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By Coach Winston Mullins
The Simpson Cougars faced off with Presbyterian Christian on Friday night. Simpson kicked off to PCS to open the game. The Simpson defense forced a three and out and a PCS punt on their first possession. The Cougar offense drove 53 yards in four plays capped off by a Brentley Berry to Michael Winstead 33 yard touchdown pass, Caden Coulson added the PAT and with 9:04 to go in the first quarter Simpson led 7-0. PCS drove down to the Simpson 14 yard line and the Simpson defense forced a turnover on downs. The Cougars went three and out and were forced to punt. The Simpson defense forced a punt on the next PCS possession, a bad snap on the punt setup Simpson at the PCS 24 yard line. Simpson drove 24 yards in six plays capped off by a Caleb Garner 1 yard touchdown run, Caden Coulson added the PAT and with 11:19 to go in the first half Simpson led 14-0. The Cougar defense stayed on the field most of the second quarter. The Cougars had several costly penalties which allowed PCS to run 19 plays and burn 6:00 minutes off the clock, before the Cougar defense forced a punt. The Cougar offense drove down to the PCS 34 yard line before turning the ball over on downs. The Cougar defense once again held PCS out of the end zone as the first half came to an end with Simpson leading 14-7. Simpson received the second half kickoff and fumbled after two plays at the PCS 49 yard line. The Cougar defense forced another three and out and a PCS punt. The Cougars started at their own 8 yard line and drove to the 43 yard line before turning the ball over on downs. The Simpson defense played great all night and forced a PCS fumble recovered by Barrett Thompson. The Cougars were forced to punt and Rico Dorsey took the punt back 75 yards for a PCS touchdown, Garrett Lunceford added the PAT and with 36 seconds to go in the third quarter Simpson led 14-7. Simpson drove down to the PCS 15 yard line but turned the ball over on downs. The Cougar defense forced a PCS punt. The Cougars took over with 5:21 left in the game and ran out the clock. The win improved Simpson’s record to 5-3 on the season. The Cougars were led offensively in the rushing game by Michael Winstead with 22 carries for 155 yards and Caleb Garner 19 carries for 64 yards and a touchdown. In the passing game Brentley Berry completed 2 passes for 41 yards, Michael Winstead had 2 catches for 41 yards. The Cougars were led on defense by Caleb Garner with 10 total tackles, Andrew Smith 9 total tackles, Jordan Taylor 8 total tackles, Carter Cockrell 7 total tackles, and Caden Coulson and Vance Smith, Jr. 6 total tackles each. Getting a sack or tackle for loss were Carter Cockrell 2, Caleb Garner 2, Andrew Smith 2, Jordan Taylor 2, Micahel Winstead 2, Matt Adcock 1, Vance Smith, Jr. 1, and Barrett Thompson 1. The Simpson defense had one turnover, a fumble recovery by Barrett Thompson. In team stats Simpson had 310 yards of total offense, 269 rushing yards, 41 passing and picked up 18 first downs. PCS had 96 yards of total offense, 80 rushing yards, 16 passing yards, and picked up 10 first downs. Simpson will travel to Park Place Christian Academy in Pearl on Friday, October 18, with kickoff set for 7:00 p.m. The game will be played at the Old Pearl High School football field. This will be the first meeting between Simpson and Park Place.
The Junior High Cougars defeated Lamar School 30-7 and the 7th and 8th Grade defeated Lamar 20-14. The JH Cougars will host Copiah Academy on Thursday, October 17, with the 7th and 8th grade starting at 5:30 p.m. followed by the 8th and 9th grade game.
