third quarter for a 34-0 lead.

Carthage snapped Newton County’s string of 19 consecutive scoreless quarters as Richie Long booted a 24-yard field goal midway through the fourth quarter.

Defensively, Ellis Thompson and Kirby Bishop led the way for the Cougars with seven tackles apiece. Taylor Spangler had six.

Newton County had 364 yards on the ground on 54 carries. The Cougars had 421 total yards.

Carthage had only 58 yards rushing on 21 carries. The Tigers completed 3-of-15 passes for 66 yards.

Newton County had nearly a 14-minute advantage in time of possession.

The Cougars travel to Heidelberg this Friday. The Oilers, 2-1 in 5-3A, dropped to 2-5 overall with a 36-12 loss to Itawamba AHS last week.

“We’re going to try to give them some different looks and bring some pressure,” Breland said. “Heidelberg has played a good schedule. Their record is not indicative of what type of team they have.”

In addition to IAHS, the Oilers have also faced Quitman, Taylorsville, and Bay Springs.

“Their quarterback (freshman Zachary Jackson) is a threat to score at any time,” Breland said. “He reminds us a lot of Jamie Collins down at Franklin County. He’s just a big, strong kid that can run and he throws the ball well.

“We’ve got a big challenge Friday night in containing them and holding them down.

“Our offense is going to have to click.

“It’s going to be a physical game in a hostile environment. We need to go down there ready to play football.”

        

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