Three hundred and sixty two yards of total offense was not enough for Copper Basin Friday, October 22, when they traveled to Whitwell to take on the Tigers.
Whitwell got the ball to start the game as the Cougar defense stepped up and forced a turnover on downs to give Copper Basin the ball at Whitwell’s 43 yard line. Sebastian Baliles muscled a three yard run to the 40 yard line.
Quarterback Joe Boggs kept the ball on the next play to get to the 35 yard line. The Cougar drive stalled, however, as Whitwell forced a turnover on downs to get the ball back.
The Tigers went on to strike first on the drive to go up 7-0 in the first quarter. The Cougars got the ball back but could not move the sticks as they punted back to Whitwell.
The Tigers punched it in once again and after the extra point went up 14-0. Copper Basin brought the kick out and started to move the chains on the ground to draw the first quarter to a close.
Baliles and Boggs worked behind Copper Basin’s offensive line to bring the ball into Whitwell territory, but the Cougars could not come away with points as Whitwell forced a turnover on downs.
Addison Hook and the Copper Basin defense held the Tigers, however, as Copper Basin got the ball back around midfield.
After a few scoreless possessions from both teams, Whitwell tried to kick a field goal and Cadan Williams caught the kick and returned it down the sideline for a Cougar touchdown.
After the failed two-point conversion Copper Basin trailed Whitwell 14-6 to take the game to halftime.
The Cougars got the ball to start the second half as Baliles had a huge run and finished inside the endzone for Copper Basin. Boggs muscled the two-point conversion in on the next play to tie the game 14-14.
Whitwell was able to find the endzone on their next drive as they reclaimed a 20-14 lead over the Cougars. Boggs would go on to score a touchdown on a quarterback keeper to give Copper Basin 20 points in the game, but Whitwell would string together a 24 point second half to extend their lead and ultimately win the game 38-20.
Boggs finished the evening with 132 rushing yards, a touchdown and led the defense with 12 tackles. Baliles had 175 yards on the ground and a touchdown on the evening. Defensively Hook, Baliles and Kade Foster had seven tackles on the evening. Eli White had five tackles in the game as well.
Copper Basin will host South Pittsburg Friday, October 29, for the last regular-season game of the year. The Cougar seniors will be honored as kickoff is set for 7 p.m.