Staff writer
LEITCHFIELD -- The JV Cougar football team found the going against the Ohio County Eagles just as tough as their varsity counterparts did on Friday night as the Eagles pounded Grayson County 22-0 on Monday.
The Cougars had seven possessions in the game, five of which ended in punts. The other two ended with Eagle interceptions which were turned into Eagle touchdowns.
The Cougar defense held on the Eagles' first possession forcing a punt. Grayson County took over at their own 32, but immediately ran into an Eagle brick wall. A first-down run lost five yards, then the second-down snap was fumbled. On third down, freshman quarterback Johnathan Higdon was sacked for a seven-yard loss. Facing fourth-and-22, the Cougars punted.
The Eagles took over at the Cougar 42 and started a drive that ended in their first touchdown. It took just six plays to get them into the end zone, with the Eagle ball-carrier taking it in from eight yards out. A pass for the two-point conversion was good and with 3:46 left in the first period, Ohio led 8-0.
The Cougars began from their own 35 after the Eagle kick went out of bounds. They picked up a pair of first downs, but as the second period began, the drive stalled. Facing a fourth-and-three at the Eagle 32, Higdon was hit as he threw and an Eagle defender picked off the pass and returned it 75 yards for Ohio's second touchdown. A pass failed on the PAT and the score stood at 14-0 with 6:25 left in the half.
The Cougars could not move again on their next possession, but Jacob Hick's unleashed a 50-yard punt that pinned the Eagles back at their own 10 with 4:11 left. The Eagles began moving up the field, converting a third-and-six play at their own 14. They moved to a first-and-goal inside the Cougar one, but the defense stopped them for a loss on their next play. On second down, the Cougars forced a fumble which they recovered at the six with five seconds left to halt the drive.
On the kickoff to start the second half, Hicks hoped a ball that sailed over his head would go out of bounds, but when it died inbounds inside the five, he was forced to try to bring it out. Hicks was tackled at the nine and the Cougars were in a hole. The hole got immediately deeper on first down, when Hicks' backward pass on a busted play was picked off by an Eagle linebacker and turned into an Ohio touchdown. Another pass was good for two points, and at the 7:36 mark of the third quarter, the score was 22-0.
The Cougar defense was able to hold the Eagles scoreless the rest of the way, but the offense was unable to get anything going and the Eagles took their victory home with them.
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