2009 COOSA FOOTBALL WEBSITE

Eagles Fall to Yellow Jackets

by Alex Farrer, Rome News-Tribune Sports Writer

Photo-RN-T.com

The Rockmart Yellow Jackets came out with a less than stellar effort in the first half of their game on Friday night against Coosa, but their play in the second half was enough to help them to a key subregion win.

Rockmart (3-3, 2-0) came back from a 12-0 halftime deficit to score 18 unanswered points and knock off their subregion foe at “The Rock.” The biggest play of the night came in the fourth quarter with the game tied 12-12 and Coosa driving. Eagles quarterback David Masters dropped back for a pass and before he could even look downfield Rockmart defender Quitman Berry laid a crushing hit on him to jar the ball loose. Rockmart’s James Anderson then scooped the ball up and ran 40 yards for the go-ahead and eventual winning touchdown. That touchdown capped off a great second half for Anderson who put Rockmart on the board in the third quarter after taking a reverse and scampering 32 yards for a score.

“We felt like the kids weren’t ready in the first half, and that’s our fault as coaches,” said Rockmart head coach Dan Duff. “We were not focused when we went out there, and (the kids) looked like they were defeated before the game was over.

“I told them at the end of the game that’s what I was so proud of them about is that they fought their way out of that. That’s going to happen in life, not just a football game. You’re going to get down, bad things are going to happen, but you can’t quit. You’ve got to keep fighting, and that’s what we did.” The Yellow Jackets tied the game early in the fourth quarter, when running back Jordan Wright took the handoff and ran 15 yards to the end zone. Wright was the leading rusher for Rockmart with 64 yards on eight carries. Coosa (2-4, 1-1) scored on their first drive of the game making it look easy by driving down the field and punching it in on a 2-yard run by Desmond Curtis. Curtis also scored the second touchdown for Coosa on a 63-yard run in the second quarter. The senior ended the night with 127 yards on 20 carries. The Eagles had a chance to extend their two-touchdown lead early in the third quarter after recovering a muffed punt at the Rockmart 15, but the Yellow Jackets blocked a Coosa field goal attempt to swing the momentum. Along with the blocked field goal, neither team was able to convert an extra-point try or two-point conversion on the night. Rockmart’s defense led the way in the second half, and Duff said that was not a surprise. “Our defense has always been there for us this year,” said Duff. “Without the defense we wouldn’t be at 3-3 now. The offense has been a little slow this year, but their coming on and getting better.”

Rockmart will have another huge subregion game next week when they host Pepperell. Coosa has a tough test as they welcome in Armuchee for a do-or-die game for the Eagles.

Eagles Shine in the Shrine

by Jeremy Stewart, Rome News-Tribune Sports Writer

Photo by Ryan Smith, RN-T.com

Coosa’s offense scored just once in Saturday night’s Region 7-AA South football game against Model.

David Master’s pass to Giorgio Fleetwood with the game tied 14-14 found the senior in front of his defender with less than a minute and half left to play. Fleetwood raced to the end zone and the 64-yard touchdown reception led the Eagles to a 23-14 win in the 62nd annual Shrine Game at Barron Stadium. “Giorgio has caught that pass a hundred times in practice and I had no doubt when he caught it and had the defensive back behind him that he was going to the end zone,” Coosa coach Chad Perry said. With a revived Model passing attack chomping up yardage and the momentum shifting wildly throughout the first half, the Eagles played through the adversity. “It wasn’t the kind of win that we had planned on it being but a win is a win,” Perry said. “The important thing is we’re 1-0 in the subregion and that is where we wanted to be no matter how we got there.”

The Blue Devils (0-6, 0-2) and quarterback Dustin Fincher passed for 234 yards yet still found themselves with a loss.

“I thought we played great,” Model coach Randy Surrett said. “The kids played hard. They never quit and that’s what we’ve tried to instill in them.” James Wells had 141 yards on eight receptions while Craig Calhoun had 81 yards on three catches, including an 11-yard touchdown pass near the end of the first quarter.“We fell short,” Surrett said. “I thought we should have won. But I’m so proud of our kids I don’t have words to describe it.”

Coosa (2-3, 1-0) got their first two touchdowns on special teams plays in the first half. A high snap to Model punter Joel Poulicek on the Blue Devils’ first drive was picked up by the Eagles’ Taylor DeBerry on the two-yard line and quickly put it in for six points. In the first part of the second quarter, Coosa’s Jared Vancuren blocked a Poulicek punt deep in Model’s territory and Desmond Curtis recovered it in the end zone. Stephen Walters kicked the second of his three extra points and Coosa went ahead 14-7. “We had been solid in special teams all year. It had been a big positive for us,” Surrett said. “We’ve preached to them that turnovers can be the difference in a game and it really hurt us tonight.”

Model returned the favor in the third quarter as Kyle Thomas blocked a punt by Walters and Randall Cooper recovered the ball on the Eagles’ four-yard line. Cooper than ran the ball in for a two-yard touchdown two plays later and Poulicek made the PAT to make it 14-14. With time running down in the fourth quarter, Masters, who passed for 132 yards on five completions, connected with Fleetwood for the first time and put them on top with 1:12 left top play. With Model pinned deep in their own territory again, Wells was pressured in his own end zone during a halfback pass and threw the ball away, leading to an intentional grounding call and a safety for Coosa. The Eagles travel to Rockmart on Friday while the Blue Devils are idle.

COOSA DEFEATS CEDARTOWN ON HISTORIC NIGHT

Eagle Stadium Christened Branch Bragg Field

by Brad Easterwood, Rome News-Tribune Sports Writer Photo by CHS Yearbook

On a night when the Coosa program honored the glory teams of old, the Eagles took an old-school approach to knock off Cedartown 23-6 in a non-region game Friday night. The victory punctuated a festive night for the Eagles, who re-named their playing field in honor of former coach Branch Bragg, who attended the ceremony. “Tonight was a special night with coach Bragg and the old state championship teams here,” Coosa coach Chad Perry said. “They were teams that really played football the right way and put black hats on people. Tonight I felt like we were able to do some of that.”

The Eagles (1-1) made Bragg proud with their defense and running game. Coosa allowed Cedartown only 12 yards in the first half and 88 total yards in the game. “Our defensive scheme is new this year and the entire staff is new on that side of the ball, but we are on the verge of really coming together and tonight we took a big step forward,” Perry said. Offensively, the Eagles ran the ball 49 times for 258 yards and two touchdowns. Coty Dodson led Coosa’s 13 ball carriers by churning up 112 yards on 11 carries, including a 60-yard touchdown jaunt. Desmond Curtis added 51 yards and Zack Gresham tallied 28 yards. For Cedartown (1-2), they managed only two yards rushing at the break and had seven plays that went for negative yards, including a minus 17 yard and minus 16 yard play. “You can’t have negative plays like that and expect to win,” Cedartown coach Mark Loudermilk said. “Our defense gave a great effort tonight, but when your offense is facing third-and-20 or third-and-25 you can’t get out of that hole.” Coosa got on the scoreboard first thanks to their defense. With Cedartown in Eagle territory, Jared VanCuren stepped in front of a Hayden Privett pass and returned it 78 yards for a score. David Masters ran in the two-point conversion to make it 8-0 with 4:56 left in the opening stanza. The Eagles scored their first offensive touchdown in the second quarter when Ryan Packer sprinted 13 yards to pay dirt. Stephens Walters kicked the extra point to make it 15-0 with 6:23 left in the opening half. In the fourth quarter, Coosa put the game away when Dodson took off for a 60-yard score with 11:49 showing on the clock. Masters threw the two-point conversion pass to Curtis to make it 23-0. Cedartown escaped the shutout with 8:22 remaining when Privett connected with Marquis Thomas for a 24-yard touchdown pass. The two-point conversion attempt failed. “Our guys are hungry and have been working hard in practice to get better,” Perry said. “Tonight we were able to put one in the win column against a good football team and take another step in the right direction.”

EAGLES FALL 28-7 IN SEASON OPENER

The Coosa Eagles had a tough time in their season opener at 6-AAA foe Lakeview-Ft. Oglethorpe falling 28-7 to the home standing Warriors. Desmond Curtis finished with 87 yards on five carries and scored the Eagles’ only touchdown on a 74-yard run in the third quarter. The PAT was tacked on by Stephen Walters.

Eagles Work on Running Game in First Scrimmage

by David Dawson, Rome News-Tribune Sports Editor, Photos by Ryan Smith, RN-T CLICK HERE FOR PREP CENTRAL VIDEO

The Coosa football team wanted to get a running start on the season Friday night. Literally. And to a certain degree, the Eagles succeeded. Staying mostly grounded in their scrimmage against Dalton, the Eagles were able to move the ball effectively on a pair of drives in the first half. The downside was that both drives eventually stalled — including one that ended inside the Dalton 10-yard line — and the Eagles found themselves facing a 7-0 halftime deficit against the Class AAAA Catamounts. In the second half, both teams rested their varsity players, allowing the JV and ninth graders to complete the preseason contest, and Dalton polished off a 28-7 victory. Still, it was a mostly encouraging performance for the Eagles, who open the season on Aug. 28 at Lakeview-Ft. Oglethorpe. During the first two quarters, Coosa generated 10 rushing plays that went for five yards or longer — an impressive stat against a traditionally stingy Dalton defense. Troy Case finished with 22 yards on three carries, Coty Dodson added 30 yards on nine attempts and Desmond Curtis had 22 yards on five carries. Coosa also had some success through the air, with quarterback David Masters completing 2-of-4 passes for 33 yards with one interception. Masters, who is replacing three-year starter Shane Smith, hooked up with Logan Watkins on a 22-yard gainer on his first attempt, and later connected with Jared Vancuren for an 11-yard gain. Overall, Coosa collected 114 yards of total offense during the varsity segment of the contest. The Coosa defense also flashed plenty of encouraging signs by limiting Dalton to seven first-half points and 123 rushing yards on 15 attempts. The highlights included cornerback Giorgio Fleetwood making a great play while breaking up a pass, and a quarterback sack by Cody Earwood. Coosa’s offense opened the night with a 12-play, 56-yard drive that featured three first downs. The drive stalled at the Dalton 24-yard line when the Eagles turned the ball over on downs.Coosa also put together a long march late in the first half, moving 66 yards in 12 plays (all rushing). But the drive ended when Coosa failed to convert on fourth-and-goal from the Dalton 3.

The Catamounts scored the only points of the first half on a 17-yard run by Tre Beck. The TD was set up by a 33 yard run by Chris White.

2009 Brings New Faces to the Staff and Lineup

The Coosa H.S. coaching staff welcomes several new faces on the sidelines this season.

NEW STAFF MEMBERS

Nick Williamson--Def. Coord
Todd Peugh--Offense
Shane Bobo--DB's
Zach Morrison--O-line
Michael Pearson--D-line
Brett Hotchkiss (from New York)--Outside Linebackers

Picture Day is Aug 15th at 9:00 am

2009 Football Schedule

Aug. 14	Dalton	Home	7:30
Aug. 28	Lakeview-Ft. Oglethorpe	Away	7:30
Sept. 5	Open
Sept. 11	Cedartown	Home	7:30
Sept. 18	Central, Carroll County	Away	7:30
Sept. 25	Calhoun	Home	7:30
October 3 (Sat.)	Model	Bar.	7:30
October 9	Rockmart	Away	7:30
October 16	Armuchee	Home	7:30
October 23	Pepperell	Away	7:30
October 30	Temple	Home	7:30
November 6	TBA	Away	7:30

Region Games in Bold

Junior Varsity Schedule

September 3	Cedartown	Away	5:30
September 24	Calhoun	Away	5:30
October 1	Model	Away	5:30
October 8	Rockmart	Home	5:30
October 15	Armuchee	Away	5:30
October 22	Pepperell	Home	5:30
October 29	Rome	Away	5:30