Cougars on top in defensive gem, 14-0

Oct. 20--WINDSOR -- Crest Ridge emerged from a defensive battle on a sloppy field Friday night with a 14-0 road win over the Windsor Greyhounds.

Greyhounds coach Dave Wanninger said his boys did well against a solid Crest Ridge team.

"I was pretty happy with the game -- a 14-point loss to a team like this, which is one of the better teams in their conference. There's a good chance we'll play them again (in the playoffs) and our kids will get out there," Wanninger said.

Crest Ridge coach Chris Cavanah also looked to the playoffs after slugging out the game with Wanninger's Greyhounds

"It's that time of the year, now. You survive and advance," Cavanah said. "Districts begin next week and we'll probably play this team again. They were a good, tough opponent tonight. We're going to have to look at the film and get some things figured out and we'll be ready next week."

The big, hard-hitting Greyhounds are not a team Cavanah takes lightly.

"They gave us some problems tonight," he said, "but we did some good things offensively. We threw the ball pretty well early in the second half to try to loosen them up, but as the game went on, we needed to get back to what we've done for most of the year, and that's run the football."

Justin Donald led the Cougars' offense with two touchdown runs -- both coming after hard work by the entire offensive squad to get him into scoring position. He gained 164 yards on 26 carries, plus 40 yards on two receptions.

"He responded with a pretty good game tonight," Cavanah said.

The first touchdown mattered, he said.

"As well as our defense was playing, we told them at half time it's just going to take one score -- seven points will win this ballgame," Cavanah said. "That turned out to be true."

THE FIRST HALF

Playing for field position, marching up and down between the hash marks, making occasional first downs, throwing passes into the mix while being forced by tenacious D into repeated punts -- that description fits both teams throughout the first half of play.

Cavanah's Cougars and Wanninger's Greyhounds played each other tough, with each side delivering loud, jarring, big league, stop-'em-in-their-tracks hits that never allowed either side to get into field goal range.

Early on, Windsor junior quarterback Trenton Johnson had his team moving with a couple of pass plays, but after crossing into Crest Ridge territory, the defense stiffened, sacking Johnson and forcing a punt.

In their turn, Crest Ridge junior quarterback Tyler Rodgers hit Noah McCune with a pass -- with possession contested hotly by the defender -- to keep alive the Cougar drive. But on fourth and one at the 40, a turnover handed the ball back to Windsor.

After having held yet again, Crest Ridge looked to receive a punt in good field position, but a controversial call of roughing the kicker returned the ball to Windsor on the Crest Ridge 35. The incursion into Cougar territory looked big for the Greyhounds, especially after a pass play that resulted in a fumble that bounced back into the arms of another Greyhound, senior running back Luke Roberts, who carried the ball for a first down. Then the run of luck ran out, with a huge sack of Johnson by Trevor Shippy to set up a fourth and 19 that led to the Cougars taking over on downs.

More of the same rough-and-tumble, back-and-forth exchanges followed, and each team entered the locker room stymied by the other.

THE SECOND HALF

The "locker room" experience during the halftime break for Crest Ridge consisted of going under the south set of goalposts and plotting strategy. Whatever Cavanah had to say seemed to make a difference to his team.

The half opened with Crest Ridge kicking off to Windsor, holding and taking a punt.

Later on a third and seven, Rodgers found McCune on a first down pass to breathe new life into the drive, and then Donald carried for another first down. The drive continued with Rodgers hitting Jayson Burnap with a pass for another first down at the Windsor 35.

At that point, with 5:26 left in the third quarter, the Crest Ridge offensive line blew a hole through the middle of Windsor's wall and Donald charged through. Dodging defenders, he broke into the secondary and flew down the center of the field with a 35-yard touchdown.

Windsor could do nothing with their next possession, Crest Ridge took over and Rodgers again hit Burnap, this time for eight yards and a first down to get the drive moving to midfield. A pass to McCune picked up another eight yards, followed by junior running back Kolin Reynolds' first-down carry and then Donald's first-down carry to bring the third quarter to a close with Crest Ridge targeting the end zone.

On a first and goal from the nine, the Cougars fought down to the three, then the one before Donald's run to the left side of the defense added an insurance touchdown.

The Cougars ended the regular season at 7-2 over the now 4-4 Greyhounds.

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