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The Online Home of Coosa High School
Football
The Coosa High
School Eagles compete in Region 6AA of the Georgia High School Athletic
Association. Coosa High School's Principal is Mr. Sam Sprewell. Coosa is
led by Head Coach Chad Perry. The Eagles strive to represent Coosa High
School and the Coosa community in the best possible manner. The Coosa High
School website is located at http://www.coosahigh.net/.
Much of the content of this website is provided courtesy of the Rome
News-Tribune .
Eagles back in form, dominate Temple at
Homecoming
Oct
20 07 - 12:31 AM
Jeremy Stewart, Rome
News-Tribune Sports Writer
The Coosa Eagles wanted to let everyone know
Friday night that they hadn’t called it quits, not this season. And with a
37-6 homecoming victory over Region 7-AA South foe Temple, they made a
convincing case.After suffering back-to-back subregion losses the last two
weeks, the Eagles (5-3, 2-2) recovered with a ground attack that was
consistent and a passing game that was right on time. “It just shows that
our kids are not done playing football yet,” Coosa coach Chad Perry said.
“We’ve challenged them all week to stay in there and keep fighting week in
and week out.” Junior running backs Quentin Hight and Lebron Neal led the
way for the Eagles as Hight had 115 yards and two touchdowns while Neal had
86 yards and three TDs. “We’re getting balanced out a little more and that
just makes us a better offense,” Perry said. “We’ve got three running backs
that are sharing the responsibilities and we’re throwing the ball a little
bit better.” Coosa totaled 303 yards on the ground and 76 yards in the air
as quarterback Shane Smith kept the Eagles alive with some long passes. “He
did a great job back there keeping his composure with some pressure
sometimes and made some good throws,” Perry said of the junior. “This was a
big win for us,” Hight said. “We just wanted to come out, win the game, and
get ready for Darlington. We just come out and get better every week and
play people hard.” Temple (0-7, 0-3) made an onside kick to open the game
but the Eagles were ready and senior Drew Putnam covered the ball at
midfield. The quick thinking senior set the tone for the rest of the game
as Coosa scored on every possession in the first half. Neal capped the
opening drive with a six-yard run with 9:28 to go in the first quarter.
Freddy Cornejo, who was four-for-five on extra points, kicked his first PAT to put the Eagles on the board 7-0. The visiting
Tigers went three-and-out on their first possession and Hight had a 28-yard
run on Coosa’s ensuing drive to lead to his one-yard touchdown with 5:48
until the second. Temple used a 39-yard kickoff return by Trey Rowe to give
them a short field on their second attept at scoring and Rashad McCoy ran
31 yards into the end zone on the second play from scrimmage. Chase
Weather’s kick hit the uprights and Temple were left with just six points
to carry for the rest of the game. Neal had a two-run touchdown run to end
the first quarter with Coosa ahead 30-6. Cornejo added a 26-yard field goal
with 6:37 to go before half time and Hight took the ball into the end zone
from eight yards out with 1:06 remaining. Deveion Haselrig and Corey
Williams each intercepted passes from Weathers in the the second half to
halt their hopes of scoring again, with Williams’ pick off leading to
Neal’s final touchdown run of the night from two yards out. Coosa travels
to Darlington next Friday while Temple hosts Model.
Jackets down Eagles, 31-8
Oct 13 07 - 02:00 AM
 Photo: Coosa’s Lebron Neal tries to
get past Rockmart defender Austin Phillips Friday night. Ryan Smith /
Rome News-Tribune
Article by By Stephanie McCombs
After last week’s loss to the Pepperell Dragons, the Coosa
Eagles were hoping to regain their swagger in Friday’s game at home
against the Rockmart Yellow Jackets. But junior quarterback Brandon
Haywood was 12-for-18 passing for 131 yards to lead the Jackets to a 31-8
win over the Eagles, Rockmart’s fourth consecutive win and Coosa’s second
loss in a row. It was the second straight big game for Haywood, who
passed for 217 yards and rushed for 80 in the Jackets’ 34-14 win over
Model last week. Rockmart was bothered by high snaps and penalties in the
first quarter against Coosa, which resulted in a safety for the Eagles,
putting them in the lead in the opening minutes of the game, 2-0. But the
Jackets calmed down later in the half and started playing their type of
ballgame. Despite several penalties on the drive, Rockmart was able to
find its way deep into Eagles territory and took the lead on a 46-yard
touchdown pass from Haywood to Jerrett Thompson. Rockmart’s PAT was good and the Jackets led at halftime, 7-2.
After the break, it seemed as though neither squad could hold on to the
ball, as the teams combined for seven fumbles, with Rockmart recovering
four. “I think it (the fumbles) was from a lack of focus,” Rockmart’s
head coach Dan Duff said. “But there were some serious hits out there
tonight, and that was part of it as well. “I think it was just not
holding the football, lack of fundamentals.” Chase Hill managed to
recover of one of the Coosa fumbles and two plays later, the Jackets
converted it into a 10-yard touchdown by James Anderson. Later in the
third period, the Eagles depended heavily on junior running back Lebron
Neal to get the ball moving towards the opposite end of the field. Neal
scored from 15 yards out, but the 2-point conversion failed and Coosa
continued to trail, 13-8. Just when things couldn’t get worse for the
home team, Rockmart’s Thompson would run the ensuing kickoff back for a
78-yard touchdown. “The kickoff return was huge,” Duff said. “It was a
close game. “That kind of broke it open a little bit,” he added. “That
was the turning point of the game.” The fourth quarter belonged to the
visiting Jackets, as they wrapped up the game with two touchdowns, with
Haywood scoring on an 11-yard quarterback keeper and Lorenzo Johnson intercepting
Coosa quarterback Shane Smith’s pass and running it back for a 45-yard
touchdown.
Dragons beat Coosa 28-11
By
David Dawson
After watching a brief
pregame ceremony that honored Lynn Hunnicutt, the Pepperell football team
went out and delivered its own tribute to the legendary coach.
Displaying the hard-nosed,
nothing-fancy style of football that Hunnicutt loved, the Dragons beat
Coosa 28-11 in a key 7-AA South game in Lindale.
Brandon Whitaker rushed for
153 yards on 18 carries and scored three touchdowns for the Dragons, who
won their fourth consecutive game while improving to 4-2 overall and 2-0
in the subregion. Coosa dropped to 4-2, 1-1.
“We were really motivated
tonight and we came in here very focused,” said Whitaker, who had scoring
runs of 23, 14 and 3 yards. “It was a big win for us.”
Pepperell, which heads to
Darlington next week for another huge subregion game, finished with 245
rushing yards on 45 attempts and put together several time-consuming
drives.
The most notable march came in
the fourth quarter. Leading 21-11, the Dragons used a series of short
runs to produce a nine-play, 45-yard drive that was capped by Marcus
Jackson’s six-yard, game-sealing touchdown run with 2:46 to go.
Also impressive was the
Dragon defense, which limited Coosa’s star fullback Lebron Neal to 44
yards on 13 carries.
Overall, the victory was a
fitting way to honor Hunnicutt, the long-time Pepperell coach who retired
after last season.
Many of Hunnicutt’s former
players, including retired NFL veteran Ken Irvin, were on hand for the
pregame ceremonies, and most of them stuck around to see the new-wave
Dragons notch the notable win.
“With this being a reunion
night, we wanted to come out and show (the former players) that we play
football the same way they played it,” said Pepperell first-year coach
Jeff Shiflett. “It was a special night, and we wanted to (reflect that)
in our performance.”
Whitaker emerged as
Pepperell’s play-maker early in the game, and the theme continued the
rest of the evening.
He scooped up a Pepperell
fumble on a fourth-down play in the first quarter and raced 23 yards for
a touchdown.
“We tell our kids that if
they play hard, good things will happen,” said Shiflett. “And that was
true on that play.”
In the third quarter,
Whitaker carried the ball on four consecutive plays — covering 22, 32, 4
and 3 yards — to account for Pepperell’s entire yardage during a 61-yard
TD drive.
That march proved to be the
game’s turning point. It came directly after Coosa had trimmed
Pepperell’s lead to 14-11 on a 79-yard run by quarterback Shane Smith,
who also scored on the ensuing conversion run.
“Our defense has played well
all season, but tonight we (only) played well in spurts,” said Coosa
coach Chad Perry. “Bottom line, Pepperell outplayed us.”
The Dragons led only 7-3
after the half. Whitaker’s 23-yard fumble recovery and a 24-yard field
goal by Coosa’s Freddy Cornejo provided all the scoring.
But things took a different
twist in the third quarter, when the teams combined for three touchdowns
in the span of 82 seconds.
Whitaker’s 14-yard touchdown
run was followed almost immediately by Smith’s 79-yard burst. But
Pepperell answered back with the 45-yard drive to reverse the momentum.
Coosa’s Smith finished with
51 passing yards on four completions and ran for 73 yards. Jerry Watson
picked off a pass for the Eagles, who play Rockmart next Friday.
“We can’t afford another
loss,” said Perry. “One more loss and we’ll playing for pride the rest of
the way, and we’re no where close to ready for that phase.”
Shrine
streak intact
09/30/07
David Dawson, Rome News-Tribune Sports Writer
Coosa’s
Eagles win their 8th straight Shrine Game with a 42-22 win over Armuchee
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Coosa’s
Quentin Hight (right) races past Armuchee’s Blake Poole (19) and
Davante Hudson (22) on the way to a touchdown in the first quarter.
William T. Martin, Rome News-Tribune.
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Click
here for video of Saturday's Shrine Game at Barron Stadium.
The annual Shrine Game at Barron Stadium has become a
spirit-boosting event for the Coosa Eagles. And this year, that was more
true than ever. With fullback Lebron Neal amassing a staggering 289
rushing yards on 18 carries, the Eagles downed Armuchee 42-22 on Saturday
night in the 60th annual Shrine Game and the Region 7-AA South opener for
both teams. The victory — Coosa’s eighth in a row in the yearly
charity-benefited contest — came just three days after multiple Coosa
players had been arrested for their involvement in a parking-lot
altercation in Armuchee that also included numerous others. Extra
security was added for the game, but no problems were reported. “I think
(this win) really speaks highly of these guys,” said Coosa coach Chad
Perry of his football team. “We’ve dealt with a lot of adversity this
week. I don’t know how many other teams have gone through what we’ve gone
through. But we’re thankful for this football game, which gave us a
chance to maintain our focus.” Indeed, if Coosa (4-1, 1-0) was distracted
this week by the off-the-field events, they certainly didn’t show it
Saturday night. They led 21-7 at the half, then pulled away from Armuchee
(2-2, 0-1) by scoring three touchdowns in the span of two minutes and 25
seconds in the third quarter. Neal finished with three TDs, all of them
coming on break-away runs. He covered 33 yards on a second-quarter burst,
then added runs of 58 and 73 yards in the third quarter during a
performance that earned him the offensive MVP award for the Eagles. Although
the game was played in front of sold-out crowd and was held at a neutral
site, Neal said the Eagles didn’t alter their approach. “We looked at
this as just a regular football game,” said the fullback. “We didn’t
change anything (preparation-wise) from any other game.” Corey Williams
had perhaps the night’s biggest play with his 85-yard kick-off return
late in the third quarter. It allowed the Eagles to retake the momentum
after Armuchee had trimmed Coosa’s lead to 28-14 on a 23-yard scoring
pass from T.C. Boyd to Taylor Evans. Williams also returned an
interception for a touchdown, but it was nullified by a penalty. Coosa’s
Quentin Hight set the tone for the win with a pair of first-quarter
touchdown runs, and he finished with 107 yards on 18 carries. He and Neal
helped the Eagles compile 443 rushing yards. Quarterback Shane Smith
added 44 passing yards and directed Coosa on several long scoring
marches. “As big as it is to win the Shrine Game, being 1-0 in the
subregion was also at the forefront of our minds,” said Perry. For
Armuchee, the quarterbacking tandem of Will Wiggins and Boyd combined for
151 yards. Boyd completed 7-of-11 passes for 80 yards, and Wiggins was
7-for-8 for 71 yards. Armuchee’s Davante Hudson scored on an 85-yard with
three seconds left to close the scoring. Coming into the night, Coosa had
outscored Armuchee by a cumulative score of 248-84 (an average of 35-12)
in the past seven Shrine Games, including a 62-21 victory last season.
“Nobody wants to be the team that (snaps the streak),” said Perry. “And I
think that was a motivation for our kids tonight.’ This Friday, Coosa is
at Pepperell and Armuchee is at Darlington.
Coosa blanks Wolverines,
10-0
Sep
22 07 - 01:35 AM
 By Jeff Gable , Rome News-Tribune
The fate of a high school football team can depend on
just a handful of plays each game. The Coosa Eagles made enough big plays
at the right times Friday night in a 10-0 win over visiting Dade County.
No matter how it was done, the most important things to Coosa coach Chad
Perry were earning a shutout and notching the victory — which moved the
Eagles to 3-1 overall. “Our defense is a little bit ahead of our offense
right now,” Perry said. “We’re still putting the puzzle together
(offensively) and seeing what we can hang our hat on. “One of the things
our defense really wants to do each week is get a shutout, and they
stepped up and played well tonight.” Perry said he’s been pleased with
some of the drives the Eagles have had so far this season, but he wants
to see them finish with more points. “We’re still learning how to keep
moving the ball downfield and not stall out,” Perry said. “But we’re
getting better and I feel good about where we are as we get into our
subregion games.” For Dade County coach Charles Hammon, it was another
strong effort by the Wolverines, but it wasn’t enough to keep them from
falling to 1-2 overall and 0-2 in cross-over games. Dade County has
allowed only 23 points in its three games, but the team’s offense has
scored just 13 points. “Coming in I really thought we had a chance to win
the game,” Hammon said. “We played our guts out last week (against
Darlington) and again this week. We gave up just 10 points to a very good
Coosa team. “The kids are playing so hard, and we can move the ball
between the 20s, but we just have to find a way to punch it in.” Coosa
found a way to punch it in on its second drive of the game, capping off a
seven-play, 86-yard drive with a 17-yard touchdown run by tailback
Quentin Hight. Freddy Cornejo’s PAT made it 7-0
midway through the first quarter. The only other score came late in the
second period on a 24-yard field goal by Cornejo. After that, Coosa’s
defense stepped up front and center, with Justin Haney getting an
interception and a fumble recovery and Taylor Chastain also picking up a
Dade County fumble. Lebron Neal was the workhorse for Coosa’s offense,
carrying the ball 18 times for 127 yards. Quarterback Shane Smith was
4-of-7 passing for 72 yards, including impressive completions to Matt
Duvall and Cody Shepherd. Coosa is back in action next Saturday, taking
on Armuchee in the annual Shrine Game at Barron Stadium, while Dade
County will play Plainview, Ala., on Friday.
Eagles Turnover win to Chattooga
Sep 15
07 - 12:34 AM
By
Jeremy Stewart , Rome News-Tribune
SUMMERVILLE — In
a game that was never pretty on a field that was unforgiving, it was
Chattooga who tamed the football first and held on to the last. Hosting
the Coosa Eagles Friday night in a Region 7-AA crossover game, the
Indians shutdown their opponent at Little Big Horn to win 13-0. “That was
wonderful,” Chattooga coach John Starr said. “We knew coming in that we
had some good players on defense and they stepped up tonight. “Our
veteran guys came through with some big plays and this was just a good
win.” Chattooga’s Senorise Perry ran for a game-high 73 yards on seven
carries while teammate Cody Boyd rounded up 51 yards on 13 touches. All
of this in a game where the first quarter contained nine fumbles and four
turnovers. “We felt like we could come out in the shotgun after
practicing it all week,” Starr said. “But we had dry weather and dry
balls during practice.” After torrential rains swept across Northwest
Georgia Friday, the field at Chattooga High was still soggy at game time.
Whether or not the conditions led to both teams combining for 20 fumbles
is up for debate. “They had the same ball as we had and we put the ball
on the ground nine times,” Coosa coach Chad Perry said. “We’ve got to
find a running back that can hold onto to it and then we’ll be productive
on offense.” Chattooga (2-1) scored with 5:37 left in the opening quarter
after an Eagle turnover led to a 57-yard drive capped by a one-yard
touchdown run by Charlie Starr. Bernardo Mosqueda made the kick for the PAT to give the Indians the 7-0 advantage. After recovering
another Coosa fumble on the second play of the second half, Chattooga
converted a third-and-long situation to score. Quarterback Jack
McCutchins found Blake Johnson wide open in the middle of the field for a
46-yard touchdown pass. McCutchins finished the night with 103 yards in
the air. The Mosqueda kick was blocked. Coosa (2-1) turned the ball over
on either fumbles or downs to end each of their drives in the fourth and
Chatooga’s defense survived their endurance test. “The fourth quarter has
always been real crucial for the last four years,” Starr said, referring
to the two teams’ past meetings. “And up 13 points, we were still
sweating bullets because of the past history.” But Chattooga held their
ground and Greg Shropshire exploded for three sacks in the final 12
minutes. The Indians visit Rockmart next week in their third Region 7-AA
crossover game of the season while Coosa hosts Dade County.
Justin Haney Earns Player of the Week
Honors
 Sep 25 07 - 08:07 AM
Excerpts taken From Rome News-Tribune Staff Reports, Photo: Bill
Miller Photography
There’s something to be
said for the exuberance of youth. There’s even more to be said for the
experience of a veteran. Coosa’s Justin Haney , a.senior and four-year
varsity player, — provided plenty of leadership and game-changing plays
while helping his team earn a Region 7-AA cross-over win last Friday.
Haney, a middle linebacker, had 11 total tackles (including nine solo)
and created two turnovers during Coosa’s 10-0 shutout of Dade County. He is this week’s Rome
News-Tribune Defensive Player of
the Week. “Coming into the season, we asked Justin to step into a
leadership role for our football team, and he has taken that assignment
on his shoulders and excelled,” said Coosa
coach Chad Perry of Haney. “He has become our defensive quarterback, and
he knows where all 11 players should be on every play.” Haney has
registered 33 solo tackles while helping the Eagles open the season with
three wins in four games. “Justin has great range, and he always goes
hard,” said Perry. “In our scheme, our middle linebackers are (vital),
and Justin has done a super job of anchoring that group.”
LEBRON NEAL NAMED ROME-NEWS OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Article Excerpts Courtesy, Rome-News Tribune ,
Photo Courtesy Bill Miller Photography ... After putting up comparatively terrific
rushing totals last Friday night, Coosa’s Lebron Neal and Rome High’s
P.J. Green are sharing the Rome News-Tribune Offensive Player of the Week
honors. Neal racked up 177 yards on 13 carries, including a 55-yard
scoring run, in Coosa’s 44-22 non-region win over Trion at Eagle Stadium.
“Lebron is a hard runner, and he really enhances our offense,” said Coosa
coach Chad Perry. “He worked hard in the weight room during the
off-season and has really responded well to his role change (from defense
to offense) this season.” Neal has taken game-high rushing honors in each
of the Eagles’ first two contests — wins over LFO and Trion. A constant
running threat, Neal is a leader both on the field and in the classroom. "Lebron is one of the most
respectful and thoughtful young men I have had the privilege to work
with. " stated Coosa High School Social Studies Department Head,
Randy Vice.
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Close
quarters: Coosa, Chattooga prepare for annual down-to-the-wire game
09/11/07
Jeremy Stewart, Rome News-Tribune Sports Writer
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Quarterback
Shane Smith and the Coosa Eagles travel to Chattooga to face the
Indians on Friday night in Summerville. William T. Martin, Rome
News-Tribune.
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For two teams
coming off huge wins, the game between the Coosa Eagles and the Chattooga
Indians this Friday night in Summerville will be even bigger. A Region
7-AA crossover game, this week’s contest could bring the winner good
fortune when the final standings are determined. With both squads relying
heavily on their ground game and their recent past set to fuel the fire,
a battle will unfold on the field at Little Big Horn. “We’re trying to
build on playing solid on both sides of the football and hopefully we can
take that into the Chattooga game because we’re going to need it,” Coosa
coach Chad Perry said Tuesday night. “We’ve been fortunate in the last
two years to beat Chattooga in the last quarter coming from behind and I
really feel like we don’t need to test ourselves in that situation anymore.”
In the past three seasons, the meetings between the 7-AA North Indians
and the 7-AA South Eagles have been decided by seven points or less. Last
season, Coosa (2-0) rallied from a 9-6 halftime deficit to win 19-15 at
home. “This Chattooga bunch is very talented and beat (Lakeview-Ft.
Oglethorpe) much worse than we did,” Perry said. “If we give them a
chance to get up on us, there’s no doubt that they’ll capitalize on it.”
The Indians (1-1) defeated LFO 31-7 last week while Coosa surpassed the
Region 7-AAAA Warriors in the first week of the season 21-14. However, a
44-22 win over Trion this past Friday encouraged Coosa to really base
their offense on their running game. It was just the second time since
Perry came to Coosa in 2005 that the Eagles put up over 400 yards of
offense and their starting defense only gave up 33 yards. “Mostly, we’ve
just taken these two weeks to figure out what the chemistry of this team
is going to be and what our go-to plays are going to be on offense,”
Perry said. Chattooga coach John Starr was glad to see his team bounce
back from a season opening loss to Darlington with a dominant win over
LFO. “We’re right on pace with where we expected to be,” Starr said. “We
started eight sophomores that first night … and it’s going to take some
time for them to grow up.” The longtime coach calls their senior
leadership a big advantage for them this season and has implored his team
to keep fighting for the entire game. “Obviously, this is a big ball
game,” Starr said. “The key for us this year is to stay focused and play
four quarters. “Chad is going to bring that South Georgia defensive
mentality and they’re going to attack and attack and they’re going to do
it for four quarters and we’ve got to be able to withstand that.” With
the way past games have gone and the overall athleticism exhibited by
both programs, Starr knows that things are a little different when the
Indians and the Eagles meet. “This isn’t one of those chess matches,” he
said. “We’re going to be swapping licks and come at each other again and
again and again. “And you better be prepared to hit back or you’re going
to be in for a long night.”
Soaring
again! Eagles cruise over Trion, 44-22
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09/08/07
David Dawson, Rome News-Tribune Sports Writer
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Coosa’s
Shane Smith (left) looks for room to run against Trion on Friday night.
William T. Martin / Rome News-Tribune
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The Coosa Eagles
are sending out a message to the teams in Region 7-AA, and fullback
Lebron Neal is personally addressing the envelopes. Neal rushed for 177
yards on 13 carries Friday night while helping the host Eagles roll past
Trion 44-22 . The non-region victory was Coosa’s second straight
attention-grabbing win, and it solidified the belief that the Eagles
(2-0) will be a factor in 7-AA this season. “We’re showing that we aren’t
scared of anybody,” said Neal of the Eagles, who visit Chattooga next
week for a region cross-over game. “We’re doing it big at Coosa this
year. Doing it right.” Neal was a key figure in Coosa’s dominating
rushing package, which compiled 327 yards on 48 attempts against Trion
(1-1). Included in the mix was touchdown runs by five different Coosa
ball carriers — Shane Smith (who scored from 12 yards out), Corey
Williams (10 yards), Deveion Haselrig (five yards), Quentin Hight (19
yards) and Neal (55). “I was very pleased with our ground game,” said
Coosa coach Chad Perry. “My hat’s off to the offensive line. We
challenged them before the game, and they really responded.” Neal, a
bruising fullback who is not necessarily known for his speed, flashed
some break-away quickness on several runs. Overall, he had six carries
that went for 10 yards or more. “He showed some speed that even I didn’t
know he had,” said Perry. Smith, the Coosa quarterback, finished 5-of-11
passing for 87 yards and one TD (a 17-yard scoring pass to Cody
Shepherd). Also, punter Dylan Eubanks blasted a 54-yard punt. “Everything
clicked for us,” said Neal of the Eagles, who beat LFO last week. “We’re
2-0, and that’s all I got to say.”
Although
Friday’s game ended well for Coosa, it didn’t start that way. Trion’s
Cain Smith returned the opening kickoff 90 yards for a touchdown, and the
Bulldogs owned a quick 7-0 lead after Mikel Valencia’s PAT. But Coosa
answered on its ensuing drive — with Smith capping the march with his 12-yard
burst midway through the first quarter— and the Eagles controlled the
rest of the half. The Coosa defense limited Trion to just eight yards of
total offense in the opening two quarters, and the Eagles took a 23-7
lead into the half. It was more of the same for much of the final two
quarters, with Coosa scoring touchdowns on three of its five offensive
possessions. “Coosa has a good team, and they took it to us,” said Trion
coach Tom Bryant. “We feel like we have a pretty good football team, too.
But you have to prove it on the field, and we didn’t do that tonight.”
Glenn Emery rushed for 42 yards, including an 18-yard TD run, on just
three carries for Trion, and Ryan Wilson scored on a five-yard run. Also,
quarterback Daniel Prince had some courageous runs, including a two-point
conversion in the fourth quarter for the Bulldogs, who host Haralson
County next week.
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Coosa
earns opening win
09/01/07
Misty Martin, Rome News-Tribune Sports Writer
Photographs by Terry Pennington, Rome News-Tribune
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Coosa’s Knox
Lindsey tackle’s LFO runner Matt Casey in Friday’s game. Terry
Pennington, Rome News-Tribune.
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Coosa broke in its wings on Friday with Class AAAA
Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe. The Eagles held off the win-hungry Warriors,
21-14 to earn their first win of the season at Tommy Cash Stadium. Coosa
Head Coach Chad Perry said it was a victory well earned. “I think we both
had the first game jitters,” he said. “But now it’s over…we got the win and
we beat a good team.” Coosa got on board first at the 9:23 mark of the
second quarter. Shane Smith capped off an 88-yard, 12-play drive with a
one-yard keep for six points. The drive was highlighted by a 21-yard pass
from Smith to Cody Sheppard on the previous play. LFO’s LaGreg Burns
responded with an 84-yard kickoff return. Stan Nizamutdinov added the PAT
to tie the game. LFO first-year Head Coach Todd Windham said the play was
the turning point for his team. “We had played really well on defense up to
that point,” he said. “But Burns gave us the spark we needed. I saw our
team come to life after that.” Corey Williams also came to life for Coosa.
He ran a 92-yard kickoff return on the first play of the second half.
Cornejo added the PAT to take the lead 14-7. Quentin Hight scored Coosa’s
final touchdown four yards out on a third-and-goal with 9:11 to play in the
fourth. Cody Cox cut the lead to 14-7 on a 42-yard touchdown reception from
Brett Davis with 6:57 to play. LFO drove to the Coosa 25 for one final play
with less than :2 to play. Josh Laney threw an interception to Williams to
end the game. Lebron Neal was the game’s leading rusher with 54 yards.
Quarterback Josh Laney led the Warriors with 86 yards rushing on 12
carries. LFO will travel to Chattooga on Friday, while Coosa hosts Trion.
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Rome shuts out Coosa in Exhibition Scrimmage
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Excerpts from Article by:
08/24/07
David Dawson, Rome News-Tribune Sports Writer
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Coosa’s
Cody Shepherd (left) and Justin Haney try to bring down Rome receiver
Terrell Burley during Thursday’s scrimmage at Barron Stadium. Ken Caruthers,
Rome News-Tribune.
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Click
here for video of Thursday's Rome-Coosa scrimmage.
Rome High
defeated Coosa’s Varsity 14-0 in one half of pre-season action last evening at
Barron-Stadium. The final score
was 38-0 with the remainder of the score being posted by the Junior
Varsity Squads.
For Coosa
(Region 7-AA/South), the night was highlighted by a goal-line stand that
the Eagles produced against Rome’s first-team offense early in the second
quarter. “That was a bright spot for us,” said Coosa coach Chad Perry
about the Eagles, who visit Region 7-AAAA member LFO next week, “and it
was something we could build on.” Coosa running back Lebron Neal also
offered some positive signs, rolling up hard-earned yards on numerous
plays. Quarterback Shane Smith had a couple of gutsy runs, too. “We saw
some good things and saw some areas we need to work on,” said Perry. “And
that’s what scrimmages are for.” There were no “live” kickoff or punts
during the scrimmage, which featured four 12-minute quarters. Both teams
played their starters for much of the first two quarters, and played
their younger players in the final two periods. Both teams came away with
no serious injuries.
“That’s the
most important thing,” said Rome High Coach Sid Fritts.
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1SPRING HAS SPRUNG ON EAGLE CREEK, 2007
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Photo by William T. Martin,
Rome News-Tribune
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05/04/07
Jeremy Stewart, Rome News-Tribune Sports Writer
... ...Coosa football coach Chad Perry has looked to the past before when
it came to finding out where his program stands in May. After two days in
pads at spring practice, he and his staff are ready to let go of that way
of thinking and bring in a different view.
“I’ve been guilty in the past of starting to think about how much you’re
going to lose after a season but right now, we’re going to try to focus on
how much we can get in during these 10 days,” Perry said. “We’ll make the
most out of this class. We’re all looking at ’07 and we’re going to be the
best we can for this year.”
ccording to Perry, they’re off to a good start as he told the team
following Friday’s session that they had already implemented 80 percent of
what they plan to cover in spring practice.
That’s the luxury of returning the whole line,” Perry said of their quick
progression. “I’ve only got one new kid who didn’t play on the line last
year.” He said now it’s just a matter of drilling what they’ve learned so
far and keeping one word on their mind at all times: fundamentals. “Our
goal for spring practice is to become a better fundamental team,” Perry
said. “We’ve got so many numbers out this year that we want our guys who
weren’t sound fundamentally last year to become better.
“We’ll see how we progress.”
The Eagles have been throwing the
younger players, including upcoming freshmen, into the mix with the more
experienced players during the first few days to be sure that everyone gets
the same instruction in the basics. “When we get done with eight days, if
we can block and tackle, I’ll be happy,” Perry said. “Whether we’ve got
offense and defense in or not, we’ve got to be able to block and tackle.”
As for what sets a player apart from the rest to make him a possible
starter, Perry said it all comes down to competitive fight.
“(Football) is a team sport and, sure, we’ve got 90 guys out here, but they
all know that we can only put 11 guys on the field at a time,” he said.
Perry added that they played eight guys on both sides on the ball last season
and most of them are graduating.
“We’re looking for these guys to get out here and fight for positions,” he
continued.
"I’d love to have 11 on offense and 11 on defense and the more guys
that step up, the more depth we gain and the fresher we can stay in the
fall.”
The Eagles will hold their annual spring scrimmage on May 19 at 3:30 p.m.
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