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The Simpson Academy Cougars traveled to Columbia Friday night to take on the Cougars of Columbia Academy in a district contest. Simpson prevailed, winning by a score of 54-27. Frankly, the game wasn’t even that close, with Columbia scoring twice in the final minutes of the 4th quarter.
The match-up was critical according to some published media reports online. These reports stated that this game was for third place in the district. They went on to say that the winner of the ACCS versus Cathedral game would win the district and be in the driver’s seat once the playoffs begin in a few weeks.
Simpson’s dominating performance against Columbia informed all those in attendance that they were not ready to concede anything. Perhaps this was the motivation they needed to run up and down the field against Columbia.
Running up and down the field is exactly what the Cougars did. Some reports indicate Kyle Burney is still running up and down the field untouched.
Simpson needed far fewer plays, needing only 33 plays to score 54 points. The Cougars scored 7 touchdowns on the night, basically they scored every 4.7 plays. That stat is somewhat misleading, since two of Simpson’s scores came on interceptions returned for a touchdown.
Midway through the 3rd quarter, Kyle Burney intercepted a pass and returned it 82 yards for a touchdown. In similar fashion, Cook Weathersby, in the 4th quarter, intercepted another Columbia pass returning it 38 yards for a touchdown.
The big plays on defense were significant. Columbia started the game by throwing the ball and throwing it often. The Columbia quarterback attempted 33 passes, only completing 19. Seven of those receptions were to the Columbia tight end who is listed at 6’6” and 200 pounds. It was obvious that Columbia had looked at film from earlier Simpson games and detected what they thought might be a weakness in the secondary.
However, the Cougar defensive backfield was ready and played one of their better games. Nicholas Broadhead provided another interception, giving Simpson three on the evening. Most of the receptions were simply a result of the height advantage the tight-end owned over the defensive backs. But Broadhead, Matthew and Kyle Burney, Weathersby and Landon Herrington stood up to the challenge.
The offense provided 5 touchdowns of its own. Kyle Burney started the game off in spectacular fashion. The second time Kyle touched the ball, he took off untouched for a 68 yards scamper into the end zone. Kyle would score again in the first quarter, needing only 5 yards. On the night, Kyle ran for 215 yards on 17 carries for an amazing 12.6 average and three touchdowns on the night.
Matthew Burney was efficient from the quarterback position, completing all three of his passes and rushing for 39 yards on 5 carries for a third quarter touchdown.
Triston Cowan scored midway through the second quarter on a 10 yard run, one of his 4 carries on the night. Cowan’s touchdown gave Simpson a 20-13 lead and marked the beginning of the end for Columbia.
Cook Weathersby matched his interception for a touchdown with a rushing touchdown. Weathersby ran around the left side and raced 37 yards into the end zone for Simpson’s final touchdown and the exclamation point on the evening.
The Cougars amassed 332 yards of rushing on the evening. The yards were gained on 30 rushing attempts and Simpson averaged an amazing 11.1 yards per carry. The running game, with some very fast tailbacks, was aided by excellent blocking from the offensive line and their wide receivers in the open field.
The Cougar defense was stout throughout the evening. Simpson’s defense was in the Columbia back field all evening. Ben Adcox and Jayce Knight were each credited with a sack. Triston Cowan led the defense with 7.5 takcles, with 6 solos. Aaron Burney was credited with 6 tackles and 5 solo tackles. Will White added 5.5 tackles and Riley Runnels was credited with 5.
Ben Adcox, Zach Lee, Cullen Shows, Jerrad Bridges, Patrick Zila and Jayce Knight were all credited with tackles for a loss behind the Columbia line of scrimmage.
The Cougars have two games remaining on their schedule. Both games are district games. The next opponent for Simpson will be against their rivals, the Cougars from Brookhaven. However, Brookhaven has yet to win a game this season. In their three district games in 2015, Brookhaven has been outscored 126-6. All records can be thrown out the window when Simpson and Brookhaven meet, as past games have proven. Simpson should be a favorite to win the game, but will need to be on top of their game to return from Brookhaven with the victory.
Should Simpson take care of business, it would set up a show down for the last game of the year. Adams County Christian Academy, undefeated in the district, arrives in Mendenhall to close out the season. An ACCS victory secures them the District Championship. A Simpson victory would cause a three-way tie for the district lead, forcing the teams to look to the MAIS tie-breaker rules.
All of that will not matter if Simpson doesn’t take care of business against Brookhaven. The Current cast of Cougars has a lot to play for in their final two games of the regular season. It all begins Friday at 7:00 pm.
