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The
Online Home of Coosa High School Football
2005 WEB STORIES
Eagles End
Season with Win Over Indians
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photo by Ken Caruthers, RN-Tribune
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Chattooga
OCTOBER 28TH, 2005
By Erik Green
Rome News-Tribune Sports Writer
EGreen@RN-T.com / 706-290-5261
The Coosa Eagles found out Friday night
that sometimes winning isn't good enough.
Despite beating Chattooga 21-20 and finishing the season 7-3, the Eagles
still missed the playoffs because of a head to head loss to Rockmart in
overtime earlier in the year.
The Eagles needed Model to defeat Rockmart Friday in order to earn the No.
4 seed, but the Yellow Jackets earned a victory over the Blue Devils and a
postseason trip.
``You're never ready for that end of the season feeling,'' said Coosa coach
Chad
Perry, who wrapped up his first season with the Eagles.
``You never want to accept that your season is over until it is. I guess
that's why anybody with football in their blood can't wait to get back out
there.''
Perry pointed to the loss to Rockmart - when the Eagles blew an 18-6 lead
and lost 25-18 - as the turning point in the season.
Had the Eagles won that game, Perry said, Coosa
might not have needed any help to get into the postseason.
``I still look at the season as a success,'' Perry said. ``The young men
displayed a lot of character and class and for me being a first year coach,
this senior class will always be special to me.''
The seniors at least went out on a positive note, despite the
circumstances.
Coosa bounced back from a 20-7 fourth quarter
deficit to win the game off back to back late touchdowns.
``We didn't make the plays we needed to make,'' said Chattooga coach John
Starr. ``Both teams competed and nobody deserved to lose this game. But Coosa did their part to win it.''
For most of the game, the Eagles did their part in helping Chattooga put
points on the board.
The Eagles turned the ball over five times, including two interceptions and
three fumbles.
Neither team was able to move the ball very effectively nor most of the
points were set up by big plays, mostly in the second half.
With the Indians leading 12-7 midway through the fourth, Chattooga's Brett
Wilson found John Starr Jr. on a 78 yard touchdown pass to make it 20-7
after a two point conversion.
But on Coosa's first play of the ensuing
drive, Chris Warner hit Chris Jones on a 69-yard touchdown pass to cut the
lead to 20-14 after the George Galvis PAT.
On Chattooga's next possession, Warner made up for throwing two picks by
intercepting a pass to set up Coosa's game
winning drive.
After a 13 yard run by Andy Staples, Jones took it in from two yards out
and with the Galvis PAT the Eagles picked up the one point victory.
The bright spots for Chattooga were Brett Wilson and Jacob Lee.
Lee picked off two passes for the Indians and Wilson, who played both
quarterback and halfback, rushing for 102 yards and two touchdowns.
Wilson also had touchdown runs of 41 and 22 yards, while Staples had a
touchdown run for Coosa in the first half.
Coosa's leading rusher was Jernays McNutt who
had 59 yards on 12 carries.
Warner was 9-for-12 for 165 yards passing.
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Photo by WT Martin, RN-T
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Eagles Defeat Model
OCTOBER 21ST, 2005
By Jeff Gable
Rome News-Tribune Sports Writer
JGable@RN-T.com / 706-290-5256
Coosa High's football game with Model Friday started out as homecoming
night, but by the end of the evening, it had turned into the Jernays McNutt
show.
McNutt touched the ball only five times for the Eagles, but he parlayed
those chances into 184 total yards and four touchdowns, helping lead Coosa to a 42-14 win over Region 6-AA foe Model on a
cool, foggy night at Eagle Stadium.
McNutt's first carry late in the opening quarter only went for four yards,
but after that, he had scoring runs of 58, 30 and 36 yards, along with
catching a 56-yard screen pass for another TD.
``We were able to establish a good running game tonight, and McNutt pulled
away a few times for some big plays,'' Coosa coach Chad Perry said.
``Those plays kept the momentum on our side most of the night. We've been
challenging our guys to put together a full game in all phases, and I think
they did that tonight.''
Model coach Gordon Powers said he noticed a difference in the urgency and
attitude of the two teams.
``This is two weeks in a row that we've given up some big plays,'' Powers
said. ``I think this game tonight came down to where one team was playing
for something.
``It was evident that one team had a purpose and a mission. I'm still
trying to figure out what our purpose was tonight. Coosa
just totally outplayed us in every aspect.''
The Eagles (6-3) kicked off to start the game and watched as Model (3-6)
marched 67 yards in 8 plays, capping things off with a 2-yard TD run by
quarterback Steven Powers.
But Coosa's offense proved equal to the
task all night long, starting with its first drive. The Eagles finished off
an 82-yard march with a 1-yard touchdown plunge by Chris Jones, tying the
game at 7-7.
Early in the second quarter, McNutt started to take things over. He
sprinted 58 yards around the left end for his first score of the night,
putting the Eagles up 14-7.
On his next touch midway through the second quarter, he ripped off a
30-yard TD run up the middle, and on Coosa's
next drive, he took the first play - a screen pass from Chris Warner - 56
yards for a touchdown to give the Eagles a 28-7 halftime lead.
If there was any doubt, on Coosa's first
drive of the third quarter, McNutt took a counter play 36 yards for his
fourth score of the night to make it 35-7.
Stephen Washington scored the Eagles' final TD of the night, while Powers
hit Bear Crowder for a 5-yard scoring pass to close things out.
Coosa finished the night with 245 passing yards and another 120 yards
through the air, while Model gained just 82 yards on the ground on 32
carries.
Powers finished the game 22-of-32 passing for 226 yards.
Model hosts Rockmart next week in its finale, while Coosa
hosts Chattooga. The Eagles' only hope for gaining a 6-AA playoff spot is
to beat the Indians - and hope that the Blue Devils can upset Rockmart
across town.
Eagles Fall to
Calhoun
Eagles Fall in OT to
Rockmart
Eagles Celebrate
50th Anniversary of Football
10/07/05
Erik Green, Rome
News-Tribune Sports Writer
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As ...
Eagles
Cage Tigers
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Photo by WT Martin, Rome
News-Tribune
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By David Dawson
Rome
News-Tribune Sports Writer
ddawson@RN-T.com / 706-290-5254
ADAIRSVILLE - Some people have to wait months or years or maybe even a
lifetime for a chance at retribution.
Coosa's Chris Warner had to wait ... oh, about two minutes.
Warner was the central figure on two keys plays -one he'd like to forget
and one he'll always remember - in the closing seconds of Coosa's
19-14 win that spoiled Adairsville's homecoming Friday night.
With the Eagles owning a narrow five-point lead late in the game, Warner,
the Coosa quarterback, fumbled the ball
away on a bad exchange from center.
Three plays later, however, he atoned for his mistake. Playing defensive
back, he came up with an interception that essentially secured the Region
6-AA win for Coosa.
``I knew there was some people in the stands who were probably going to
blame me if we lost this game,'' said Warner, smiling, ``so I knew I had to
make a big play and make up for it. I was glad I had a chance to do
that.''The Coosa victory - coupled with Darlington's loss - puts the Eagles
(5-1) in sole possession of second place in 6-AA, and Friday's game clearly
demonstrated the region's parity. Adairsville (2-4) gave Coosa a major
scare before Warner's heroics helped the Eagles deliver their third
straight win.
Warner's interception came with just 1:29 left in the game and ended
Adairsville's potential go-ahead touchdown drive at midfield.
``Chris is a special kid,'' said Coosa coach Chad Perry. ``He's not the
type that's going to hang his head about one play. He knew he could get
back there and recover from it, and that's what he did."
Adairsville eventually got the ball back with roughly 15 seconds to play.
But the Tigers had time for only two plays - an incomplete pass and a short
completion on the game's final play.
For Coosa, Jernays McNutt rushed for 109 yards on just four carries,
including a 61-yard scoring run in the third quarter.
Andy Staples added 88 yards on 14 carries for the Eagles, who finished with
262 rushing yards. Warner ran for 31 yards on eight carries, the biggest
being a one-yard touchdown run late in the second quarter that gave Coosa a
13-7 halftime lead.
For Adairsville, quarterback Tracy Brittian completed 9 of 16 passes for
135 yards and also ran for a 16-yard score. Daniel Beard had 50 yards on 11
carries.
``This is a tough loss,'' said Adairsville coach Johnny Gulledge, ``We felt
like we did almost everything we wanted to do, but Coosa made two big plays
that were the difference.''
One of those plays, oddly enough, came in the game's first two minutes - a
14-yard interception return by Coosa's Chris Jones that put the Eagles on
top 6-0.
The night's second monumental play came with less than a minute left in the
third quarter when McNutt broke his 51-yard TD run to put Coosa up 19-7.
The Coosa lead stood until the 2:34 mark of the fourth quarter, when Jamel
Trimble scored on a six-yard run to give Adairsville a heartbeat and set up
Warner's late-game adventures.
Eagles
Shine in Shrine
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Photo by Mike Moore, RN-T
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By David Dawson
Rome News-Tribune Sports Writer
DDawson@RN-T.com / 706-290-5254
When Blue Cooper and Patrick DuPree graduated last year, it seemed the “Big
Play Era” had ended for the Coosa football team.
But the Eagles revisited the past Saturday night when they used a string of
big runs and long passes to knock off Armuchee 38-22 in the 58th Shrine
Game at Barron Stadium.
The victory stretched Coosa’s Shrine Game winning streak to six games, with
all the wins coming against Armuchee.
Prior to that, Coosa had lost six in a row to Pepperell in the annual
contest.
Saturday’s Region 6-AA win was highlighted by three massive game-breaking
scoring plays — all of which went for 50 yards or longer.
Quarterback Chris Warner hooked up with Corey Edmondson for a 51-yard
touchdown pass in the first quarter, and hit Jernays McNutt with a 64-yard
scoring pass in the second quarter. McNutt added an electrifying 70-yard TD
run early in the third quarter.
Running back Chris Jones also added his share of big plays for Coosa (4-1).
Though he carried the ball just four times, he rushed for 56 yards, gaining
at least 12 yards on all four attempts.
“This season we haven’t (relied) on big plays like we did in the past,”
said Jones, who scored on a 16-yard run in the third quarter, “but tonight,
we were able to break off some big ones.”
Perhaps the biggest of the big plays belonged to Coosa’s Jake Thompson, who
turned the momentum in Coosa’s favor for good late in the first half.
After Armuchee’s Kyle Davies had returned an interception 45 yards for a
touchdown to tie the Indians tie the game at 14-14 late in the first half,
Thompson returned the ensuing kickoff 55 yards.
Three plays later, Warner raced in from 10 yards out to put Coosa back in
front, 21-14, at the half.
The Eagles then pulled away in the opening three minutes of the third
quarter by scoring two touchdowns in the span of 12 seconds.
“The big play worked well for us in the first half,” said Coosa coach Chad
Perry. “(And) we were able to turn things up in the second half.
“We made some adjustments and were able to capitalize in the second half
and make it a comfortable lead in the fourth quarter.”
On Coosa’s first play from scrimmage in the third quarter, McNutt got loose
for his 70-yard run.
Then, after Armuchee fumbled away the kickoff, Jones scored on the next
play from 16 yards out.
Suddenly it was 35-14, and Coosa was in command.
“Giving up touchdowns on back-to-back plays — you can’t win when you let
that happen,” said Armuchee John Mullinax. “I thought our defense did a
pretty good job for the most part, but those two plays were back-breakers.”
Mullinax said he was surprised by the Eagles’ gung-ho offensive mentality.
“Coming into the game I wasn’t overly concerned about big plays,” he said,
“especially in terms of them throwing the football downfield. I hadn’t seen
them do that much on film.
“But their quarterback threw a couple of beautiful passes tonight,” he
said, “and that hurt us.”
Warner was just 4-of-11 through the air, but most of his completions were
huge gainers. He finished with 131 passing yards.
For Armuchee, Marvin Armstrong had another gutsy performance. He
intercepted Warner’s first pass of the game and returned it 18 yards for a
touchdown. He also caught four passes for 28 yards.
Armuchee quarterback Will Wiggins completed 9-of-23 passes for 91 yards.
Coosa kicker Jorge Galvis kicked a 38-yard field goal and was 5-for-5 on
PATs.
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image by Randy VIce, Sports Information Director
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SHRINE GAME SET FOR
SATURDAY NIGHT
COOSA vs. ARMUCHEE
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 24th, 2005.
Barron Stadium in Historic Downtown Rome
7 pm
All proceeds go toward helping the Shriners help those in medical need.
Eagles
Defeat Pepperell in Overtime Classic
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photo by: Ken Caruthers, RN-T
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Rome News-Tribune Sports Writer
JMyers@RN-T.com / 706-290-5277
The Coosa Eagles lost at home to Darlington last week and many people
questioned whether coach Chad Perry’s team was going to be a contender or
an also-ran in Region 6-AA.
On Friday night at Dragon Stadium in Lindale, the Eagles answered that
question by beating Pepperell 27-20 in double overtime to get back on track
and remain in the hunt for a state playoff spot.
“Our loss to Darlington last week was like our loss to LaFayette last
year,” said Coosa junior Chris Jones, who blocked an extra point in the
fourth quarter and scored the game-winning touchdown. “It made us focus on
things and made us want to win more.
“We came out tonight, played like we’re capable of and got the job done.”
The Eagles and Dragons were tied 13-13 at the end of Regulation Time.
Coosa's Chris Werner had scored a touchdown on a fake punt for the Eagles
while Jorge Galvis had added the extra point and two field goals.
Jones’ 2-yard touchdown run and the extra point by Jorge Galvis gave the Eagles
(3-1) a 27-20 lead in the second overtime period.
Pepperell (3-2) then got the ball at Coosa’s 15-yard line.
Kaleb Beard — who finished with 173 yards and two touchdowns on 31 carries
— ripped off 11 yards on his first carry, giving the Dragons first-and-goal
from the 4.
Beard lost a yard on first down, then got stopped for no gain on second
down.
He gained two yards to the 3 on a third-down sweep, setting up a
fourth-and-goal, do-or-die situation from the 2.
Pepperell tried a toss sweep by Beard around the right end and he leaped
for the end zone, but was stopped a yard short, sending the visitors’ side
into a frenzy.
“First of all, all of the credit for this goes to Jesus Christ,” said Coosa
coach Chad Perry. “He blessed this team with so much talent.
“I couldn’t ask for one more ounce of effort out of them than what I got. I
haven’t been a coach for very long, but I know this is going to be one of
the top 5 wins in my career, no doubt.”
Trailing 13-7 in the fourth quarter, Pepperell drove 78 yards in six plays
to tie the score at 13 on a 6-yard touchdown run by Beard with 4:13 left in
regulation.
But Jones came around Pepperell’s right side on the extra point and blocked
it to keep the game even.
“Pepperell’s end guy was stepping down or out or anything,” said Jones. “I
just ran around him and got my right hand on it.”
Once overtime started, the Dragons got the ball first and scored on a
5-yard run by Beard. Lovering’s extra point made it 20-13 Pepperell.
But Coosa forced the second overtime when quarterback Chris Warner sneaked
in from 1 yard out on a fourth-and-goal play. Galvis’ extra point tied the
game at 20.
“Coosa made the plays when the game was on the line,” said Pepperell coach
Lynn Hunnicutt. “I’m not faulting our effort, but we didn’t make a play. We
had a situation where we had to make a play to win and we didn’t.”
Pepperell is at LaFayette next week, while Coosa faces Armuchee in the
Shrine Game at Barron Stadium on Saturday.
Coosa Downed by
Darlington
Eagles
Down Lafayette in 2nd Win of the Season
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Photo by Matt Ledger / RN-T
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at LaFayette
SEPTEMBER 2ND , 2005
By Scott Herpst
Rome News-Tribune Sports Writer
Sherpst@walkermessenger.com
LAFAYETTE — The Coosa Eagles are now 2-0, but it was far from easy.
LaFayette missed on a two-point conversion attempt and an onside kick with
a minute to play and the visiting Eagles barely hung on for a
much-closer-than-expected 28-26 win.
“My hat’s off to LaFayette,” said Coosa head coach Chad Perry. “They were
0-2 and their backs were against the wall, and they came out and fought a
very hard game.
“To be honest with you, I feel we’re just very fortunate to come out of
here with a win tonight.”
Coosa (2-0, 2-0) scored on its opening possession as Andy Staples scampered
42 yards for the score just four minutes into the game. Jorge Galvis booted
the first of four PAT’s and Coosa quickly led 7-0.
But LaFayette countered with an 11-play, 59-yard drive, ending in Jesse
Tatum’s 12-yard touchdown run. Clint Cleveland’s kick knotted the score at
7-7.
A short kickoff and two costly penalties helped move the ball inside the
Rambler 10 before Chris Jones scored on a 10-yard run on the final play of
the quarter put the guests on top 14-7.
The Ramblers had a final shot to get points late in the second, but
Cleveland missed wide right on a 32-yard field goal attempt on the final
play of the half.
Fumbles were a problem for Coosa the entire game. After fumbling five times
in the first half without losing one, the Eagles luck ran out on its first
series of the third quarter as Will Seaton recovered for LaFayette near
midfield.
A big 28-run by freshman Alric Adams helped set up a 4-yard TD pass from
Jonathan DeLay to Taylor Sumrall with 6:37 left in the period. Cleveland’s
kick squared things at 14-14.
Coosa would get the momentum back with a big play just over a minute later.
Jones got loose on the outside and took off on a 45-yard scoring run to
give his team a 21-14 left.
But yet another fumble proved costly for the Eagles late in the third. Zach
Carrell sacked quarterback Chris Warner who coughed up the ball. Wade
Gilbert then returned it to the Coosa 26.
Three plays later, DeLay hit Sumrall on a 22-yard fade pattern to pull
LaFayette within a point, but the kick was no good as Coosa held on to a
slim one-point lead.
A 55-yard Galvis punt pinned LaFayette deep in its own territory and a bad
snap forced the Ramblers to punt out of their own endzone with 4:31 to
play. A penalty then moved the ball to the LaFayette 12.
Staples bulled his way in from the 2 three plays later to put Coosa up
28-20, but the Ramblers would make sure it would be an uneasy final 3:15
for Eagles fans.
Using the short passing game, the Ramblers moved the ball to midfield and
got the benefit of a Coosa pass interference call on fourth down to keep
the drive alive.
DeLay’s pass toward the endzone was tipped by Coosa, but snared by Brandon
Harris to give LaFayette first-and-goal at the 3. Two plays later, Jesse
Tatum found the endzone to pull the Ramblers within two.
But overtime was not to be. DeLay’s pass toward Seaton fell incomplete on
the conversion attempt and Coosa covered up the kick to preserve a narrow
two-point win.
Jones finished with 97 yards on eight carries while Staples was the
workhorse with 96 yards on 13 carries.
“Andy ran the ball hard,” Perry said. “He had some clutch runs on that
final drive and got us a couple first downs when we really needed it. We’re
still just real fortunate to come out with the win.”
Warner completed 5-of-6 passes for 84 yards.
DeLay was 21-of-32 for 191 yards. Sumrall led LaFayette with 85 yards on
nine catches while T.J. Williams had seven for 63 yards.
Adams cracked the century-mark with 104 yards on 20 rushes.
As expected, LaFayette head coach Tommy Welch was extremely pleased with
his team’s effort.
“I’m proud of them,” he said. “There were just a couple times we didn’t get
it done. We had our chances, but I was really proud of the kids. They
played tough and we’ve played three really good football teams.”
“I don’t think anyone thought (the game) would be like that. It’s coming
around and we’re starting to do things a lot better. I’m proud of my kids.
Coosa did a good job and found a way to win, but I though we fought pretty
hard.”
LaFayette will play at Chattooga next Friday while Coosa will host
Darlington.
Eagles get First Win
for Coach Perry
Last barometer :
Eagles Down Rome
Eagles best Wolves in final tuneup of the preseason 08/12/05
Joseph Myers, Rome News-Tribune Sports Writer ...
Eagles Win
First Pre-season Game
by: Chris DePew, Rome News-Tribune Sports Writer
The Coosa Eagles are radically retooled for 2005, but that doesn’t mean an
automatic dropoff from last year’s Class AA quarterfinalist squad. Just ask
bigger, deeper Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe. The Class AAAA Warriors left town
smarting Friday night after absorbing a 20-6 loss to Coosa in a preseason
scrimmage at Eagle Stadium. After a sluggish start and a handful of
turnovers by both sides, Coosa finally got on the board with a 22-yard
Chris Warner touchdown to claim a 7-6 lead after two quarters. When Warner
came out throwing after intermission, LFO was caught off guard and the
Eagles rolled home.The offensive breakthrough provided new coach Chad Perry
with a happy baptism, even though he acknowledged the three-quarter
scrimmage was little more than a “glorified practice.” “Our philosophy is
to go out and establish the running game, and then after halftime we were
able to open it up a little more,” said Perry, who switched Coosa from a
spread formation to the wing-T in the offseason. Early on, the contest had
all the sloppy hallmarks of an opening scrimmage, with both teams combining
on four fumbles in the span of just seven plays. LFO’s lone score came as
the result of its own miscue, when a lineman jumped on a Dexter Scudgins
fumble for a touchdown and a 6-0 Warriors lead. “It was typical of any
scrimmage,” said new LFO coach Mark Davis. “At this time of year, you
expect the defenses to be ahead of the offenses.” oosa’s defense was
several jumps ahead all night. LFO stuck to a conservative plan and the
Eagles closed down the rushing lanes time and again. The Warriors gained
just 60 yards on 32 carries, as Scudgins was sacked three times. “In our
pregame talk, we talked about how we were going to be successful was our
defense,” said Perry. “And the defense responded to that really well.”
While the defense kept LFO bottled up, Coosa’s new-look offense finally
started clicking. Warner drove the Eagles across midfield with three
straight completions to open the third quarter, setting up a Charles
Campbell touchdown and Jorge Galvis’ second straight PAT. Stephen
Washington added a 41-yard score in the closing minutes. Coosa visits Rome
for a scrimmage game on Thursday. LFO will host Hixson (Tenn.) for a scrimmage
on Tuesday.
Coosa
Welcomes New Head Coach
Coosa High School has announced the hiring of Coach Chad Perry
as the new Head Football Coach.
Coach Perry teaches Mathematics. He was an assistant coach with the Dublin
High School Fighting Irish football team.
Coach Perry has a B.S. in Math & Health/P.E. from Middle Tennessee
State University, and a Masters degree from Cumberland University.
Coach Perry went to D.H.S. from Tennessee. He moved to Dublin in July of
2003 with his wife Kelley and two children, Josie and Jake. He has eleven
years experience as a teacher and coach, and brings that experience with
him to the classroom and the football field. His hobbies are sports,
hunting, and motorcycles.
Mrs. Janice Vick, CHS Principal added; “(Perry) is very qualified and I
think he will do a good job. He’s excited about being here, working with
kids, the school and community. He comes very highly recommended.”
Coosa H.S. is excited about having Coach Perry and wish him and his family
great success and happiness in the Coosa community.
Eagles
Ready to Fly Again
By Erik Green, Rome News-Tribune Sports Writer
Coosa football coach Chad Perry listens as his players receive a pep talk
from other members of the Eagles staff. D. Patrick Harding / Rome
News-Tribune
Chad Perry isn’t in over his head.
He’s only following a beloved coach, replacing stars and trying to
duplicate one of the greatest seasons in school history as a first-time
coach.
But spend five minutes talking to Coosa’s new head football coach and it’s
easy to see that even though he’s jumped off the ship without a life
jacket, he is ready for the swim.
“This program has stepped up over the past few years and that comes with
expectations,” said Perry, 34, who led the Eagles through their first
spring intrasquad game Friday night.
“(Former coach Scott) Chandler and his staff did a good job of getting the
kids to perform. I hope to continue that tradition.”
Perry was in a catch-22 situation in taking the job because it didn’t come
with the athletic director’s tag attached to it. But he did have a
ready-made staff in place.
All but one of Coosa’s assistants came back after the school parted ways
with Chandler following the Eagles’ run to the quarterfinals of the Class
AA state playoffs last season.
Replacing Chandler, who left much to the chagrin of a fiercely loyal fan
base, was something that weighed on Perry’s mind. But knowing that the
assistants wanted to stay and continue coaching at Coosa helped ease his
mind.
“I would have been concerned if the guys wanted to leave,” said Perry, who
arrives after a stint at Dublin High as offensive coordinator. “But nobody
did and any questions I had about loyalty were dismissed. After that I got
excited.”
The other issue Perry faced, as would any coach who comes into a tough
situation, was wondering how the players would react to him.
But those concerns disappeared after Coosa’s 16 rising seniors sat in on
his interview. He knew then they were dedicated to winning.
“I felt bad for them (the players) and I knew they needed some solidarity,”
Perry said. “It was during a time of the year where everybody else was
working out and they were waiting for a new coach.
“I don’t know how their opinions impacted the hiring process, but after I
was hired I was eager to get these guys moving forward.”
The Eagles took the first step in moving forward with the spring
Black-White game, which the White team won 7-0.
Gone from the lineup are quarterback Blue Cooper and running back Patrick
Dupree, as well as the top offensive lineman Brandon Carter.
But a good nucleus of players like defensive standouts David Robinson,
Cohen Sharp and Daniel Burchett provide deep leadership.
On offense, Chris Jones and Chris Warner are back along with kicker George
Galvis, all of whom have big game experience.
However, they have to learn a new offense, the wing-T, and get used to the
play calling of a new coach.
“The (rising) seniors have been playing together since they were old enough
to say the word football,” Perry said. “But it would be a tough situation
for anybody. They could have quit or been bitter, but it’s a compliment to
them that they want to move forward.”
Eagles
Turn Pages
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Photo by Ryan Smith, RN-T
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Eagles turning pages
07/21/05
Erik Green, Rome News-Tribune Sports Writer
First-year Coosa High football coach Chad Perry yelled to his coaches
Wednesday that the team would be warming up in nine minutes.
To that, one of the assistants replied snidely, “Yes, boss!” Perry, who
just laughed and rolled his eyes, is fitting in just fine.
“I’m starting to get a good vibe,” Perry said. “I’ve settled in and already
have a great relationship with new principal Sam Sprewell and I think
everybody is one the same page.”
Getting 62 players on the same page is what Perry and his coaches are
trying to do this week and so far everything is going as planned.
“We’re in the routine of putting in all the kicking game and we are
splitting practice where one is offense and one is defense,” Perry said.
“We try to get our conditioning work within the drills.”
And thus far the players are responding, Perry said.
“We had about 95 percent participation in the summer as far as all the kids
making workouts,” Perry said. “That’s higher than it’s ever been as I
understand. Using what we’ve done in the summer makes everything a lot easier.”
Having seven starters back on each side of the ball helps as well,
especially when a majority of the team has deep playoff experience.
However, Perry will have to replace the vast majority of his skill players,
which is never easy.
“All the returning guys are offensive line defensive line guys, who have
been together since Mite leagues,” Perry said. “I don’t think you can fill
the shoes of (quarterback) Blue Cooper (running back) Patrick Dupree.
“But hopefully with the offense, we can spread it out more and get a whole
lot more kids involved.”
One of the biggest things that has helped everything run smoothly for Perry
has been the cooperation of his staff.
“Keeping the staff here has been a big help,” Perry said. “I think changing
the staff would have been a blow, but keeping them together helped. The
kids are very open to whatever we throw at them.
“And I think the rapport with the kids is as good as it could be,” he
added. “They‘ve been very accepting of me coming in and changing a few
things. It gave everybody a fresh start and a new chance to help
themselves.”
Perry and company will get a chance to get a good look at a lot of players
in the coming days when Coosa scrimmages L-FO and Rome. “We’ll get tested
with our two Class AAAA scrimmages and our first away test is the first
game at Dade County,” Perry said. “The second week is an open week so we
can see what happened with our stuff.”
The Eagles open the season Aug. 19 at Dade County. cially in terms of them
throwing the football downfield. I hadn’t seen them do that much on film.
“But their quarterback threw a couple of beautiful passes tonight,” he
said, “and that hurt us.”
Warner was just 4-of-11 through the air, but most of his completions were
huge gainers. He finished with 131 passing yards.
For Armuchee, Marvin Armstrong had another gutsy performance. He
intercepted Warner’s first pass of the game and returned it 18 yards for a
touchdown. He also caught four passes for 28 yards.
Armuchee quarterback Will Wiggins completed 9-of-23 passes for 91 yards.
Coosa kicker Jorge Galvis kicked a 38-yard field goal and was 5-for-5 on
PATs.
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image by Randy VIce, Sports Information Director
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SHRINE GAME SET FOR
SATURDAY NIGHT
COOSA vs. ARMUCHEE
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 24th, 2005.
Barron Stadium in Historic Downtown Rome
7 pm
All proceeds go toward helping the Shriners help those in medical need.
Eagles Defeat Pepperell in Overtime Classic
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photo by: Ken Caruthers, RN-T
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Rome News-Tribune Sports Writer
JMyers@RN-T.com / 706-290-5277
The Coosa Eagles lost at home to Darlington last week and many people
questioned whether coach Chad Perry’s team was going to be a contender or
an also-ran in Region 6-AA.
On Friday night at Dragon Stadium in Lindale, the Eagles answered that
question by beating Pepperell 27-20 in double overtime to get back on track
and remain in the hunt for a state playoff spot.
“Our loss to Darlington last week was like our loss to LaFayette last
year,” said Coosa junior Chris Jones, who blocked an extra point in the
fourth quarter and scored the game-winning touchdown. “It made us focus on
things and made us want to win more.
“We came out tonight, played like we’re capable of and got the job done.”
The Eagles and Dragons were tied 13-13 at the end of Regulation Time.
Coosa's Chris Werner had scored a touchdown on a fake punt for the Eagles
while Jorge Galvis had added the extra point and two field goals.
Jones’ 2-yard touchdown run and the extra point by Jorge Galvis gave the
Eagles (3-1) a 27-20 lead in the second overtime period.
Pepperell (3-2) then got the ball at Coosa’s 15-yard line.
Kaleb Beard — who finished with 173 yards and two touchdowns on 31 carries
— ripped off 11 yards on his first carry, giving the Dragons first-and-goal
from the 4.
Beard lost a yard on first down, then got stopped for no gain on second
down.
He gained two yards to the 3 on a third-down sweep, setting up a
fourth-and-goal, do-or-die situation from the 2.
Pepperell tried a toss sweep by Beard around the right end and he leaped
for the end zone, but was stopped a yard short, sending the visitors’ side
into a frenzy.
“First of all, all of the credit for this goes to Jesus Christ,” said Coosa
coach Chad Perry. “He blessed this team with so much talent.
“I couldn’t ask for one more ounce of effort out of them than what I got. I
haven’t been a coach for very long, but I know this is going to be one of
the top 5 wins in my career, no doubt.”
Trailing 13-7 in the fourth quarter, Pepperell drove 78 yards in six plays
to tie the score at 13 on a 6-yard touchdown run by Beard with 4:13 left in
regulation.
But Jones came around Pepperell’s right side on the extra point and blocked
it to keep the game even.
“Pepperell’s end guy was stepping down or out or anything,” said Jones. “I
just ran around him and got my right hand on it.”
Once overtime started, the Dragons got the ball first and scored on a
5-yard run by Beard. Lovering’s extra point made it 20-13 Pepperell.
But Coosa forced the second overtime when quarterback Chris Warner sneaked
in from 1 yard out on a fourth-and-goal play. Galvis’ extra point tied the
game at 20.
“Coosa made the plays when the game was on the line,” said Pepperell coach
Lynn Hunnicutt. “I’m not faulting our effort, but we didn’t make a play. We
had a situation where we had to make a play to win and we didn’t.”
Pepperell is at LaFayette next week, while Coosa faces Armuchee in the
Shrine Game at Barron Stadium on Saturday.
Coosa Downed by
Darlington
Eagles Down Lafayette in 2nd Win of the Season
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Photo by Matt Ledger / RN-T
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at LaFayette
SEPTEMBER 2ND , 2005
By Scott Herpst
Rome News-Tribune Sports Writer
Sherpst@walkermessenger.com
LAFAYETTE — The Coosa Eagles are now 2-0, but it was far from easy.
LaFayette missed on a two-point conversion attempt and an onside kick with
a minute to play and the visiting Eagles barely hung on for a
much-closer-than-expected 28-26 win.
“My hat’s off to LaFayette,” said Coosa head coach Chad Perry. “They were
0-2 and their backs were against the wall, and they came out and fought a
very hard game.
“To be honest with you, I feel we’re just very fortunate to come out of
here with a win tonight.”
Coosa (2-0, 2-0) scored on its opening possession as Andy Staples scampered
42 yards for the score just four minutes into the game. Jorge Galvis booted
the first of four PAT’s and Coosa quickly led 7-0.
But LaFayette countered with an 11-play, 59-yard drive, ending in Jesse
Tatum’s 12-yard touchdown run. Clint Cleveland’s kick knotted the score at
7-7.
A short kickoff and two costly penalties helped move the ball inside the
Rambler 10 before Chris Jones scored on a 10-yard run on the final play of
the quarter put the guests on top 14-7.
The Ramblers had a final shot to get points late in the second, but
Cleveland missed wide right on a 32-yard field goal attempt on the final
play of the half.
Fumbles were a problem for Coosa the entire game. After fumbling five times
in the first half without losing one, the Eagles luck ran out on its first
series of the third quarter as Will Seaton recovered for LaFayette near
midfield.
A big 28-run by freshman Alric Adams helped set up a 4-yard TD pass from
Jonathan DeLay to Taylor Sumrall with 6:37 left in the period. Cleveland’s
kick squared things at 14-14.
Coosa would get the momentum back with a big play just over a minute later.
Jones got loose on the outside and took off on a 45-yard scoring run to
give his team a 21-14 left.
But yet another fumble proved costly for the Eagles late in the third. Zach
Carrell sacked quarterback Chris Warner who coughed up the ball. Wade
Gilbert then returned it to the Coosa 26.
Three plays later, DeLay hit Sumrall on a 22-yard fade pattern to pull
LaFayette within a point, but the kick was no good as Coosa held on to a
slim one-point lead.
A 55-yard Galvis punt pinned LaFayette deep in its own territory and a bad
snap forced the Ramblers to punt out of their own endzone with 4:31 to
play. A penalty then moved the ball to the LaFayette 12.
Staples bulled his way in from the 2 three plays later to put Coosa up
28-20, but the Ramblers would make sure it would be an uneasy final 3:15
for Eagles fans.
Using the short passing game, the Ramblers moved the ball to midfield and
got the benefit of a Coosa pass interference call on fourth down to keep
the drive alive.
DeLay’s pass toward the endzone was tipped by Coosa, but snared by Brandon
Harris to give LaFayette first-and-goal at the 3. Two plays later, Jesse
Tatum found the endzone to pull the Ramblers within two.
But overtime was not to be. DeLay’s pass toward Seaton fell incomplete on
the conversion attempt and Coosa covered up the kick to preserve a narrow
two-point win.
Jones finished with 97 yards on eight carries while Staples was the
workhorse with 96 yards on 13 carries.
“Andy ran the ball hard,” Perry said. “He had some clutch runs on that
final drive and got us a couple first downs when we really needed it. We’re
still just real fortunate to come out with the win.”
Warner completed 5-of-6 passes for 84 yards.
DeLay was 21-of-32 for 191 yards. Sumrall led LaFayette with 85 yards on
nine catches while T.J. Williams had seven for 63 yards.
Adams cracked the century-mark with 104 yards on 20 rushes.
As expected, LaFayette head coach Tommy Welch was extremely pleased with
his team’s effort.
“I’m proud of them,” he said. “There were just a couple times we didn’t get
it done. We had our chances, but I was really proud of the kids. They
played tough and we’ve played three really good football teams.”
“I don’t think anyone thought (the game) would be like that. It’s coming
around and we’re starting to do things a lot better. I’m proud of my kids.
Coosa did a good job and found a way to win, but I though we fought pretty
hard.”
LaFayette will play at Chattooga next Friday while Coosa will host
Darlington.
Eagles get First Win
for Coach Perry
Last barometer :
Eagles Down Rome
Eagles best Wolves in final tuneup of the preseason 08/12/05
Joseph Myers, Rome News-Tribune Sports Writer ...
Eagles Win First Pre-season Game
by: Chris DePew, Rome News-Tribune Sports Writer
The Coosa Eagles are radically retooled for 2005, but that doesn’t mean an
automatic dropoff from last year’s Class AA quarterfinalist squad. Just ask
bigger, deeper Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe. The Class AAAA Warriors left town
smarting Friday night after absorbing a 20-6 loss to Coosa in a preseason
scrimmage at Eagle Stadium. After a sluggish start and a handful of
turnovers by both sides, Coosa finally got on the board with a 22-yard
Chris Warner touchdown to claim a 7-6 lead after two quarters. When Warner
came out throwing after intermission, LFO was caught off guard and the
Eagles rolled home.The offensive breakthrough provided new coach Chad Perry
with a happy baptism, even though he acknowledged the three-quarter
scrimmage was little more than a “glorified practice.” “Our philosophy is
to go out and establish the running game, and then after halftime we were
able to open it up a little more,” said Perry, who switched Coosa from a
spread formation to the wing-T in the offseason. Early on, the contest had
all the sloppy hallmarks of an opening scrimmage, with both teams combining
on four fumbles in the span of just seven plays. LFO’s lone score came as
the result of its own miscue, when a lineman jumped on a Dexter Scudgins
fumble for a touchdown and a 6-0 Warriors lead. “It was typical of any
scrimmage,” said new LFO coach Mark Davis. “At this time of year, you
expect the defenses to be ahead of the offenses.” oosa’s defense was
several jumps ahead all night. LFO stuck to a conservative plan and the
Eagles closed down the rushing lanes time and again. The Warriors gained
just 60 yards on 32 carries, as Scudgins was sacked three times. “In our
pregame talk, we talked about how we were going to be successful was our
defense,” said Perry. “And the defense responded to that really well.”
While the defense kept LFO bottled up, Coosa’s new-look offense finally
started clicking. Warner drove the Eagles across midfield with three
straight completions to open the third quarter, setting up a Charles
Campbell touchdown and Jorge Galvis’ second straight PAT. Stephen
Washington added a 41-yard score in the closing minutes. Coosa visits Rome
for a scrimmage game on Thursday. LFO will host Hixson (Tenn.) for a
scrimmage on Tuesday.
Coosa Welcomes New Head Coach
Coosa High School has announced the hiring of Coach Chad Perry
as the new Head Football Coach.
Coach Perry teaches Mathematics. He was an assistant coach with the Dublin
High School Fighting Irish football team.
Coach Perry has a B.S. in Math & Health/P.E. from Middle Tennessee
State University, and a Masters degree from Cumberland University.
Coach Perry went to D.H.S. from Tennessee. He moved to Dublin in July of
2003 with his wife Kelley and two children, Josie and Jake. He has eleven
years experience as a teacher and coach, and brings that experience with
him to the classroom and the football field. His hobbies are sports,
hunting, and motorcycles.
Mrs. Janice Vick, CHS Principal added; “(Perry) is very qualified and I
think he will do a good job. He’s excited about being here, working with
kids, the school and community. He comes very highly recommended.”
Coosa H.S. is excited about having Coach Perry and wish him and his family
great success and happiness in the Coosa community.
Eagles Ready to Fly Again
By Erik Green, Rome News-Tribune Sports Writer
Coosa football coach Chad Perry listens as his players receive a pep talk
from other members of the Eagles staff. D. Patrick Harding / Rome
News-Tribune
Chad Perry isn’t in over his head.
He’s only following a beloved coach, replacing stars and trying to
duplicate one of the greatest seasons in school history as a first-time
coach.
But spend five minutes talking to Coosa’s new head football coach and it’s
easy to see that even though he’s jumped off the ship without a life
jacket, he is ready for the swim.
“This program has stepped up over the past few years and that comes with
expectations,” said Perry, 34, who led the Eagles through their first
spring intrasquad game Friday night.
“(Former coach Scott) Chandler and his staff did a good job of getting the
kids to perform. I hope to continue that tradition.”
Perry was in a catch-22 situation in taking the job because it didn’t come
with the athletic director’s tag attached to it. But he did have a
ready-made staff in place.
All but one of Coosa’s assistants came back after the school parted ways
with Chandler following the Eagles’ run to the quarterfinals of the Class
AA state playoffs last season.
Replacing Chandler, who left much to the chagrin of a fiercely loyal fan
base, was something that weighed on Perry’s mind. But knowing that the assistants
wanted to stay and continue coaching at Coosa helped ease his mind.
“I would have been concerned if the guys wanted to leave,” said Perry, who
arrives after a stint at Dublin High as offensive coordinator. “But nobody
did and any questions I had about loyalty were dismissed. After that I got
excited.”
The other issue Perry faced, as would any coach who comes into a tough
situation, was wondering how the players would react to him.
But those concerns disappeared after Coosa’s 16 rising seniors sat in on
his interview. He knew then they were dedicated to winning.
“I felt bad for them (the players) and I knew they needed some solidarity,”
Perry said. “It was during a time of the year where everybody else was
working out and they were waiting for a new coach.
“I don’t know how their opinions impacted the hiring process, but after I
was hired I was eager to get these guys moving forward.”
The Eagles took the first step in moving forward with the spring
Black-White game, which the White team won 7-0.
Gone from the lineup are quarterback Blue Cooper and running back Patrick
Dupree, as well as the top offensive lineman Brandon Carter.
But a good nucleus of players like defensive standouts David Robinson,
Cohen Sharp and Daniel Burchett provide deep leadership.
On offense, Chris Jones and Chris Warner are back along with kicker George
Galvis, all of whom have big game experience.
However, they have to learn a new offense, the wing-T, and get used to the
play calling of a new coach.
“The (rising) seniors have been playing together since they were old enough
to say the word football,” Perry said. “But it would be a tough situation
for anybody. They could have quit or been bitter, but it’s a compliment to
them that they want to move forward.”
Eagles Turn Pages
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Photo by Ryan Smith, RN-T
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Eagles turning pages
07/21/05
Erik Green, Rome News-Tribune Sports Writer
First-year Coosa High football coach Chad Perry yelled to his coaches
Wednesday that the team would be warming up in nine minutes.
To that, one of the assistants replied snidely, “Yes, boss!” Perry, who
just laughed and rolled his eyes, is fitting in just fine.
“I’m starting to get a good vibe,” Perry said. “I’ve settled in and already
have a great relationship with new principal Sam Sprewell and I think
everybody is one the same page.”
Getting 62 players on the same page is what Perry and his coaches are
trying to do this week and so far everything is going as planned.
“We’re in the routine of putting in all the kicking game and we are
splitting practice where one is offense and one is defense,” Perry said.
“We try to get our conditioning work within the drills.”
And thus far the players are responding, Perry said.
“We had about 95 percent participation in the summer as far as all the kids
making workouts,” Perry said. “That’s higher than it’s ever been as I
understand. Using what we’ve done in the summer makes everything a lot
easier.”
Having seven starters back on each side of the ball helps as well, especially
when a majority of the team has deep playoff experience.
However, Perry will have to replace the vast majority of his skill players,
which is never easy.
“All the returning guys are offensive line defensive line guys, who have
been together since Mite leagues,” Perry said. “I don’t think you can fill
the shoes of (quarterback) Blue Cooper (running back) Patrick Dupree.
“But hopefully with the offense, we can spread it out more and get a whole
lot more kids involved.”
One of the biggest things that has helped everything run smoothly for Perry
has been the cooperation of his staff.
“Keeping the staff here has been a big help,” Perry said. “I think changing
the staff would have been a blow, but keeping them together helped. The
kids are very open to whatever we throw at them.
“And I think the rapport with the kids is as good as it could be,” he
added. “They‘ve been very accepting of me coming in and changing a few
things. It gave everybody a fresh start and a new chance to help
themselves.”
Perry and company will get a chance to get a good look at a lot of players
in the coming days when Coosa scrimmages L-FO and Rome. “We’ll get tested
with our two Class AAAA scrimmages and our first away test is the first
game at Dade County,” Perry said. “The second week is an open week so we
can see what happened with our stuff.”
The Eagles open the season Aug. 19 at Dade County.
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