Cougars Playoff Bound!
Eagleville Win Clinches Berth for MTCS and EHS
: : Jay Brunner : : 10.24.2009

The regular season finale in 2008 had MTCS fans and Forrest fans on the edges of their seats as the Cougars and Rockets fought it out for the last playoff spot in Region 5.

This year, the Cougars took care of business early, winning the games they needed to and it allowed them to sit back and wait during their week off. With a 24-14 Eagleville win over Huntland last night, the waiting game paid off and pushed the Cougars into the playoffs for the second straight year.

Now the questions are: Who will MTCS face in the first round, and will they play at Throneberry Stadium? The answer to the second question may come next Friday night when the Cougars play Eagleville at Talon Field. A Cougar win would give them the #1 playoff seed in District 9-A, and possibly a first round home game.

The first question will probably not be answered until all games are final Friday night. With the convoluted playoff system and the wildcard berths, etc., it will be difficult to predict just who MTCS will face. But we can try!

If MTCS clinches the 1-seed next week, they would probably face a 2-seed from either District 7/8 (which are combined for playoff purposes) or District 10. If the playoffs started today, that means the Cougars would face either Monterey (Dist. 7/8) or their old nemesis McEwen (Dist. 10).

If MTCS is defeated by the Eagles, they would play a 1-seed, which means they would face off with either Gordonsville (5-4) or Jo Byrns (9-0). So there is added pressure to win so the Cougars can avoid a first round matchup with the Red Devils, who have outscored opponents this year a mind-blowing 317-61.

Congratulations to Coach David Peden and staff for getting this team to the playoffs in his first year at the helm, and to the team for working hard, never giving up, and fighting through the injuries, penalties, and turnovers to reach the postseason.

GO COUGARS!!!

Cougars Clip Eagles' Wings
MTCS-EHS Rivalry Heats Up in Soggy Eagleville
: : Jay Brunner : : 10.31.2009

Big questions loomed over the Cougars’ regular season finale at Eagleville: Would they be ready to play on Thursday night? Would the rain hold off? Would the third chapter of this budding rivalry live up to expectations?

The answer to all three was a resounding Yes.

On a soggy Thursday night in Eagleville, the two 1A playoff teams in District 9A battled for the top seed and bragging rights in what has become the best rivalry in Rutherford County football in a long time, second only to Oakland-Riverdale.

After a fumble ended the Cougars’ first drive of the game, Clay McCarver and Chris Brandon stepped up on defense, with McCarver wrapping up Eagles running back Nathan Jernigan for a 9 yard loss and Brandon sacking quarterback Will Duke on the next play.

The rest of the first half resulted in both teams trading punts and turning the ball over on downs, will no real advantage either way. Then in the last 5 minutes of the half, MTCS’s defense held on a 4th down sneak by Duke, getting the ball at the Eagleville 49 yard line.

Several plays into the drive, Ivey Starling hit Chris Beasley for a 24 yard catch and run that put the ball on the EHS 3. The next play was obvious: give it to Nathan Coats have him take it in for the touchdown. With 20 seconds remaining, that’s exactly what happened.

To start the second half, Eagleville drove 59 yards on 10 plays but had to settle for three. After a Cougar 3-and-out, however, Jordan Watson had his punt blocked, giving the Eagles possession at the MTCS seven. Two plays later, running back Trint Jordan gave the Eagles the lead with a 5 yard touchdown run.

As the third quarter clock ran out, MTCS was faced with a 10-7 deficit in a crucial game. Nobody bothered to tell Ivey Starling to feel nervous, though, and on the first play in the 4th quarter, Starling hit Chris Brandon on a seam route for a 42 yard gain to the EHS 18. It was his longest completion of the year.

The Cougars eventually called on Trevor Brunsvold to tie the game at 10, and the junior delivered, putting up 3 points with a 31 yard field goal.

A tie game in the fourth quarter. Another close fight between MTCS and EHS. The series tied at one game apiece. A referee that will have to stay as far away as he can from Eagleville for a long, long time.

On the Eagles’ next possession, the Cougars forced and 3-and-out, and Will Akins was back to punt. A bad snap caused Akins to bobble the ball, and several Cougars applied immediate pressure. Akins rolled out to his right, looking to make a play and keep the drive alive, but ran smack into the referee, and went down at his own 6 yard line.

After a holding penalty and a Nathan Coats run, MTCS faced third-and-goal at the 11 yard line. In a clutch play, Ivey Starling delivered, throwing a perfect lob pass to Jordan Watson in the endzone for the game-winning score and Starling’s second TD pass of the year.

The defense still had work to do, however. After an exchange of punts, Eagleville drove the ball to the MTCS 34. With just under 7 seconds to go in the game, Eagles’ quarterback Will Duke put the game on his shoulders with a draw play. He broke through the line and into the secondary. And in a play that put an exclamation point on the entire season to that point, senior linebacker Nathan Coats, playing back in coverage, grabbed the ankles of Duke at the 17 yard line and brought him down to end the game.

The Cougars have secured the top 1A playoff seed in District 9A, so it’s back to work as the season continues. A series of program firsts greeted the Cougars Saturday morning, as they learned of their first round Bye in the playoffs, and also learned of their first ever home playoff game on November 13, when MTCS will host the winner of the Gordonsville/Lookout Valley game.

Congratulations to all the players, coaches, parents, and fans in the MTCS high school football program for a great regular season and the will to keep fighting. The Cougars outscored the other 3 1A teams in their District by a total of 75-17, so it’s not surprising to see them enjoying the fruits of their hard work.

Now the work continues as it’s “win or go home” from here on out. We at thisiscougarfootball.com hope to see you at Throneberry Stadium on November 13th for the 7 pm kickoff. If you need a high school football fix this coming week, head back to Eagleville on Friday to watch the Eagles host the Monterey Wildcats in their first round game.

GO COUGARS!!!