College Station trounces Caney Creek in regular-season finale

By SCOTT CLENDENIN

College Station ended the regular season with a 69-0 trouncing of Caney Creek that clinched a tie for the Cougars’ first district championship in football.

The district co-championship gives the Cougars (8-2, 6-1 District 18-5A) a rematch of their heartbreaking 56-52 2014 first-round playoff loss to the Hutto Hippos. After traveling to Hutto last year, this year the game returns to College Station. Hutto finished in fourth place in District 17-5A.

The Caney Creek football team personifies the definition of an elixir: A magical or medicinal potion. They are just that to each and every team they face under the Friday night lights. Just like last year’s 63-7 victory, the Panthers (0-10, 0-7 in 18-5A) were exactly what the Cougars needed following a heartbreaking loss to the Bryan Vikings the preceding week.

Last year, the Cougars’ offense dominated without Quinterrian White. This year, quarterback Reece Easterling only played the first quarter with sophomore Marquez Perez filling in for the rest of the game. Running back Chris Monroe picked up the slack in grinding down the Panthers, finishing with 10 carries for 100 yards and three touchdowns. Perez completed 6 of 6 passes for 78 yards and a touchdown and added two rushing scores.

After struggling to score in the first quarter of the last two games, the Cougars were explosive early and often against the Panthers, scoring 17 first-quarter points. After a field goal on their first drive, Monroe took a handoff at the Caney Creek 25-yard line, went up the middle for 10 yards, then broke left and outran the defense to the pylon for a 10-0 lead.

The Cougar defense held the Panthers on downs near midfield, and the Cougars quickly moved deep into Caney Creek territory. Easterling hit Perez for a four-yard pass before Monroe went straight up the middle for 18 more yards. Monroe had a short pickup of three yards before taking a delayed handoff around left tackle for 22 yards before going down just short of the end zone. Easterling called his own number two plays later for the 3-yard touchdown.

Caney Creek had amassed only 28 points in district play, and they would continue their season-long struggles against the College Station defense. Quarterback Jordan Cooper, the leading rusher and passer for the Panthers, lost two yards rushing on 12 carries and was 1-of-8 passing for minus 2 yards with an interception. The Cougar defense didn’t allow a first down to Caney Creek after the Panthers’ second possession of the ballgame.

College Station limited Caney Creek to 31 yards of total offense with just five of those yards coming in the second half.

A third three-and-out in the Panthers’ first four possessions gave the Cougars the ball at the Caney Creek 44. Perez took over at quarterback and hit Mark Golladay for 14 yards before keeping the ball on a draw play to the 26. Monroe again took the delayed handoff around the left side of the line for 26 yards and went in untouched for a 24-0 lead.

Monroe scored his third touchdown on an option pitch from Perez from the 11, but the most exciting play of the first half was a 75-yard punt return from Baylor commit Rajah Preciado that saw him catch the ball over his shoulder and sprint down the far hash mark untouched to make it 38-0.

Perez hooked up with White for a 16-yard touchdown pass, and Ryan Bowersox’s second field goal of the game gave the Cougars their biggest halftime advantage of the year at 48-0

College Station’s three second-half touchdowns were runs of one and 46 yards from Perez and a 27-yard scamper from senior Justin Gosch.

Story courtesy of The Eagle

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