Central McLean wins the Cougar Bowl
By Mary Hefta After a busy week of homecoming festivities, the Central McLean Cougars were ready for action on the football field. The visiting Cougars of Heart River joined the Central McLean Cougars on the field in Turtle Lake for the Cougar Bowl and the 2008 homecoming game last Friday night. Heart River kicked off and in the first series of downs, Central McLean, starting on their own 20-yard line, had nice runs from junior backs Mick Finneman and Robert Trautman. At midfield, senior quarterback Derek Isaak ran for a 10-yard gain to keep the drive alive at the 46-yard line of Heart River. Isaak, on a quarterback keeper, gained 25 yards to set up a Finneman touchdown run with 5:57 left in the first quarter. The two-point conversion was unsuccessful. Heart River opened their drive with a big gain, but Finneman had a touchdown-saving tackle. Senior noseguard Reed Hefta stopped the Heart River Cougars for a loss on the next play. Central McLean got the ball back on downs. In the next Central McLean series, quarterback Isaak completed a slant up the middle pass play to junior Ben Duben for a 20-yard gain. As time ran out in the first quarter, Central McLean was just 12 yards from the end zone.
