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Simpson Defeats Leake
Leake came out of the gates with their offense clicking on all cylinders. Their quarterback, Will Lawson, led a methodical opening drive of the ballgame. The Rebels used a combination of run and pass to effortlessly move the ball down the field. Lawson hit his receiver for one more completion, the result was a 36-yard touchdown pass and a 7-0 lead.
The Cougars hit the ground running on their first series. The first three plays resulted in 13 hard earned yards and one first down before the Rebels intercepted a Cougar pass.
The Rebels did what they did on the opening drive, mixing run with pass to move the ball in the right direction. This time, Lawson only needed to toss a 3-yard pass for a touchdown and Leake’s second score of the night. The extra point was blocked, but a stunned Simpson crowd, enjoying their newly renovated stadium, sat in silence. The Cougars were trailing 13-0 at the end of the first quarter.
But something happened in the second quarter, something clicked for the Cougars.
The Cougars began to play their ball game. Relying heavily on the running game that they are so well known for but mixing in the pass to keep the defense honest.
Matthew Burney scored his first touchdown of the night when he carried the ball 15 yards into the endzone. Grycen Scott’s extra point was good and the Cougars had closed the gap.
Leake went nowhere with their next possession. The Cougars, on the other hand, continued where they left off on the last drive. This time, Matthew Burney traveled 13 yards to cross the goal line and tie the ballgame at 13-13.
Leake took the field again. This time a huge sack by Simpson’s CJ Jones, dropping Lawson 7 yards behind the line of scrimmage was the catalyst. Two plays later, Leake was forced to punt.
Simpson was penalized on their first play. But a fantastic catch on the next play by Hunter Cline, who rose over the defender to snatch the Burney pass, and took off racing down the sideline. A step out of bounds was the only thing to stop Cline. The Cougars, later in the drive, went to the air again, this time Matthew hit his brother Kyle Burney for a 26-yard touchdown toss and the Cougars first lead of the game, 19-13.
Leake, able to overcome a Noah Magee sack, managed to move the ball close enough to allow their strong legged kicker enough time (3 seconds) to kick a field a field goal. Heading into halftime, the Cougars led 19-16.
The Cougars accepted the second half kickoff and showed that the halftime show had not stopped their momentum. Kyle Burney took the handoff and raced 65 yards down the field for what looked like a Cougar touchdown. As the crowd cheered, the referee signaled that the penalty flag lying on the field represented a holding penalty against the Cougars. Just like that, the touchdown was negated and the Cougars were penalized 10 yards.
Cook Weathersby, Dylan Hallman, and Matthew Burney all took turns carrying the ball for the Cougars. Then the Cougars hit the big play once again, this time Matthew Burney hit Hunter Cline in stride for a 52-yard touchdown pass. Grycen Scott once again connected on the extra point and the Cougars now led by 10 points.
Leake came right back with their own big play. This one was a 63-yard touchdown pass by Lawson. One drive, needing only one play to put points on the board for the Rebels and to close the scoring gap to 3 points.
Unphased, the offensive Cougars hit the ground running once again. Matthew and Kyle Burney took turns carrying the ball before Kyle peeled off a 33-yard touchdown run midway through the third quarter. The Cougars lead stretched to 9 points and a score of 32-23.
The Cougars would not score again. Leake made several attempts to close the score but a missed field goal stopped one drive, a fumble recovered by Simpson’s Aaron Burney stopped another and an interception by Aaron Burney proved to be too much for the Rebels to overcome. Simpson wins 32-23.
The Cougars amassed 427 yards of total offense on the night and they needed every inch to overcome the lopsided penalties assessed against the Cougars throughout the night.
Matthew Burney led the offense with 132 yards on the ground and 146 yards through the air. Matthew ran and threw for four touchdowns. Kyle Burney added 127 yards on the ground and 26 yards receiving, scoring twice. Hunter Cline had 96 yards on 3 receptions for a score as well.
Cook Weathersby had a monster night on defense, racking up 7 tackles with 6 solos and 1.5 tackles for a loss. Caleb Garner added 4.5 tackles while Aaron Burney and Noah Magee each had 4. The Cougar defense forced the Rebels to turn the ball over three times, two fumbles and one interception.
The win evened the Cougars record at 2-2 on the season. Simpson will host their second home game of the year when Winston Academy visits Mendenhall this Friday. The evening will be a special evening as this will be Simpson’s homecoming game.
Homecoming festivities will begin at 6:00 pm, with kickoff scheduled for 7:00. The court will be presented at halftime culminating in the crowning of the 2016 Homecoming Queen.
