The Patrick County High School Cougar football team knew going into Friday night’s game at Magna Vista that it would be a major test for the young team.
The Warriors had lost to Reidsville the previous Friday, and the Cougars knew that they would want revenge—and that is what they got. Magna Vista shut out the Cougars 49-0.
However, all is not doom and gloom for the Cougars—they did show some interesting improvements in areas that needed improvement. The key one was passing and receiving. Quarterback Logan Hutchens came into Friday’s game with a record of completing 5-of-11 pass attempts. Friday night, he completed four passes, with all for at least 12 yards.
Junior Josh Cockram caught back-to-back passes in the midst of Warrior defenders for 41 yards. Shemar Hill leaped three feet to catch an over-the-shoulder pass for 16 yards and a first down. Jacob McNulty had a sideline catch surrounded by Warrior defenders for 12 yards.
The Cougars are better known for their running game, grinding out yardage through the middle of the line. Magna Vista’s tough defensive line closed off most holes, cutting the Cougar rushing yardage to -6 yards.
The big play is what worked for the Warriors Friday night.
Coach David Morrison complained about his team’s lack of complete execution of plays Friday night.
“The biggest thing I saw was a lack of execution with some of the most fundamental things, even defensively,” he said. “Too many times there was a breakdown in communication where had we actually played the defense the way it was designed to be played, the guy would’ve been in the right place to make the play,” Morrison explained.
After last week’s win at North Stokes, the Cougars have shown some improvement from previous weeks of play. According to Morrison, one of those things is the running game: by moving the playmakers around on the field and giving more players the opportunity to move the ball, “We have seen some vast improvement,” he said.
Defensively, the Cougars have built up their stamina and tackling ability. “The guys have been working really hard,” Morrison said of his defensive line.
The Cougars (1-4) will travel to George Washington of Danville Friday for another big test. Morrison is thinking positively about the match-up: “This week I think we’ve gotten quite a bit better.”
Stats from Last Friday night:
Rushing: Shemar Hill, 6/11; Josh Baker, 2/2; Harvey Edwards, 2/2; Logan Hutchens, 5/-6; Frankie LaComa, 7/-9; Bryson Fulcher, 1/-9.
Passing: Logan Hutchens, 4/13 for 69 yards, 3 INTs.
Receiving: Josh Cockram, 2 for 41; Shemar Hill, 1 for 16; Jacob McNulty, 1 for 12.
Tackles: Bryson Fulcher, 13 & two sacks; Chase Jessup, 9; Josh Cockram, 8; Hunter Kenyon, 6. Jared Lawson and Josh Cockram had 2 fumble recoveries each. Chase Jessup, Garrett Worley and Josh Baker each contributed to pass breakups.
