The SCA Cougars faced off against the Oak Forest Academy Yellow Jackets in the second round of the playoffs. Unfortunately the Cougars came up just short in a hard fought game with a final score of 22-30.
Oak Forest struck first, forcing the Cougars to play from behind. The Yellow Jackets found success with a balanced attack keeping the Cougar defense guessing. The Cougar offense got off to a slow start that gave Oak Forest extra opportunities. The Yellow Jackets were able to sustain drives and dominate the time of possession battle.
After falling behind 0-14 the Cougars were able to get on track. Finally moving within the 10 yard line, the Cougars dialed up a reverse pass that saw Barrett McKenney throw a 6 yard touchdown pass to Sawyer Dunn. Their efforts cut the lead to 7-14. The defense held on the next possession, forcing a punt, but the Cougars were not able to score before entering the halftime break.
Oak Forest possessed the ball to start the second half, but the defense held, forcing a punt. The teams continued to swap possession through most of the third quarter with both defenses playing well. Oak Forest was able to score, thanks to an explosive running play through the middle of the defense. The Cougar offense continued to struggle, giving the ball back to Oak Forest, who moved into scoring position once again. Oak Forest carried a 21-7 lead into the fourth quarter and converted a field goal to increase the lead to 24-7.
Desperate, the Cougars came alive and began to make plays. A scoring drive was capped by a 4 yard rushing touchdown from Brentley Berry. Oak Forest responded with another long drive that ended with a rushing touchdown to push their lead to 30-14. With time winding down, Berry led the Cougars on another successful drive before the end of the game. Berry connected with Barret McKenney on a 20 yard touchdown pass. McKenney made a spectacular catch with a defender draped all over him. A successful 2-point conversion led to the final score of 22-30.
The Cougars had a successful season going 8-4 overall under first year head coach Todd Mangum. The future of the team is bright and they will look to improve beyond the second round of the playoffs next year.
