The Shadow
On Friday night, November 3, the Alleghany Cougars met up on the field with the Floyd County Buffaloes for their last regular season game on Casey Field. As was the case in the last few games now, the Cougars came on the field with a vengeance, obliterating the competition early on and ending their season with a phenomenal 9-1 record. Not too shabby for a new team!
Following the coin toss, the Cougars kicked off to Floyd County, but the Buffaloes were unable to move the ball on their first possession. The end result was punting the ball to the Cougars after just 4 downs. Once the Cougars had the ball, Des Jordan was quick to get it to Purcel Turner who carried the ball well into Floyd County territory. Soon it was Neeko Jeter with an Alleghany touchdown, putting the score at 7-0 following a Mason Hale kick.
Hale stood in front of the ball after the Alleghany touchdown, ready to kick off to the Buffaloes. In a surprising twist, Hayden Knighton recovered the ball, giving Alleghany possession of the ball once again and with great field position. It didn’t take long for Alleghany to score their second touchdown of the night. Mason Hale was up again for the extra point, gaining one more for the Cougars and putting the Cougars up 14-0 early in the first quarter.
Once Floyd County had the ball, they would once again fail to keep it. Nathen Chapman stepped up and intercepted the ball before the Buffaloes had a chance to gain any ground during their possession. The Cougars were able to capitalize on the turnover, leaving the score 21-0 in favor of Alleghany.
Several minutes passed until either team put any points on the board and it started with Floyd County with 4:43 remaining until halftime. The Buffaloes got in a touchdown, but were unable to make good on the PAT, putting the score at 21-6, Alleghany Cougars.
Soon after, the Cougars answered back with a touchdown of their own, courtesy of Hunter Depriest. The extra point kick by Mason Hale was good and the Cougars pulled further ahead of the Buffaloes. With 4:04 remaining in the first quarter, the score was 28-6, Alleghany Cougars.
Floyd County got the ball back late in the second quarter, but once again, would fail to keep it for very long. A fumble by the Buffaloes was then recovered by Hunter Knighton. Once again, the Cougars were able to capitalize on the turnover and quarterback Des Jordan ran in the ball for an Alleghany touchdown, pulling the Cougars further ahead 34-6.
Fans barely had time to celebrate, as Purcel Turner ran in yet another Alleghany Cougars touchdown, putting the score at 40-6 with 1:16 remaining in the first quarter. The Cougars would go into the second quarter with the score unchanged.
After a mostly uneventful second quarter, it was beginning to look like no more points would go on the board. However, with 4:20 remaining, the Buffaloes scored their second touchdown of the game, though they were unable to see any luck with the PAT. The score was then 40-12 Alleghany Cougars.
Almost immediately, Alleghany answered back with another touchdown of their own, pulling even further ahead of the Floyd County Buffaloes. With 4:04 remaining in the first half, the score was then 47-12 in favor of the Alleghany Cougars. The remainder of the half would go scoreless for both teams.
Early in the third quarter, Hunter Knighton put another touchdown on the board for Alleghany, making the score 54-12. Again, it looked as though the remainder of the quarter would go scoreless until the Cougars snuck in another touchdown, putting the Cougars with a substantial and impressive 61-12 lead over the Floyd County Buffaloes. Such would be the score to end the third quarter.
The fourth quarter would play out much the same as the second and third, with both teams scoreless until late in the quarter. With 4:35 remaining in the game, the Floyd County Buffaloes scored their third touchdown of the game, though they would be unable to capitalize on the PAT. The score was then 61-18 in favor of the Alleghany Cougars. Such would be the final score of the game.
The playoffs are next for the Alleghany Cougars! They will be playing an away game against the Rustburg Red Devils in Rustburg, Virginia, on Friday, November 10, at 7:00 p.m.
Quick Stats:
Des Jordan: 5/6, 165 passing yards, 4 passing TDs, 2 rushing TDs, 3 rushes for 75 yards
Hunter Depriest: 1 rush for 10 yards, 1 reception for a 45-yd. TD, 4 tackles
Andrew Cole: 7 tackles, 1 TFL
