Left for dead, Cougars strike late and often for comeback win

By Alfredo Muente

 

CLEARWATER - In a game that featured 9 turnovers, some things are bound to go your way. After one quarter of the annual FHSAA kick-off classic on Thursday night however, the tide never seem to favor the Cougars. The visiting Alonso Ravens from nearby Hillsborough county, flashed all the signs of a team ready to pounce on Cougar fumbles and muffed opportunities. The Ravens tallied 3 times in the opening frame, with the first score coming on a 53 yard fumble recovery by defensive lineman Jamal Crook. Alonso was penalized for excessive celebration, which in turn made the extra point attempt lengthy and was subsequently missed. The Ravens would get another quick strike following a Countryside turnover, and speedy Jessie Anaya would scamper for touchdowns of 18 and 24 yards, respectively to give the visitors a commanding 20-0 lead.

 

The football gods finally gave the Cougars a brake a minute into the second quarter. On what looked to be another scoring drive for the Ravens, Richard Shockley capitalized as he came out of a scrum with the football and ran it back 85 yards to put the garnet and gold on the board 20-7. Following a brief delay when the stadium lights obfuscated, the Cougars shunned light on the gridiron as Martavious Jones caught a screen pass from James "Jimbo" Chmelik and meandered through the gaps for 19 yard touchdown to cut the lead to just 6 as teams headed to recess 20-14. Defense was the name of the game in the third, but the fans at Cougar Stadium resonated with joy when Jimbo once again found Jones for a beautiful 41 yard sideline strike, giving CHS its first lead 21-20.

 

After 36 minutes of play, both team's junior varsity squads took the limelight and Countryside would impress under new JV head coach Carl Schroeder. The team's tenacious "D" would overwhelm Alonso's inexperience and sack the quarterback numerous times, which allowed the offense to tally the final 7 with a well-executed pass from Ryan Dailey to Zach Graves good for 23 yards to seal the score at 28-20, capping off an incredible comeback with both varsity and JV combining on the winning effort. Everything starts for real next Friday the 31st as the varsity squad begins regular season play with a 3 game homestand starting with the Pinellas Park Patriots. Game time is 7:30.