Shockley and Chmelik pave way for Cougar win

By Alfredo Muente

 

NAPLES – It all began at quarter to 1:00 when the Countryside Cougar varsity football team gathered inside CHS for the team meal catered by Felice Italian Restaurant in Palm Harbor. The roster full of players, coaches, and media gulped down a fabulous lunch before embarking on the wonderfully accommodating buses of First Priority en route to Lely High School in Naples for the annual 2007 Spring Game; the second straight year in which the Cougars traveled around the state to play another breed of football. As opposed to last year’s contest vs. Ocala’s Trinity Catholic in which Countryside lost a lopsided affair, this year the garnet and gold came through with a decisive 27-14 effort vs. the host Trojans, who are in Class 3A, District 14.

 

All of the team’s resiliency which began in January was capped off by a terrific 13 point win. Every player and coach who toiled every day in practice for the last 4 months paid off in a big way. The Trojans came out in blitzkrieg fashion, scoring first when Fortin Faustin scampered for 22 yards into the endzone to give Lely a 7-0 lead. The Cougars, who had a better than expected crowd on hand for the 3 hour ride, got on the board early in the second quarter when the junior to be pounded his way for an 18 yard TD to tie it up. Shockley finished the game with 9 carries for 69 yards and two scores. C’Side took the lead for good when he took a handoff 4 yards for a 14-7 lead to send it into the locker rooms with the edge.

 

Another bright spot on offense was former JV quarterback James Chmelik, who will be a sophomore in the upcoming fall, played liked a seasoned veteran who went 4 for 8 for 36 yards and a TD pass as the Cougars used both Chmelik and last season’s back-up, Ryan Eppes. Countryside owned the third quarter on both sides of the ball. Maurice Threatts lit up the scoreboard with a 13 yard plow, and Taylor Hand drilled the PAT to increase the lead to 21-7. Coach Ragland’s “D” looked strong in the final frame, as both Brentley Scannell and Brandon Lockwood intercepted passes, one that set up a majestic pass to the endzone to Jesse Coretes. Mike O’Regan’s touchdown to Justo Vasquez was moot as the final buzzer rang in favor of the visiting team.

 

Things don’t end here. The boys will be back in pads for two-a-days for what will be a scorching summer, and the days are now numbered until the pre-season classic at home against Alonso High in mid August. Until then, I’d like to thank the coaching staff led by John Davis, booster club president John Schroeder, and everyone who makes Countryside possible. The camaraderie for the bus ride to and fro has been quite an awesome experience, getting to hang out with my “brothers of autumn”. A winning team is one that takes their time to expose themselves to other competition around the state, and the Cougars are now on that platform. No matter what the final score may be, the Countryside Cougar football team is the epitome of a winning, successful breed.