Coming off a 48-8 loss to Purvis the week before and taking on one of the top MAIS teams in the state appeared to be a disaster in the making for Columbia Academy.
But the Cougars shocked the state with a gutsy 34-28 come-from-behind victory Friday night over Parklane Academy in front of their home fans.
“I’ve been a part of a lot of good ones, but none were bigger than this one right here,” CA head coach Randy Butler said when speaking to the Cougars postgame. “You hung in there and hung in there. You guys are something and can be really, really good. I’m really proud of you and everyone at this school.”
The Cougars were holding on to a slim, one-possession lead late in the fourth quarter when the Pioneers took over at their own 38. Parklane quickly marched down the field to the CA 23 but faced a 4th-and-1 with two minutes left in the game. Braydon Coffey, who ran for 185 yards, then rumbled for a 7-yard gain to keep the game alive.
But Columbia Academy’s defense once again bowed up and forced the Pioneers into another 4th-and-short — this time it was 4th-and-2 with 46 seconds remaining. The Pioneers had their way when running Coffey on a short-motion, off-guard toss out of wishbone most of the game, and it was what they used just three plays prior to pick up the conversion. This time, though, Parklane faked the toss and handed it to Brady Wilson going back the other way in an attempt to catch the Cougars off guard. Columbia Academy’s front seven sniffed it out and stuffed Wilson for no gain to preserve the upset.
“This is as good of a win as any in the school’s history. That team was 3-0 and one of the top teams in the state in (MAIS) AAAA. We battled them and made just enough plays at the end,” Butler said. “Defensively we shut them out in the second half, and offensively we kept the ball away from them.”
Butler added the win was extra special following the loss to Purvis and the effort the Cougars showed.
“We challenged them this week, and our theme was ‘No excuses; excellence.’ We tried to do everything the right way this week, and we didn’t practice particularly well at times. But I challenged them to just keep doing it. At the end of the game, it was two teams that laid everything out there,” he said. “The way we played last week was very disappointing, but coming back and winning a game like this against a well-coached team that’s ranked high was a big win for the school.”
The game began about as poorly as it possibly could for the Cougars, gaining just two yards on their opening possession and allowing Wilson to scamper for a 47-yard score on Parklane’s second play from scrimmage. When Columbia Academy got the ball back, Patrick Gill caught a short pass from quarterback Ras Pace, broke a tackle and raced for a 53-yard touchdown only for it to be called back for holding. On the very next play, Pace was intercepted trying to throw the ball away, which set up a 3-yard touchdown by Parklane’s Ben Myrick to make it 14-0 with 4:52 left in the first quarter.
Running back Riles Stuart then jumpstarted the Cougars offense with a pair of physical runs and capped off a nine-play, 69-yard drive with a 12-yard touchdown. Pace followed by running in the 2-point conversion on a draw to cut the deficit to 14-8 late in the first quarter.
However, the Pioneers extended their lead to 22-8 on a 52-yard punt return for a touchdown by Taylor Alford and a 2-point conversion two possessions later, but the Cougars answered right back.
Drew Havard took a handoff off left tackle, stiff armed a defender to the ground and turned the corner for a 26-yard score to make it 22-14 with 8:12 remaining in the first half. With the momentum swinging in the Cougars’ favor, the defense came up with a big takeaway that seemed to be the moment both sidelines realized it was going to be a close game the rest of the way.
Defensive end Parker Mattox ripped the ball away from Myrick, and Tyler Terry pounced on it to set up the CA offense near midfield. The Cougars methodically marched down the field, but two straight incompletions in the red zone set up a 3rd-and-10 at the 14. Pace then sprinted right out of the pocket and lofted a jump ball to the corner of the end zone, which Peyton Rowell hauled in for a touchdown. The 2-point attempt failed, but the deficit was down to two points with 4:40 left in the second quarter.
It took just two plays, though, for Parklane to light up the scoreboard once again. Coffey took a short pitch off right guard, found a seam and sprinted to pay dirt for a 49-yard touchdown. The conversion attempt was stuffed by the Cougars, but the Pioneers were on top 28-20.
Some tough runs by Havard and a 17-yard completion to Robert Johnson, who made a number of key third-down receptions throughout the game, set up Havard’s second touchdown of the game. He took a handoff up the gut and cruised in from seven yards out with just under two minutes remaining to make it 28-26. The Cougars thought they tied it on the 2-point conversion, but a late pre-snap penalty negated the play and CA failed to convert the second attempt.
Parklane came out throwing for the first time on the ensuing possession as halftime neared and had some receivers open downfield but couldn’t connect, sending the game to intermission. The Pioneers continued to try to throw the ball coming out of the break after noticing they left some chunk plays on the field prior to halftime, but cornerback Gavin Duncan ended Parklane’s new plan of attack as quickly as it began. On Parklane’s third straight passing attempt, Braxton Cooksey launched a deep ball down the left sideline, but Duncan won the jump ball and came down with the interception. Parklane didn’t attempt to throw the rest of the game.
Columbia Academy couldn’t capitalize on the change of possession and was forced to punt, but its defense came up with another takeaway as Terry jumped on another fumble. Havard then broke free for an impressive 39-yard gain to give the Cougars a prime chance to take its first lead of the game, but it would be for naught. Pace scrambled out of the pocket from the Parklane 15 and had just one defender to beat to reach the end zone, but as he attempted to leap for the pylon the Pioneers punched the ball loose and recovered the fumble.
It wouldn’t take long, though, for the Cougars to finally take their first lead of the game and score the deciding touchdown. Parklane was forced to punt out of its own end zone after a 3-and-out, and Stuart caught the punt, beat a defender to the sideline and made reservations for 6 from 40 yards out to put the Cougars up 32-28. Pace then ran in the 2-point conversion, and the Cougars defense held Parklane scoreless the rest of the way.
Butler said he was more than pleased by the tough running of Havard and Stuart, who combined for 265 all-purpose yards and four touchdowns.
“That combination of Drew and Riles, I’d like to see what their yards after contact was. They were just running physical and tough. It was really a good sight to see,” he said.
The Cougars defense was equally impressive in the second half. Taking on the vaunted rushing attack of the Pioneers, the Cougars committed all 11 defenders to the box the majority of the game and used their down linemen to eliminate blockers to allow the linebackers and defensive backs to roam free and make stops.
“We gave up some yards (in the second half), but we persevered and made some plays at the end,” Butler said.
Pictured Above: Columbia Academy junior quarterback Ras Pace celebrates with offensive coordinator Graham Roberts after kneeling in victory formation. The Cougars upset Parklane Academy 34-28 Friday. | Photo by Joshua Campbell
