By PAOLO GORME
News Sports Writer
Instead of Friday Night Lights, the Cougars of Canoe played under Thursday Night Lights in Hope Hull, Ala. against the Hooper Academy Colts. In a dominant performance, the Cougars brought home a 47-14 win.
“I think we left the game thinking the first half was ‘sort of a blah’ effort,” Escambia Academy Head Coach Hugh Fountain said later. “After watching film we were more pleased with our first half effort.”
EA received the opening kickoff but was forced to punt after a 3 three and out. Hooper couldn’t get anything going as well and was forced to punt. Pat McGhee fielded the punt and took it back 73 yards for a touchdown. With Sam Martin’s extra point good, EA was up 7-0 early in the ball game.
Midway through the quarter, fullback Jason Davis took the handoff from Jabe Dawe and punched it in for a 10-yard touchdown. Martin missed the extra point and the score was 13-0. Hooper’s quarterback Mcgehee, and receiver Reynolds connected on a 38-yard passing touchdown with 4:21 left. The point after was good and the Colts were only down by 6.
Early in the second quarter, Daughtry McGhee rushed for a 7-yard touchdown. Dawe scored on a 2-point conversion attempt and the score was 21-7.
With 2:07 left in the first half, Pat McGhee took the handoff and scored once again from 5 yards out. Martin’s extra point was no good and the score was 27-7. The Colts answered back with Tyson’s 53-yard rushing touchdown to end the half at 27-14.
To start off the second half, Pat McGhee ran through the defense and scored from 32 yards out for another touchdown. The 2-point conversion failed and the score was 33-14. A few minutes later, linebacker Bryant Quimby intercepted Mcgehee’s pass and took it back to Hooper’s 2-yard line. Daughtry McGhee scored on the following play with 8:57 left in the third. Martin’s extra point was good and made the score 40-14.
With exactly 6 minutes left in the third, Pat McGhee scored the last touchdown of the night for both teams on a 20-yard run. Martin’s kick was good and the final score was 47-14.
Coach Fountain also commented that last Thursday’s game was a very pivotal game since it was a region game.
This Friday is EA’s homecoming game and will be visited by South Choctaw Academy. Come out and support the boys. Go Cougars!