Countryside hits the ground running

The Cougars stray from their usual pass-heavy game plan, dispatching Bogie.

By BOB PUTNAM
Published August 26, 2006

CLEARWATER - Countryside quarterback L.D. Crow did some strange things Friday night.

He wheeled and handed the ball off to running backs Dawrence Roberts and Maurice Threatts on just about every down.

The Cougars playing smash-mouth football?

Believe it.

Countryside stepped out of character. The flighty Cougars became gritty roadrunners, pounding out 219 yards of rushing to beat Boca Ciega 30-19.

"We knew we could hit some things on the ground," said Roberts, a sophomore.

Personnel had a lot to do with the change in Countryside's offense.

The Cougars had to replace several linemen and those who were supposed to fill the voids had been hindered by injury.

Keeping Crow upright proved to be a problem, at least in the beginning. The Pirates, who love to blitz, got two sacks on Countryside's opening possession.

Cougars coach John Davis had seen enough.

He junked his complex attack in favor of a stripped-down playbook. He wanted to emphasize the run to reduce the burden on Crow.

The chief beneficiary of this approach was Roberts, who had 161 yards and scored on runs of 5 and 7 yards.

"I had no idea I would get the ball that much," Roberts said. "It was nice."

The Cougars needed their rushing attack to offset Boca Ciega's big plays. The Pirates scored touchdowns on a 46-yard pass from Ohrian Johnson to Preston Pace in the first quarter and on Josh Bellamy's 84-yard run in the third quarter. Randall Klafter made both extra points and added a 28-yard field goal.

But it wasn't enough. Countryside played ball control, which made its defensive players very happy because they were able to sit on the bench for long stretches.

They watched as Crow, who finished with 55 yards, threw an 8-yard touchdown to Matt Mooney. Josh Martinez connected on all three extra points and made three field goals, the last one a 47-yarder with nine seconds remaining.

But the Cougars defense also made its mark with three turnovers and five sacks. The final turnover, a fumble recovery by A.J. Matthews at the 5-yard line, set up Roberts' go-ahead score.

"We had some injuries and that hurt because (Boca Ciega) can bring so many guys," Davis said. "But we had some guys step up and let us pound the ball. And I can't say enough about our defense. (Boca Ciega) had the ball three times inside our 20 and came away with three points. That's saying something."

[Last modified August 26, 2006, 08:16:05]