MA-CATHOLIC: Loss doesn't take away aspects of Catholic's historic season
Catholic’s Jeremiah Cobb avoids the tackle of MA’s Robert Huffafker in the Eagles’ win on Friday. (Ryan Gayle)
By DYLAN HURST
On a night that featured rare offensive struggles for the Montgomery Catholic Knights, the Montgomery Academy Eagles relied on the duo of Jamal and Jashawn Cooper to move the ball and maintain possession on extended drives to take a 10-7 victory against the No.1 Knights on Friday.
“Honestly, I’m going to miss the brotherhood of this team (after graduating), and I wouldn’t want to play for any other team,” said Knights senior linebacker T.J. Dudley. “I’ve tried my best to show our younger players like (Jeremiah) Cobb and (Caleb) McCreary how to lead, how to win, and how to be a better brother and teammate, and I hope I left a good impression to inspire them for greatness.”
Friday’s loss was a bittersweet ending to a historic season for the Knights, who reached 13 wins for the first time in program history this year.
“If I’m going to miss anything, it’s the camaraderie and the different things that each player brought to the team,” said Knights head coach Kirk Johnson. “The brotherhood between these kids is great. I’ve watched these kids grow up, from boys to men.”
The Knights had their worst game statistically after allowing just five touchdowns all year while averaging more than 48 points per game. Incredibly, MA scored most points in a game and held Catholic to its lowest output offensively, by far.
“We just needed more energy, and the Eagles brought a great game plan for their offense,” said Dudley. “When we had our three-and-outs, our heads left the game, and we just needed to keep our energy up for the whole game.”
Sophomore quarterback Caleb McCreary completed 8 out of 17 passes for 110 yards and a touchdown, while also running the ball five times for 13 yards.
Junior running back Jeremiah Cobb rushed 19 times for 79 yards.
In a tight game defensively, neither team found the end zone until late in the first half when the Eagles capped a 10-minute drive with Jashawn Cooper’s 2-yard run for a 7-0 lead.
After a missed field goal attempt by the Eagles, neither team found the end zone until just over eight minutes remaining in the fourth quarter when McCreary completed a touchdown pass to tie the game at 7-7.
After a couple more drives by both teams, the Eagles found themselves with the ball with less than two minutes remaining in the game. After the Knights received an illegal hit penalty, the Eagles were moved up to about midfield. A few run plays later, the Eagles converted a field goal as time expired to take a 10-7 victory and earn their spot in the 3A championship next week in Birmingham on Thursday morning.