Graves County showed last Friday evening that they may be the best team in the district as they ran roughshod over the Cougars 55-14 at Cougar Field.
The Cougar offense put up less than 200 yards of total offense, 102 on the ground and 94 through the air. Junior quarterback Hunter Felty, playing in place of regular starter Kaylor Decker, out with undisclosed health issues, led the Cougars in rushing with 66 yards on 18 carries. Felty was also 4-of-9 passing for 74 yards.
The Cougars had the ball to begin the game and punted the ball away, with the Eagles taking over at the Cougar 35. Three plays later senior running back Clint McKee scored the first of four touchdowns on the night from two yards out. Connor Thomas added the extra point and with 8:35 left in the first period, the Eagles led 7-0.
On their next possession, the Cougars turned the ball over on downs at their own 22-yard line, setting up McKee for another two-yard run two plays later to make it 14-0.
The Cougars took over at their own 20 yard line and picked up a quick five yards when the Eagles were flagged for being offside, moving the ball to a first-and-five at the 25. Chandler McCrady gained two yards before Felty got free and raced 73 yards to the end zone to make it 14-6 after the extra-point try was no good.
The Eagles then moved 68 yards in six plays with senior Isaiah Markus taking in a 36-yard TD pass from quarterback Wesley Felts to make it 21-6.
On the ensuing kickoff, McCrady took the ball in around the 20 and picked his was 80 yards to the end zone. Junior Michael Wood then ran in a two-point conversion to make it 21-14 with 1:36 left in the first period.
That was not to be all the scoring in the first period as the Eagles’ McKee ran 70 yards on first down for the score that made it 28-14 with 1:18 left in the period.
The Cougars then found some success and moved to a second-and-four at the Eagle 27-yard line. An incomplete pass on third down was followed by a sack at the 35 and the Eagles took over there. Three plays later McKee scored for the fourth time, this time from 19 yards out to make it 35-14 with 5:30 left in the half, which is how the first half ended.
It took the Eagles just three plays and 1:15 to score again at the 10:31 mark of the third quarter. Sophomore Drake DeFreitas scored from five yards out to make it 42-14.
Grayson County was able to move the ball on its next possession, taking over at the Cougar 35 and moving to a first down at the Eagle 23. But the drive stalled at that point and the Cougars were forced to try a 44-yard field goal attempt from junior Jackson Kane.
Kane’s try had enough leg, but missed wide to the right, and the Eagles took over at their own 20. DeFreitas ran for five yards before Felts and Markus hooked up on a 75-yard pass-play for a touchdown as time expired in the third quarter and the clock began to run continuously.
The Cougars gave up the ball on downs at their own 42-yard line with 6:14 remaining and the Eagles quickly moved in for their final score of the evening. DeFreitas carried in from the 25, and when the extra-point try failed, the final score was 55-14.
By Don Brown, Local Sports
Reach Don at donbrown@k105.com
