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Conventional wisdom is to schedule a homecoming game against an opponent you feel confident you can beat. With the larger crowd of friends, family and alumni in attendance, the homecoming festivities are that much more festive when the home team wins. Cathedral selected Simpson Academy as their homecoming opponent.
In return, the Simpson Academy Cougars completely dominated the Cathedral Green Wave. The Green Wave was shut out, losing 24-0. So much for conventional wisdom.
The Cougars blew the game open in the second quarter, scoring 17 unanswered points. The first to put points on the board was Grycen Scott who connected on a 34 yard field goal. Scott was perfect on the night, connecting on his only field goal attempt and all three of his extra points. If Scott can continue to kick like that, the Cougars will be hard to beat. Scott also performed well when punting the ball, kicking 4 times for 151 yards and a 37.8 average.
Kyle Burney was the next to put points on the board. This time with a 53 yard touchdown run. The first 30 yards of the run saw Kyle sprinting to the sidelines only to cut hard, leaving would be tacklers buckling at the knees, before turning it up the middle for the last 23 yards carrying two Cathedral tacklers into the end zone with him.
Matthew Burney had one completion on the night and it was a picture perfect pass. Burney threw a high and tight spiral into the corner of the end zone and the waiting hands of Bryce Caughman. With two men in coverage, Caughman had no troubles reeling in the pass. Caughman excelled in all facets of the game Friday night. In addition to his offensive duties, Caughman recorded 2.5 tackles and had 1 interception.
After a scoreless third quarter, Matthew Burney scored on a 12 yard run with just over eight minutes to play in the 4th quarter. The home team stands cleared out in a hurry, perhaps to get a jump start on the rest of the night’s activities. Everyone in attendance knew with the way the Cougars were playing, there would be no Green Wave comeback.
The defense applied extensive pressure throughout the ball game. Cook Weathersby was amped up and ready to play after missing the previous game with an injury. Hopping up and down in between plays and on kick-offs, Weathersby made his presence known with 7 tackles and a tackle for a loss.
Also making his presence known, especially in the backfield, was Austin Teater. Teater had 1.5 sacks and 1.5 tackles for a loss. On many others plays, Teater could be seen flushing the quarterback out of the pocket and running for his life. It was a physical game. By the time the second half rolled around, Cathedral was down to its third string quarterback. 
Andrew Kennedy and Caleb Garner were their normal consistent, hard-hitting selves recording 6.5 and 6 tackles respectively. Hooks Harvey played well in the secondary, often paired against the tallest player on the field. The Green Wave’s receiver, with Tulane Scholarship in hand, was flagged multiple times for offensive pass interference, as Harvey had textbook coverage.
The win was important for Simpson as this was their first district game and the win keeps them in the running for a district title. Two other teams are 1-0 in the district. The Cougars step out of district play to face Central Hinds Academy. Central Hinds currently sits on a 4-2 record for the season, their latest contest resulted in a loss to district rival Manchester Academy.
After Central Hinds, the Cougars will step back into district play with three straight district games to close out the season. If the playoffs were held today, the Cougars would be the number two seed, trailing only Indianola in power points.
There is a whole lot to play for in the remaining four games of the season. Each game is important and not to be overlooked. But if the Cougars continue to play like they did against Cathedral, then they will continue to find themselves in the driver’s seat.
Game time against Central Hinds is scheduled for 7:00 on the campus of Simpson Academy in Mendenhall. The rules continue to apply for all in attendance, be early, wear red and be loud!
Photos by Theresa Holbrook
