Week 1 is rivalry week for the Columbia Academy Cougars as they head to Mendenhall Friday to take on reviled Simpson Academy.
The Cougars are coming off a 3-8 campaign in which they had a minus-7 turnover margin and lost in the first round of the playoffs but are ready for 2019.
Columbia Academy head coach Randy Butler said the Cougars’ motto since the summer started was to take care of the football and take the ball away, and that will be the focus Week 1.
“We’ve preached, talked and coached ball security with our offensive guys, and then you flip it around and we’ve emphasized taking it away — stripping the ball, interceptions — just trying to get it away from them,” he said.
Simpson went 10-4 last year and lost in the MAIS AAAA state championship to Lamar. Its toughness and physicality is what Butler said makes it a rough matchup each year.
“They’re the kind of football team, if you don’t have to play them, that you like to sit back and watch,” he said. “They play rugged, they play physical and they run the ball downhill at you. On defense they get after it. They run to the football, and they get there with a bad humor when they get there.”
Simpson features a split-back, triple-option attack offensively that forces defenses to remain disciplined for 60 minutes. Butler said it will help CA that it has two experienced linebackers in Patrick Gill and Kris Ginn that understand assignment football.
“You’ve got to be disciplined,” he said. “You’ve got to take the dive, you’ve got to take the quarterback and you’ve got to take the pitch. Then on top of that you have to line up and be physical because they’re physical up front. Caleb Garner is a 225-pounder, and they pound with him. Then they’ve got (Michael) Winstead, who may be as fast as any kid around here. It starts with being disciplined, and then when you try to tackle those guys you’ve really got to bring it.”
Simpson has won the last two matchups, including last year’s 26-8 contest. Kickoff is at 7.
Pictured Above: Columbia Academy's Ras Pace returns for a third season under center for the Cougars. | Photo by Joshua Campbell
