Published: November 19, 2008 02:50 pm            

Cougars face top-ranked team in 3A for spot in South State finals

NEWTON —

Newton County and Tylertown will meet for just the second time Friday night, but just as in the previous matchup, a lot will be at stake for both teams.

The Cougars, 11-1, host the Chiefs, 10-0, in the third round of the MHSAA Class 3A playoffs with kickoff set for 7 p.m. at Decatur.

In their only other meeting, the Cougars took a 10-3 playoff victory at Tylertown in 2000.

Newton County rode the five-touchdown, 237-yard rushing night from Floyd Graves to beat Collins 33-14 in second-round action last Friday.

The Chiefs beat Magee 29-6 last week thanks to three interception returns for touchdowns by Jawon Jackson. Tylertown also got a safety and a 4-yard touchdown run by Diriques Smith.

“They’re undefeated and ranked No. 1 in 3A,” said Newton County head coach Jeff Breland. “They’ve got a whole lot of speed. They don’t have a lot of size, but they wind up getting to the football.

“They’re a well-coached football team. It’s going to be a big game, no doubt. We’ve got things we’re worried about and I know they’ve got things they’re worried about.

“It’s two good football teams and we’re going to see what happens.”

Maintaining ball control on offense is vital to the Cougars’ hopes for success.

“We need to be able to control the line of scrimmage on both sides and play keep away from them,” Breland said. “They’ve got so many weapons. They’re really, really good in special teams. They score a lot of points off their special teams, especially the punt block. Maybe we won’t have to punt much.

“It’s going to be tough. We’ve got to be able to move the football and make something happen when we’ve got the football. Hopefully, we’ll do that.

“At this stage of the game, everybody you play is going to be good. The one that makes the most mistakes is probably going to be the one that’s taking up the equipment on Monday.”

Leading the Cougar offense is senior tailback Floyd Graves with 2,046 yards rushing on 296 carries. Senior quarterback Patrick Ezell has completed 79-of-156 passes for 1,358 yards and 16 touchdowns.

Michael Granger has rushed 39 times for 349 yards despite not playing since the regular-season finale with Morton.

Diason Martin adds 209 yards on 38 carries while Shadairus Robinson has 205 yards on 54 carries.

Senior wide receiver Gabe Loper has 34 receptions for 582 yards. Granger has 23 catches for 501 yards. Senior tight end John McDougle has nine receptions for 140 yards.

Leading the Cougar defense are senior linebacker Ellis Thompson with 127 tackles, sophomore defensive back Kirby Bishop with 110, seniors Tyler Robinson and Ladarius Gallaspy with 95 each, Cody Steele with 59, Ethan Chance with 57, C.J. Mapp with 51, and Granger and Trenton Evans with 41 each.

Gallaspy leads in sacks with 10.5. Bishop has five fumble recoveries, while Evans, Gallaspy, Robinson, and Mapp each have two. Loper and Granger both have five interceptions while Graves and Robinson both have three.

        

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