The Columbia Academy Cougars kicked off their season Friday night on the road against bitter rival Simpson Academy and just came up short in a 20-12 loss.
The Cougars stuck with the defending MAIS 4A south state champs until the very end but were ultimately outmatched by Simpson’s size and physicality, particularly in the fourth quarter.
“We went toe to toe with them and banged with them,” CA head coach Randy Butler said. “I was proud of the way we played. Our conditioning was pretty good. We had a couple of cramps but nothing like we’ve had in the past in first games. That goes back to the summer and their dedication and hard work with conditioning and in the weight room. This group really listens and tries to take care of their bodies.”
Next up for the Cougars is a home tilt with Adams County Christian (1-0), who is coming off a 7-0 victory over Oak Forest Academy.
Adams County has topped the Cougars four straight years, including a 42-14 contest last year. Butler said Adams always has great athletes and forces opponents to defend the entire field.
“They’ll run about 28 or 30 guys out there, and they’ll all be able to run real fast. We’ll have to tackle in space and try to score some points,” he said.
Neither Columbia Academy nor Simpson was able to gain any traction throughout the first quarter, with the only highlight being Kris Ginn forcing a fumble and Patrick Gill recovering it on Simpson’s first play from scrimmage.
Simpson finally kicked its offense into gear to start the second quarter and reached the red zone, but Columbia Academy’s defense stood strong to force a turnover on downs.
On a 3rd-and-14 from the CA 21, Simpson tried to throw a fade into the end zone, but Ansley Baughman made a great play on the ball to break it up. On fourth down Gill stayed home on a screen pass to get the ball back for CA.
A 23-yard catch and run by Riles Stuart got the CA offense out of neutral, and the Cougars were able to strike first. From the Simpson 24, Gill ran a seam route and made a one-handed catch that he tipped up to himself before coasting into the end zone. CA missed the extra point but took a 6-0 lead with 6:06 to play in the second quarter.
Simpson countered with a scoring drive of its own that Michael Winstead capped off with a 10-yard touchdown run on a sweep. Trevor Courtney blocked the PAT, though, to keep it 6-6 heading into halftime.
Three drives ending in punts started the second half until Simpson’s offensive line began to control the line of scrimmage and the tempo of the game. Simpson essentially abandoned its normal offense in favor of a barrage of Mason Kennedy quarterback sneaks that Columbia had no answer for.
Simpson consistently drove the Cougars off the ball and was gashing them up the gut down after down. Winstead concluded the drive with a 5-yard touchdown run, and Simpson converted the two-point attempt to take a 14-6 lead with four minutes remaining in the third quarter.
Following a Cougars’ three-and-out, Simpson ran eight consecutive quarterback sneaks, and Kennedy found pay dirt on a three-yard plunge.
The 50-yard drive culminated in six points, though, as the Cougars stuffed Kennedy on the two-point conversion with nine minutes to play in the fourth quarter.
“They kind of wore us out a little bit. They were running the sneak, and I was running everything (defensively) that’s ever drawn on the board,” Butler said. “They just kind of got us a little bit. We were plus-one in the turnover battle, and that kept us in it.”
The Cougars’ passing attack was taken off life support late in the fourth quarter as CA drove 87 yards to cut into Simpson’s lead. Robert Johnson, who also had a 26-yard catch on the drive, punctuated the drive with a 17-yard touchdown reception from Ras Pace. Johnson ran a corner route from the slot, and Pace laid it out perfectly in front of Johnson for the score to make it 20-12 with just under two minutes to play.
An unsuccessful onside kick attempt ended CA’s hope of a comeback as Simpson ran out the clock to preserve the opening-week victory.
There were two deep balls to Stuart where he was open for potential touchdowns that could have flipped the script of the game. The first one was in the first quarter, and Stuart was only able to get one hand on it with the ball from Pace just slightly too far out in front. The other was in the second half where the ball was underthrown as Pace took a hit as he released it.
“We had some chances offensively. We had some receivers running by people, and we just didn’t hit them or dropped it,” Butler said. “I’m awfully proud of the effort and how we battled, though.”
Pace completed 14-of-29 for 181 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions and was the team’s leading rusher with 30 yards on seven carries. Johnson led the receiving corps with 81 yards and a touchdown on six receptions, and Stuart had 43 total yards on 10 touches.
Pictured Above: Columbia Academy's Riles Stuart attempts to hurdle a Simpson defender. | Photo by Joshua Campbell
