The Copper Basin Cougars took to the road again Friday, October 9, to take on McMinn Central in a non-region football game in Etowah, Tennessee. The 7-0 Cougars were looking to stay unbeaten, while also trying to avenge a tough loss last year to the 1-5 Chargers in Copperhill.
Going into the game, Copper Basin Head Coach Chad Grabowski and Cougar Offensive Coordinator Jeremy Locke talked about what their team needed to do to get what would be a huge win on the road against the AAA school, as well as keep their momentum going down the stretch. “Our defense is going to have to continue to dominate the line of scrimmage and keep them out of the end zone. On offense, we need to be consistent and get into a rhythm in the passing game and establish our running game,” said Grabowski, who’s in his third year as head coach of the Cougars.
Locke added, “On offense, we have to keep having success on the ground. Fortunately, regardless of who the quarterback is, we have a strong read-option game. While Bryson (Grabowski) was a threat with his speed, Joe (Boggs) is a threat with his power running. Additionally, as teams begin to scheme us a bit more, we have to be mindful of blocking adjustments and field-to-sideline communication. Finally, we want to find more ways to get the ball to Dawson Worthy and Timothy Jabaley. If each can find the end zone tonight, we’ll most likely enjoy the final result.”
As Locke alluded to, the Cougars received some awful news when they found out early in the week that starting senior quarterback Grabowski would be lost for the remainder of the season with an injury.
The Cougars received the opening kickoff, with junior Boggs at quarterback, and started a drive in their own territory. After failing to convert on a fourth down, they turned the ball over to the Chargers with 8:32 left in the opening quarter. McMinn Central would capitalize, as they drew first blood on a 29-yard-touchdown run. After the extra point, they had a quick 7-0 lead with 6:14 left in the first quarter.
Copper Basin got their offense going as Sebastian Baliles bolted for 23 yards to move the Cougars into scoring position. Boggs, with 43 seconds left in the period, connected with Timothy Jabaley on a 2-yard-touchdown pass to even things up at 7-7 after the extra point was good.
Early in the second quarter, the Basin defense received a boost, as the Chargers fumbled at their own 40-yard line, which was recovered by the Cougars. Austin Collis also had an interception for Basin in the half. Three minutes later, Basin couldn’t convert another fourth down and turned the ball back over to Central. The Basin defense bowed its back and got the football back for their offense, only to throw an interception right back to the Chargers with 2:28 left before halftime. When McMinn Central drove down into Cougar territory, however, they missed a field goal attempt with nine seconds left before halftime. Copper Basin ran out the remaining seconds of the half and went into the locker room all knotted up at 7-7.
Coming out for the second half, the Cougars were set to kickoff, but decided to attempt an onsides kick, which they recovered. Unfortunately, on the next play, Copper Basin threw an interception, as Dawson Worthy was in at quarterback for Boggs, who had been dinged up in the first half. Basin’s defense held again, as a Charger pass attempt fell incomplete. Less than a minute later, Baliles coughed up the football and Central recovered at the Basin 27-yard line. At the 4:14 mark of the third quarter, the Chargers plowed into the end zone from two yards out, and after another successful extra point, held a 14-7 lead.
Another Basin interception inside their own 20-yard line set up McMinn Central’s offense on a short field. On the first play after the turnover, Central scored again, this time from 14 yards out, to take a 21-7 lead with 1:47 to go in the third quarter.
In the fourth quarter, both defenses took over and neither team could get anything going offensively. McMinn Central held on for a hard-earned 21-7 win over the Cougars, sending them to 2-5, while Copper Basin drops to 7-1
Head Coach Grabowski was proud of the way his team fought, and knows they have a week to turn things around before the next ballgame. “We started off really well, but in the second half we lost our consistency on offense, and our defense had a hard time stopping them because we were on the field so much. We will regroup this week and get ready for North Georgia who comes to our place to play.”
Locke thinks the Cougars will respond the next time they step on the field. “We knew going into the game, that Central’s defense would be physical and try to take advantage of our being without Bryson. Joe Boggs played admirably in the first half, leading two good drives, one of which ended with a touchdown. Sebastian Baliles ran the ball well, and Timothy Jabaley really came through for us at receiver. Of course, losing Joe to injury at the half put us in a difficult situation. I have nothing but respect for the way Dawson Worthy stepped in to play quarterback without taking any reps this season. It was a tough loss, but we look forward to bouncing back next week.”
The Cougars will host the North Georgia Falcons Friday, October 16, with kickoff set for 7:30 p.m.