STORY BY SCOTT CLENDENIN
CONROE — As much as a tune-up for the playoffs, the College Station Cougars used their 63-7 victory over Caney Creek on Friday at Buddy Moorhead Stadium to get the terrible taste out of their mouth following their overtime loss to Bryan last week in a battle for the District 18-5A title.
And the Cougars did it without running back Quinterrian White, whom College Station coaches held out to keep him healthy for next week’s bi-district playoff game against Hutto.
With White out, the Cougars went to the air to take control of the game. Cole Whittlesey completed 6 of 8 passes for 159 yards and three touchdowns, and Ty Brock completed 6 of 7 for 55 yards and two touchdowns. Sophomore running back Chris Monroe’s fresh legs carried him for 102 rushing yards and a touchdown, all in the fourth quarter.
The Cougar defense was ready to pounce early and often. College Station’s Randy Cessna recovered an errant option pitch and rumbled 10 yards to the Caney Creek 1-yard line. The Panther defense held after a penalty, but Ryan Bowersox connected on a 20-yard field goal for a 3-0 Cougar lead.
College Station’s Timarcus Davis intercepted a tipped Zach Biles pass at the Panther 44, and Whittlesey found Booker wide open on the Cougar sideline. Booker cut back inside at the 15 and went in untouched for a 10-0 Cougar lead.
Biles then had a pass bounce off his receiver’s hands, and Rajah Preciado snatched it out of the air and sprinted 37 yards to the pylon for a defensive score as College Station began to pour it on.
The teams traded turnovers before College Station set up shop at the Caney Creek 47. Chris Sennette went up the middle on back-to-back carries to the 35 before Charlie Glover gained 2 yards on a jet sweep. Whittlesey again went to the air and hit Jake Georgiades, who cut the slant pattern toward the corner of the end zone and went in untouched. Whittlesey ran the “swinging gate” for a two-point conversion and a 25-0 lead.
Chris Coffer returned the ensuing kickoff 87 yards for a touchdown and the only Panther points of the night, but the Cougar offense didn’t slow down when it got the ball back. Whittlesey again found Georgiades, who powered through three defenders inside the 5 before he hit the pylon for a 32-7 College Station lead.
Ty Brock hit Booker on three straight passes, the last one from 8 yards with the leaping Booker climbing over defenders and landing in the end zone for the score.
Bowersox capped the first half scoring with a 39-yard field goal as the clock ticked down to zero, and the Cougars took a comfortable 42-7 lead into the locker room.
It took just 40 seconds for the Cougars to score after taking the second half kickoff as Whittlesey scrambled 11 yards for the touchdown. Brock hit Quandree White for a 9-yard touchdown pass later in the third quarter, and Monroe scored on a 6-yard run late in the fourth quarter.
Story courtesy of B/CS Eagle