STORY BY SCOTT CLENDENIN
It wasn’t easy, but College Station is 1 for 1 making the playoffs.
The Cougars earned a spot in the postseason in their first season in a UIL district with a 48-27 victory over Huntsville on Friday at Cougar Stadium.
The homecoming crowd saw the Cougar offense continue to chew up District 18-5A opponents, but even the most loyal supporter didn’t expect College Station (6-1, 4-0) to meet its district average of 71 points a game against a solid Huntsville team. Still, College Station’s Quinterrian White carried the ball 28 times for 233 yards and two touchdowns, while Cole Whittlesey completed just 3 of 10 passes for 108 yards, but all three completions went for touchdowns to help put away the Hornets (4-3, 2-2).
The Cougar defense took over the game after the Hornets took a 27-26 lead in the third quarter on a 2-yard touchdown run by Arizona State pledge Morie Evans. Huntsville turned the ball over on downs on three of its next four possessions, and College Station ended the fifth with its third interception of the game.
Amazingly enough, the only pass completion of the second half by Whittlesey was a 38-yard touchdown strike to Charlie Glover that re-established the Cougar lead. Whittlesey’s two-point conversion pass to Jake Georgiadas put the Cougars ahead 34-27.
With College Station’s defense feeding the ball back to its offense time and again, the Cougars found their rhythm by riding the strong legs of White. He carried the ball six straight times for 52 yards on their next drive, capped by his 3-yard dive for a 41-27 lead. Then Drake Carnes’ third score of the night, a sweep around left tackle, covered 29 yards and iced the game for the Cougars.
The Cougar offense went three-and-out in their first drive for the first time in district play, but College Station didn’t make it a habit when White rumbled 26 yards up the middle to jump start its next drive Then facing third-and-6, Whittlesey rolled left and threw deep to the back corner of the end zone where Carnes made a sliding catch inches from the turf for a touchdown.
College Station’s Cedrick Williams intercepted a Huntsville pass, and the Cougar offense scored in just two plays. Whittlesey carried for 15 yards then found Jeremiah Booker behind the defense on a 52-yard TD strike. The extra point was no good, but the Cougars led 13-0.
The Hornets stung the Cougars on the next possession. Ricko Bennet hit Jay Griffen for a 34-yard gain then found Alec Tatum on back-to-back passes for 11 yards each. Bennet kept the ball on a quarterback draw for 12 yards, and Evans gained 12 more down to the College Station 2-yard line. It took two attempts, but Bennet pushed his way into the end zone to cut the Cougars’ lead to 13-7.
Rajah Preciado returned the ensuing kickoff 77 yards to the Huntsville 27. White’s sweep around left tackle for 12 yards then two carries up the middle moved the ball to the 5. Carnes scored his second touchdown on a jet sweep from the 2, and again the extra point was unsuccessful to give College Station a 19-7 lead.
Evans sprinted away from Cougar defenders on a 67-yard touchdown run that cut the lead to 19-14.
Williams later intercepted another Bennet pass, this time at his own 2 to keep the Hornets out of the end zone. White barreled his way up the middle for 23 yards to the Cougar 46, and Ty Brock went deep to Georgiades for 46 yards to the Hornet 16. White took over with four straight carries up the middle, the last from 2 yards out for a touchdown and a 26-14 College Station lead.
The Hornets answered on the next drive. Bennet twice broke away from tackles and scrambled for first downs, then went untouched on a 26-yard keeper up the middle that capped the first half scoring with College Station leading the back-and-forth game 26-21.
Story courtesy of the B/CS Eagle