COWETA TIGERS START STRONG, FALL SHORT AGAINST WAGONER

Through the first half Friday night, the eighth ranked 5A Coweta Tigers were cruising and playing nose-to-nose with 4A number one Wagoner in the Highway 51 Classic. The Tigers even scored the last two touchdowns of the opening half for a 27-14 advantage. That quickly evaporated as the Bulldogs returned from the halftime locker room with new excitement and energy. They scored 27 straight points and left Tiger Field with a 41-27 victory. Asked about the halftime strategy, Wagoner Head Coach Dale Condict said, “We did a lot of soul searching. We were playing on our heels and not being able to play our normal game. Can’t take anything against them (Coweta) though, they threw the ball well in the first half.” Sophomore Coweta quarterback J.D. Geneva threw four touchdown passes, completing 18 of 34 passes for 303 yards with one interception. The Tiger receiving corps had a good night with Seth McManus catching four passes for 78 yards and Blake Lair catching three for 72 yards and two touchdowns. Blake McDonald had three catches for 46 yards and a touchdown, Ty Decker had two for 44 yards and Thomas Ivy caught a 30-yard touchdown pass. Senior tailback Corbyn Edwards had a powerful night rushing 21 times for 97 yards. Coweta opened the scoring early in the first period. Geneva connected with Ivy down the Wagoner sideline for a 30-yard touchdown pass, capping off a 65-yard drive to take a 6-0 lead after the extra point kick failed. The Bulldogs answered with a 68-yard drive of their own to take the lead 7-6 on a six-yard run by Steven Adair and extra point kick by Blake Dumond. Coweta defender Frink recovered a Bulldog fumble at the Wagoner 35 later in the opening period and Geneva needed just one play to connect with Lair for the touchdown and a 13-7 lead after Gabe Reed nailed the extra point kick. Not to be outdone, Wagoner senior all-purpose athlete Nikia Jones showed a preview of later game success. He took the first play from scrimmage after the kickoff 80-yards and Wagoner was back on top 14-13 on Dumond’s extra point. Jones would finish with three touchdowns and 277 all-purpose yards in the season opener for the Bulldogs. Second quarter was all Coweta . The Bulldogs began to show some unusual frustration as the Tigers scored on a seven-yard pass from Geneva to Lair with 5:05 left in the half and on a 23-yard pass to McDonald with :22.4 left on the clock. The score was set up by an interception by Tiger defender McManus at the 50-yard line. Reed connected on both extra points and the Tigers went to the dressing room leading 27-14. Taking the ball first to open the second half, it was obvious the Bulldogs had a new insight into what they should be doing. They quickly demonstrated that fact as Jones took the kickoff after first mishandling the ball and sprinted 85 yards to score, narrowing the Tiger lead to 27-21 on Dumond’s extra point. Adair added his second rushing touchdown on a 59-yard run, Dumond nailed the extra point kick and the Bulldogs were on top once again 28-27. Jones followed with an interception return for 60-yards and his third touchdown of the night with :50 left in the third period. The Bulldogs were up 34-27 after the extra point kick failed. Dumond sealed the Tigers’ fate with a 30-yard run sweeping the right side with 7:24 left in the game. He added the extra point for the final 41-27 win and victory number 38 straight, just four short of tying the Ada Cougars’ record string. “I know it hurts,” Coweta Head Coach Tim Holt, Jr. told his kids after the game. “The big picture is we got better tonight. Does this game really mean anything in the overall season? The answer is no. We have one more opportunity before the games really count. When you don’t play four quarters, you see what can happen to you.” “We have to eliminate the big plays and turnover, that made the difference in this game,” Holt continued. “I saw a lot of improvement from last week tonight and we are not defined by one game. Great first half, we started fast but we did not finish strong. Number 5 (Nikia Jones) is a great player and he showed that tonight. I am proud of you and how you fought. Keep working to improve every day.” In the end, the game offered a special lesson in why teams must compete strong for four-straight quarters if they expect to stay with a quality, tradition rich program. The Tigers have a bye week this week, with their next action coming at Catoosa on Friday, Sept. 15 at 7 p.m. That is the final non-district game before the opening of District 5A-3 play at Durant on Sept. 22. Kickoff that night is at 7:30 p.m.

COWETA TIGERS START STRONG, FALL SHORT AGAINST WAGONER

Photo Credit: Clay Allen

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