On Friday night, October 20, the Alleghany Cougars faced off against the Patrick County Cougars in a Cougar vs. Cougar showdown. It is safe to say the game was already lost by Patrick County in the first quarter of the game, leaving the rest of game an opportunity for Alleghany to be a bit adventurous on the field. And adventurous they were!
To put things into context, Alleghany kicked off to Patrick County and, within three minutes of game play, Purcel Turner had already run in a 72-yard touchdown. After the extra point kick by Mason Hale proved successful, the home Cougars were already up 7-0. In the grand scheme of things, it wouldn’t have mattered much. However, Patrick County never seemed able to gain their footing on the field or get anywhere close to putting points on the board.
To add insult to injury, Patrick County fumbled the ball early and it was recovered by Hayden Knighton, ultimately resulting in a second Alleghany Cougar touchdown run in by quarterback Des Jordan. Another successful kick by Mason Hale put the Cougars in blue up 14-0. Right away it seemed, Alleghany forced a safety, gaining two more points against the Patrick County Cougars. Leaving the first quarter, they were already playing a shutout 16-0 game. It appeared as though any fight their opponent may have had was gone and gone early.
Early in the second quarter, the home Cougars made quick work down the field thanks to the tremendous skills of quarterback Des Jordan. Within minutes, they were back on the board 22-0 after another Purcel Turner touchdown. The ball was then back in the hands of Patrick County, but it wouldn’t last long. A fumble resulted in Caleb Walden jumping on the ball, nearly making it to his feet, just yards away from the goal line. Alleghany was able to capitalize on the turnover, with Des Jordan completing a pass to Xzavier “X” Hayslett who then ran the ball in for a 25-yard touchdown. A quick pass to Carter Nicely in the next play gave the home Cougars a successful 2-point conversion and putting them up 30-0 with less than 2 ½ minutes remaining until halftime.
Patrick County’s offense, once again, was unable to stand against the power of Alleghany’s defense. With guys like Walden, the Chapman brothers: Evin and Nathen, Rocklynn Philips, Gavin Via, and the Knighton brothers: Hunter and Haiden, Patrick County didn’t stand a chance. Suddenly, Alleghany had the ball back and Des Jordan was passing to Xzavier Hayslett once again just inches away from the goal line. Initially, it appeared to be an interception by Patrick County, but X fought for the ball, eventually coming up with up, and completing the 20-yard pass just 5 yards away from the goal line. Hunter Depriest would then run the ball in for an Alleghany touchdown, putting the home Cougars up 37-0 going into halftime.
During halftime, a special presentation occurred just before the Hall of Fame Inductees received plaques for their accomplishments. The special presentation was to award Lexi Dressler with a golden volleyball for her amazing feat of achieving 1000 assists during her high school volleyball career. The volleyball was given to her by assistant coach Mary Tyree with Dressler’s family by her side.
Afterwards, the Hall of Fame ceremony began with the Alleghany High School inductees. They include: Howard Nicely, Adrian Jordan, Derek Cantrell, Jimmy “Jimbo” Cantrell, and Todd Cook. Up next were the Covington High School inductees. They include: Allen Dressler, Eric “Chipper” Mack, Rob Bennett, Eugene “Petey Hunter” Johnson, and Marcus Twitty.
Then it was back to more football. In just under 3 minutes, Des Jordan and Neeko Jeter pulled off an excellent trick play that resulted in Jeter running in a 25-yard touchdown as the home Cougars continued to extend their lead over Patrick County. The extra point kick put them up 44-0 with 9:17 on the clock in the 3rd quarter.
Several minutes later, Carter Nicely was running in an Alleghany touchdown and the score was then 51-0. Still a shutout game with seconds remaining on the clock in the third quarter. One started to wonder if Patrick County would go home completely scoreless. However, with less than 7 minutes remaining on the clock in the fourth quarter, Patrick County scored their first touchdown.
Quickly, Alleghany answered back when Gavin Via scored another touchdown with less than 4 minutes on the clock. On the sidelines, Xzavier “X” Hayslett requested to go in to kick the PAT for Alleghany. Once he was given the green light by coaches, Hayslett was on the field for the first time to kick the extra point for the home Cougars. It was good, putting Alleghany up 58-7.
Patrick County would squeeze in one more touchdown and it would be their last. The Alleghany Cougars truly dominated the field Friday night with a final score of 58-13.
Quick Stats
Xzavier “X” Hayslett: 4 receptions for 35 yards, 1 rush, 1 PAT, 1 defensive tackle, & some insane catches
Carter Nicely: 5 rushes for 63 yards, 1 rush TD
Hayden Knighton: 1 TFL, 5 tackles, and 1 fumble recovery
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