The Patrick County High School Cougars traveled to Floyd County for a Three Rivers District matchup on October 4. Floyd County scored 29 points in a nine-minute stretch late in the first half, which proved decisive in the 36-0 loss for the Cougars.
Floyd County received the opening kickoff and fumbled on their first play from scrimmage. After recovering the fumble, they lost a fumble two plays later, giving the Cougars the ball deep in Buffalo territory. The Cougars would turn the ball back over to the Buffalos on downs.
Conditions for the game were challenging for both teams. The wet field and ball contributed to several fumbles on both sides.
After a scoreless first quarter, the Cougars threatened with the ball near the goal line. A scrum formed when a Cougar runner was stopped at the line of scrimmage. As the runner fought for yards, the Buffalos stripped the ball loose and recovered it, ending the Cougar scoring threat.
The Buffalos drove over ninety yards for the touchdown to take the 7-0 lead with 9:30 to go in the half. They would tack on three more touchdowns before halftime, including a two-point conversion for a 29-0.
“They scored 29 points in nine minutes in the second quarter, and that really hurt us,” said Cougar head coach David Morrison. “For nine minutes, we were just shell-shocked, and we gave them so many opportunities, and we could never recover. Moving forward, that’s something we’ve got to understand. If you take those nine minutes away, it’s a 7-0 ball game.”
The Cougar offense, behind two long runs by Easton Harris, moved into Buffalo territory on the opening drive of the second half before a fumble gave the ball back to Floyd County, ending the drive.
The Buffalos added a touchdown late in the third quarter to increase the lead to 36-0 and would hold off the Cougars for the win.
Turnovers hurt the Cougars, occurring twice deep in the Floyd County side of the field. “Conditions aren’t ideal, but there’s no excuse for that,” said Morrison. “You better hold on to the ball.”
Outside of the turnovers, the Cougars played well for much of the game. “We played much better defensively, and we continue to play well,” said Morrison. “We’re struggling in pieces. Here and there, we give up big chunk plays, offensively we stall out and these are things we’ve got to work on and come back to being consistent every single snap.”
On the night, Easton Harris led the Cougars with 34 yards on the ground. Defensively, Paul Pascalle had 8 tackles. Jackson Callahan, Glenn Stovall, Jayden Corns each added 7 tackles. Josh Jimrusti and Seth Geiger each had a fumble recovery.
The Cougars are now 3-4 for the season and will next play on the road at Glenvar on October 11.
