State-ranked Cougars fight back the Wildcats
State-ranked Cougars fight back the Wildcats
By Chris Gessele
BHG News Service
Center-Stanton head coach Brett Eckert knew his team was in for a battle against the state-ranked and heavily-favored Central McLean Cougars Friday in Center.
And a battle is just what the Wildcats gave the Cougars.
Eckert’s squad, which has come out a bit sluggish in the first quarter of a few prior games this season, was able to move the ball on offense and hold the high-powered Cougar offense scoreless in the first quarter.
“We’ve been having some issues coming out and being a little lackadaisical to start. But this game was a nice little turn-around,” Eckert said. “We came out physical and forced them to punt the first couple drives. That’s a huge momentum-changer. We played well together as a team and got after it.”
Cougar head coach Kevin Dockter gave credit to the Wildcats’ early defense and ball-control offense.
“They came out and played a 4-4 defense which gave us trouble, and they moved the ball on the first drive and ate up over half the first quarter,” Dockter said. “I thought they played a very physical, tough game.”
The sleeping giant that was Central McLean, however, awakened in the second quarter. The Cougars began a methodical drive down the field that was capped by a touchdown scamper by fleet-footed senior Wildcat quarterback Michael Landenberger. A successful two-point conversion put the Cougars up 8-0 with just over 7 minutes remaining in the first half.
The Cougars’ combination of speed and size began to wear on Center-Stanton.
