A week after head coach TC Chambliss challenged his Columbia Academy players following a tough loss to Pillow Academy, the Cougars had a similar result on the scoreboard but a much different mindset in the eyes of the first-year head man. Playing at Oak Forest Academy Friday night, the Cougars were blown out 49-6, but the Yellowjackets are the third-ranked team in Class 5A and No. 9 in all of MAIS.
Chambliss said his team played a lot harder and showed with their effort that they’re committed to getting back on track and turning things around and not throwing in the towel.
“The energy was back to where it should be,” he added. “Obviously there are plenty of mistakes that we have to continue to work on, but they were definitely back to where they needed to be as far as their effort goes.”
The Cougars tried to catch Oak Forest napping on the opening kickoff with an onside kick, but the Yellowjackets scooped it and were gifted great field position near midfield because of it. They methodically drove down field on their opening drive until Reece Wolfe scampered into the end zone on a 7-yard touchdown run to give OFA the early lead.
The next time Oak Forest got it back, on their own 46 following a 9-yard CA punt, Scott White instantly made it a two-score game with a 54-yard touchdown run. Cougars linebacker Sam Mitchell had a shot at White in the hole, but White easily ran through the arm tackle then ran past both Jacob Reid and Dillon Rowley, who took poor angles.
Oak Forest’s next drive was much of the same. Despite Mitchell making up for the missed tackle with three stops, the Yellowjackets needed just four plays to drive 71 yards as Caleb Muse punctuated the possession with a 2-yard touchdown that made it 21-0 in the first quarter.
While CA’s offense was stuck in reverse with minus-6 yards in its first three drives, Oak Forest continued to pile it on. Muse added another touchdown, this time from 24 yards out, that extended the lead to 27-0 early in the second quarter. Where Oak Forest was winning the matchup was in the trenches. CA’s defensive line was consistently getting driven five yards off the ball, allowing Oak Forest’s linemen to not only reach the second level to seal off CA’s linebackers but oftentimes reach the third level to lay blocks on CA’s safeties.
After the Cougar offense went backwards for a fourth consecutive drive, Muse added to his big game with a 7-yard touchdown reception. Oak Forest easily added the 2-point conversion to make it 35-0. Oak Forest’s backups added to the misery with another touchdown close to halftime that made it 42-0, but then the Cougars offense finally showed signs of life.
Reid picked up CA’s first first-down of the game with an 11-yard scamper, then he showcased power and elusiveness on a 29-yard run on the next play that got the Cougars to the OFA 12-yard line. Unfortunately, his long run was the final play of the first half. Prior to those two runs, the Cougars had just one yard of offense for the half.
After CA turned it over on downs deep in its own end to open the second half, the Yellowjackets added to their lead with a short touchdown run that made it 49-0 before the Cougars finally got on the board themselves.
With long runs by Kris Ginn and Carter Rowell, the Cougars finally made it to the red zone, where Rowell cut an outside pitch back inside for a 12-yard touchdown. CA couldn’t add on with the 2-point conversion attempt, leaving it at 49-6, which proved to be the final margin.
With all the injuries the Cougars have had to endure — losing their quarterback, top two running backs and left tackle — they have had to switch things up offensively. The past two weeks, they have shifted their game plan to include more zone blocking, which should help CA’s smaller line get angles on opposing defensive lines. Chambliss said the Cougars still need their backs to get in tune with the line, but the blockers are starting to get the hang of it.
“It’s all one big dance with the offensive line and the running backs,” he said. “We’ve kind of got one piece that’s getting there, so now we have to get the backs in the same dance with the offensive line. We’re getting close.”
Now it’s onto district play for CA as it returns home Friday night to take on Brookhaven Academy. Kickoff is at 7 p.m.
