Saints Win against Much Larger Hillcrest

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Saints Win against Much Larger Hillcrest

By: Melissa Grace

With the power point system in play it is important for teams to play above their class level to gain as many points as possible. The number of power points a team has determines their position when it comes to playoff alignment. With that being said, the Saints hosted AAAA Hillcrest Friday night for homecoming. Prentiss was looking forward to the test from HA’s potent offense. The Cougars won the toss, but chose to defer to the 2^nd half. Hillcrest kicked off short on a pooch kick to up back Hunter Sutton. Sutton called for and made a fair catch on the 29 yard line of the Saints. Austin Daughdrill, Blake Greenlee, Michael Goddard and Eric Powell teamed up and ran the ball 10 straight times as they marched to the 10 yard line of the Cougars. Unfortunately, a holding penalty moved the ball back to the 25 yard line forcing a 3^rd and 20 situation. The Saints threw consecutive incompletions on 3^rd and 4^th down, but a pass interference penalty gave the Saints another chance. However, a failed attempt on 4^th down gave the ball over to the Cougars on their own 5 yard line. Hillcrest eased out to the 33 yard line, but was stopped by the Saint defense. The Cougars elected to punt on 4^th and 3. A short punt gave the Saints the ball on the 47 yard line of Hillcrest. After a 5 yard Daughdrill run, Powell fumbled and the Saints lost valuable field position and elected to punt on 4^th and 18. Greenlee’s punt sailed 44 yards and the returner was immediately bottled up for no gain on the 32 yard line. The Cougars worked their way up to the 49 yard line, but could go no farther and chose to punt back to Prentiss. The HA punt went only 21 yards and was downed on the 34 yard line of PCS. Eight plays later, Daughdrill rushed into the end zone from 10 yards out. Josh Daley added the PAT giving Prentiss a 7-0 lead at the 10:10 mark in the 2^nd quarter. Daley’s 47 yard kickoff was quickly covered by the Saints for no return on the 13 yard line of Prentiss. Hillcrest lost yardage on this drive and were forced to punt from the 12 yard line. The HA punt flew 31 yards where it was fielded by Powell who returned it 4 yards to the 39 yard line of HA. Six plays later, Greenlee hit Daley on a 10 yard pass for a touchdown. Daley added the PAT again giving PCS a 14-0 lead with 8:00 to play in the 1^st half. Daley hit a good 41 yard kickoff, but it was returned to the 39 yard line. The Cougars moved the ball to the 16 yard line, but could not convert the 4^th down attempt. Prentiss took over there, but fumbled on 1^st down giving the ball back to Hillcrest. With a new set of downs, HA fumbled back to Ned Sanders of the Saints on the 12 yard line. Prentiss moved up to the 17 yard line, but an errant snap went into the end zone where it was covered by Greenlee giving HA the safety and 2 points as well. With the free kick, Greenlee punted the ball to the Cougars. Following an 8 yard return, Hillcrest started on the 44 yard line. HA moved the ball to the PCS 11 yard line. With time expiring on the half and facing a 4^th down, the Cougars settled for a 28 yard field goal. Prentiss took a 14-5 lead into the locker room at the half.

Daley started the 2^nd half with a 34 yard kick that was returned 16 yards to the 42 yard line. A long Cougar pass gave HA a 1^st down on the 3 yard line. The Saint defense held them on two plays, but the quarterback found the end zone on 3^rd down. The PAT was added cutting the Prentiss lead to 14-12. Hillcrest kicked off to Powell who returned the ball 34 yards to the Hillcrest 46 yard line. As he was going down the Cougars stripped the ball and recovered it. Hillcrest gained no yardage on the series and elected to punt to Prentiss. The 48 yard punt was downed on the 6 yard line of PCS. The Saints worked their way out to the 25 yard line but had to punt on 4^th and 4. Greenlee’s punt was blocked but caught by long snapper Powell behind the line of scrimmage making it a live ball. Powell ran the ball 80 yards for a Saints touchdown. Daley added the PAT giving Prentiss a 21-12 lead with 5:39 to play in the 3^rd quarter. The Saints attempted the onside kick but the ball was recovered by the Cougars on the Saints 41 yard line. The Cougars were stopped at the 31 yard line and punted back to the Saints. The 25 yard punt was downed on the PCS 6 yard line. After moving out to the 14 yard line, the Saints went backwards and had to punt on 4^th down from the 9 yard line. Greenlee punted the ball 37 yards to the 46 yard line where it was downed by PCS. The Cougars earned 20 yards on the drive, but the defense shut them down at the 26 yard line. HA attempted field goal, but missed giving the ball back to PCS. The Saint offense gained 6 yards and chose to punt on 4^th and 4. Greenlee’s punt was downed after 45 yards at the HA 29 yard line. The Cougars marched to the Saint 36 yard line of Prentiss, but Powell came up with a fumble returning possession back to PCS. Consistent runs by Daughdrill moved the ball all the way to 13 yard line of the Cougars. An incomplete pass on 3^rd and 9 set up a 30 yard field goal by Daley. The kick gave Prentiss a 24-12 lead with 3:19 to play in the 4^th quarter. The kickoff went 45 yards and was returned 22 yards to the Hillcrest 37 yard line. The Saints defense came up big on 3^rd and 11 as Goddard intercepted the Hillcrest pass. All that was left was for PCS to run out the clock. The Saints improved to 5-0 on the season. PCS hosts Wayne Academy in a very important conference game Friday night.