The CA Cougars' postseason hopes took a tough blow Friday night with a 37-12 road loss to Wayne Academy that dropped them to fourth place in the District 4 standings with one contest remaining on their regular-season schedule. Head coach TC Chambliss said it was one of the more disappointing defeats he and his team have experienced over the past two years, but he hopes the Cougars' circumstances will serve as an opportunity to teach a valuable lesson to everyone on the roster.
"There isn't really a great way to sugarcoat what happened. We got out-coached and out-played, and (Wayne Academy) just wanted it more than we did Friday night," Chambliss said. "It's a shame to say, and this doesn't apply to the entire group, but if you look back at the film, there were a handful of guys or so who just seem to be ready for the season to be over. You've got to have all of your ores rowing in the same direction, otherwise you'll just be spinning in circles."
The Cougars played from behind the entire evening due to a disastrous start to the contest. After CA won the coin toss and deferred to the second half, the Jaguars returned the opening kickoff 65 yards for a touchdown, claiming the lead only moments into regulation.
CA's attempt to answer with a score of its own was unsuccessful. After a three-and-out forced them to punt, Wayne worked its way downfield with a demoralizing 10-play drive that ended on a 6-yard QB draw into the end zone, doubling the home team's lead to 14-0.
The Cougars' offense then began working its way down field with a steady run game, but the drive was again cut short by a Jaguars interception that was returned 56 yards to the house for another Wayne Academy touchdown.
Early in the second quarter, the Cougars finally began making strides on offense. A 25-yard pass from Reed Duncan to Eli Beard earned them their first trip inside the red zone, and Preston Sauls capitalized two plays later with an 8-yard touchdown run to put CA on the scoreboard.
Sauls found the end zone again late in the second quarter after a blocked field goal gave the Cougars one last opportunity to cut into the lead before halftime. Backed up at their own 5-yard line, Duncan launched a 30-yard pass to Sauls that was caught and taken the distance for a 95-yard touchdown, giving life to the Cougars as they entered halftime trailing 24-12.
The Cougars' defense turned up the pressure in the third quarter, forcing a fumble and a three-and-out on the Jaguars' first two drives of the half. Digging deep into their bag of tricks, Wayne successfully faked a punt and hit a wide-open receiver streaking down the sideline for a 60-yard touchdown pass, once again making it a three-score ballgame and deflating the Cougars' hopes of making a comeback.
The Jaguars went into clock management mode in the final quarter, stringing together an eight-play drive that consisted of eight runs to keep the clock ticking. Similarly to their first scoring drive, it ended with a 5-yard QB keeper into the end zone that ultimately proved to be the final score of the night in a 37-12 contest.
Now 0-2 in district play, the Cougars still have one district matchup remaining on their schedule but will need a few things outside of their control to go their way in order to reach the MAIS playoffs. CA currently sits at No. 13 in the Class 4A standings, and only 12 teams will receive the opportunity to advance and compete for a state title in November. Nevertheless, the Cougars will look to rebound and earn one last win on their home field Friday when they host Bowling Green on Senior Night.
"There are still a lot of kids fighting and pushing to end this season on a high note, and I told them that a year ago today, a lot of them wouldn't have been. That shows growth," Chambliss said. "Situations like this are among the most important lessons sports can teach a young man. In life, adversity is going to come whether you like it or not, and it's up to you to decide whether you're going to lie down and give up or hold your head up and keep pressing forward. That's our goal for this week. We're going to work just as hard or harder than we have all season to get another win and give ourselves a chance to move into that top-12 for the playoffs."
CA's Power Point rating, which determines who receives at-large bids to the playoffs, is currently 15.111. The No. 12 team, Indianola Academy, is rated at 15.667. The Cougars would need to beat Bowling Green and get help to move into the top-12.
