The Simpson Academy Cougars opened their season with a bang, defeating the Presbyterian Christian Bobcats 43-17.
The Cougars opened the 2022 season on the road and set the tone early. Defensively the Cougars forced a turnover on the first possession thanks to an interception by Matthew Adcock. Carter Cockrell did what Carter Cockrell does taking his first handoff of the season 69 yards for a touchdown. The Cougars demoralized the Bobcats within the first two minutes of the game.
On the following kickoff the Cougars forced another turnover. Barret McKenney led the Cougar offense onto the field and showed great command. He made good reads at the line of scrimmage and made routine throws. The drive ended with a field goal by Sawyer Dunn, giving the Cougars a 10-0 lead.
The defense of the Cougars held and a big tackle on fourth down by Adcock saw the offense take over on their 24-yard line. The first play of the drive was a well-thrown 40-yard bomb from McKenney to Sawyer Dunn. McKenney ended the drive with a touchdown pass to Chanse Funchess to give the Cougars a 17-0 lead after the extra point.
The Cougar defensive players were flying around the field and swarming to the football. The Bobcats’ quarterback had little time to breathe in the pocket. Jayden Priest and other defensive linemen won their matchups at the line of scrimmage consistently. Adcock set the tone and delivered some crushing hits from the linebacker position. However, when the Bobcats had time to throw, they had success downfield. This led to their first points of the game coming at the start of the second quarter. The Cougars still led 17-7.
Chanse Funchess took a short pass near the line of scrimmage 47 yards for a touchdown on the next drive, making the score 24-7. The Cougars led 30-10 heading into halftime and continued to dominate the game until the final whistle.
It was a great start to the season. The Cougars will have their home season opener this Friday against Wayne.
