Columbia Academy (3-6, 1-0) rose to the occasion when it mattered most and essentially clinched a berth in the MAIS AAA playoffs Friday night with a 20-6 road victory over Wayne Academy.
“We finally put everything together,” head coach Randy Butler said. “Everything I’ve been talking about we did; we were consistent, physical in the run game, didn’t turn it over and got three or four turnovers defensively. We were really physical, and that was great to see.”
Butler said it’s a near certainty the Cougars won’t fall below No. 11 in the AAA rankings — they are currently No. 10 — regardless of the Week 10 results but only a district title clinches a berth.
While the Cougars may have their playoff chances sealed with the win over Wayne, now they have a chance to claim the division and move all the way up to the fifth-seed. Columbia Academy will play host to Bowling Green (6-4, 1-0) Thursday night in the final regular season game of the year.
“It puts us in a spot to win the district championship two straight years, and that’s what we were playing for,” Butler said. “We got that done, and now we have a chance to win the district. That was a huge motivating factor.”
The Buccaneers have lit up the scoreboard this season, averaging 32.6 points per game to just 17.3 for CA, and have three explosive playmakers Butler said the Cougars need to be ready for.
“The quarterback transferred in, and he can really run and throw. He kind of makes them go. They have a wide receiver, No. 23, that they try to get the ball to a lot. They move him around — he’ll play at X, Z, H and Y — trying to not let you do some things. We have to really pay attention to where he lines up,” he explained. “Their running back, who is a returning starter, is about 5-foot-7 and 200 pounds, and you don’t think he can run that well, but you see him running away from people. He had some huge runs last week against Simpson, and every game we’ve watched he’s had some big runs.”
Columbia Academy got off to a great start offensively against Wayne, scoring on its first drive for only the second time this season and first since the opening game. Quarterback Ras Pace found Riles Stuart for a 32-yard touchdown, and Pace ran in the 2-point conversion to make it 8-0 less than three minutes into the game.
Following a turnover on downs and a punt by both teams, the Cougars defense stepped up late in the second quarter to set up another Cougars’ touchdown. Linebacker Cole Rowell intercepted Wayne Academy quarterback Colton Coxwell, which gave the Cougars the ball back at their own 20. They then marched down the field, and Stuart capped off the drive with a 5-yard touchdown run. The Cougars were unable to convert the 2-point try but carried a 14-0 lead into halftime.
Wayne bounced right back to open the second half however. The Jaguars ate six minutes off the clock on a 62-yard drive that Coxwell capped with a 3-yard rushing touchdown. They were stuffed on the conversion attempt, though, as the Cougars held a 14-6 lead.
Columbia Academy was forced to punt the ensuing possession, but it took less than a minute for the Cougars to get the ball back. Defensive end Parker Mattox strip sacked Coxwell on first down, and Robert Johnson scooped up the loose ball. Two plays later Johnson caught a 10-yard touchdown from Pace to put the Cougars up 20-6, a score that would hold the rest of the way.
The Cougars offense may have had its most-balanced game of the season with 186 rushing yards and 158 through the air, while the defense made play after play. The Cougars had 11 tackles for loss, with Mattox accounting for five and Jordyn Mahaffey three. Mattox also had two sacks.
“We challenged them last week on both the offensive and defensive line to win the game. We put it on them and said if we’re going to win, it’s going to be on you guys. Both sides responded,” Butler said.
Pictured Above: Columbia Academy quarterback Ras Pace releases a pass. | Photo by Joshua Campbell
