EA crushes Rebels

Published 1:10 pm Monday, October 3, 2011

The Cougars of Canoe took their act on the road and blasted the South Choctaw Academy Rebels 60-7 Friday night in Toxey, Ala.

The Cougars (4-3, 2-2) scored every way possible in their win over the Rebels, including interceptions, rushing and passing touchdowns.

The win was an important one for the Cougars as it put them back on track in their region and the playoffs.

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Being able to get the win was a good way for the Cougars to bounce back, Cougars head coach Heath Gibson said.

“It’s a good win,” he said. “We were able to go on the road and take care of business. We only had one turnover and a couple of penalties in the game. We had several touchdowns including one special teams and two on defense, which was huge for us.”

The Cougars opened up the game strong with the opening kick being taken back 78 yards by running back Jaylen Henry. Henry finished the game with 129 rushing yards and three touchdowns to go with the kickoff return.

The kickoff return got things rolling for the Cougars, Gibson said.

“Running the opening kick back really set things in motion,” Gibson said. “Once that touchdown was on the board, the momentum was in our favor and things just went from there.”

Defensively, the Cougars made a big stand holding the Rebels to seven points.

The big plays came on two interceptions that were returned for touchdowns. Defensive back Cameron McGhee intercepted a pass and returned it 67 yards, while defensive back Jarrett Hadley picked off a Rebel pass and took it back 20 yards for a score.

The pressure on their defense helped force those plays and more, Gibson said.

“We put a lot of pressure on their quarterback,” he said. “We forced him into mistakes and he threw four interceptions. That was important.”

On offense, the Cougars had several big plays with Henry putting his three plays on the board.

Along with Henry, Michael Thompson and Clayton Dyess got in on the action. Thompson completed his only pass of the game for a 22-yard touchdown to Austin McGhee. Dyess took his score in on his only carry of the game scoring from 30 yards out.

The Cougars next game is at home against the Southern Academy Cougars.

Escambia Academy will need to stay focused, Gibson said.

“It’s homecoming, so we need to keep our minds on being prepared for Southern,” he said. “We need to act like this is the playoffs and come away with a big win.”

The Cougars and Cougars kick off at 7 p.m. next Friday at Bachelor Field in Canoe.