Sports
Fill out this form to email this article to a friend
Cougars return to playoffs
By BRANDON WRIGHT
Published October 28, 2006
EAST LAKE -—Countryside’s Josh Martinez sent the opening kickoff against East Lake sailing through the end zone, narrowly missing knocking it through the uprights as the ball caromed off the crossbar.
It would be a sign of things to come.
Martinez booted three field goals — including a pair over 50 yards — and Countryside’s defense stopped a two-point conversion as the Cougars held on to beat East Lake 15-13 in a driving rainstorm.
Countryside wrapped up second place in 5A-9 and secured a trip to the postseason for the fifth consecutive year.
“I can’t say enough about the way our kids hung in there tonight against a very good East Lake team,” Countryside coach John Davis said. “My hat’s off to them.”
Martinez, a striker on Countryside’s state championship soccer team last season, booted a 56-yarder — one shy of Jon Peattie’s school record — on the Cougars’ first possession.
Martinez then recovered his own onside kick on the next play and eventually connected for a 35-yarder on the same drive. The senior kicker then made it 9-0 on the Cougars (7-2) next possession, hitting a 53-yarder.
“Wow, I mean, what can you say about Josh tonight?” Davis said. “He just flat out came up huge.”
East Lake (6-3) cut the lead to 9-7 on a 5-yard touchdown run from Bryan Groc, but Countryside made it 15-7 on an L.D. Crow 14-yard strike to Matt Mooney with a minute left to go in the first half.
On Countryside’s opening possession of the second half, the Cougars marched 79 yards on 22 plays and ate up 11:34 in the process.
But Countryside fumbled at the goal line and Mike Smooke eventually narrowed the deficit to two points on a three-yard TD pass to Justin Kresz with 3:42 to play. But the Cougars snuffed out the two-point conversion attempt and ran the clock out for the win.
“I don’t know if we totally deserved to win that one, but we’ll take it right now,” Davis said.
- Contact Brandon Wright at (727) 892-2216 or bwright@sptimes.com
[Last modified October 29, 2006, 10:42:04]
Share your thoughts on this story
Comments on this article
|
by Jim
|
01/29/07 09:31 PM
|
|
Incorrect. Josh Martinez booted in a 67 yarder, and beat the record. That's what his brother told me in detention.
|
News
Fifty years ago, they were screwed-up kids sent to the Florida School for Boys to be straightened out. But now they are screwed-up men, scarred by the whippings they endured. Read the story and see a video and portrait gallery.
Print
Email story
Comment
Email editor
