This Friday night the Newberry Panthers will host the Madison County Cowboys in a match-up of unbeaten teams. The game will air on 92.1 FM & 1230 AM in Gainesville, as well as 100.1 FM & 900 AM in Ocala. You can also listen to the game online here.
Last Friday, Class 1A Madison County, ranked second in the Associated Press Class 1A state rankings, rallied from a 27-6 deficit to stun Class 5A Wakulla (Crawfordville). Here is a recap of the game and this week’s week prediction from Rick Patrick (Greene Publishing, Inc.) of the Madison County Carrier.
There are some events that when they happen one simply knows they will live on as legend.
On Friday, Aug. 25, such an event took place. That is when the Madison County High School (MCHS) Cowboys traveled to Crawfordville, Fl., and battled back from a 27-6 deficit with 11 minutes left in the game to defeat the War Eagles of Wakulla County High School.
In a fashion which would easily rival any Hollywood script, the Cowboys managed to score three unanswered touchdowns in the waning moments of the ballgame to come out with a 28-27 victory.
The game began with MCHS taking the ball first after Wakulla won the coin toss and deferred to take the ball to open the second half. Madison gave up possession after going three-and-out.
However, on Wakulla’s first offensive possession, the Cowboys recovered a fumble at mid-field. The Cowboys moved the ball down the field and capped off the scoring drive with an 10-yard touchdown pass to Darius Johnson for the Cowboys’ first touchdown.
After a missed PAT, the score was 6-0 in MCHS’s favor. Wakulla responded by quickly driving down the field as a rainstorm pelted the field and the players upon it.
The War Eagles scored their first touchdown of the evening and the score was 7-6 in the early moments of the second quarter. On their next possession, the Cowboys turned the ball over, giving the War Eagles great field position on the Cowboys’ 32-yard-line.
The War Eagles wasted no time taking advantage of the Cowboys’ turnover and scored their second touchdown of the half.
The Cowboys’ next possession stalled, and Wakulla took over. The War Eagles again quickly moved down the field to the MCHS 4-yard line. The War Eagles punched the ball across the goal line and scored another touchdown. The Cowboys managed to block the PAT and the score was now 20-6, in favor of the War Eagles.
A big kickoff return, followed by a big run by Cowboy quarterback, Tre Adams moved the ball to the Wakulla 18-yard-line. An interception in the end zone ended the Cowboys’ drive, and the half ended with the War Eagles ahead of the Cowboys, 20-6.
The second half began with Wakulla receiving the kickoff. During their opening drive of the second half, Wakulla fumbled, and the Cowboys took over on offense.
The Cowboys moved the ball to the Wakulla 26 before the drive stalled. Neither team was able to sustain a drive, and the quarter ended with another turnover from Madison County, giving the War Eagles the ball at the Madison 38-yard-line.
Wakulla moved the ball within field goal range, and the War Eagle kicker drilled a 25-yard field goal through the uprights. However, a roughing the kicker penalty gave Wakulla a first down and another chance to put the ball into the end zone.
One standing “rule” in football is that a team should never take points off the scoreboard. That is just what Wakulla decided to do when they decided to forego the field goal and go for the touchdown at that point. The gamble paid off as Wakulla scored another touchdown with just over 11 minutes left in the game.
With the score 27-6, things looked dim for the visiting Cowboys.
On the Cowboys’ next possession, events turned scary when star running back, Teryon Henderson, was injured and carried off the field on a stretcher. Henderson was transported to a local hospital where he was diagnosed with severely bruised ribs. Fortunately, his injuries were no more serious. Doctors said he would be very sore for several days, but should make a full recovery.
When play resumed, Cowboy running back, Derrick Staten moved the ball inside the Wakulla 10-yard-line to give the Cowboys a first and goal. The Cowboys put the ball into the end zone and made a two-point conversion to bring the score to 27-14 with 8:47 left in the game.
On Wakulla’s next possession, the Cowboy defense forced a fumble, which was run into the end zone for another Cowboy touchdown. The following two-point conversion was good, and the score now was 27-22, with the War Eagles still in the lead.
The following Wakulla drive stalled, and the Cowboys took over at their own 19-yard-line with just over two minutes left in the game. The Cowboys began moving the ball methodically down the field until they were on the Wakulla 15-yard-line with just 20 ticks of the clock remaining.
The Cowboys’ drive seemed to stall at that point. Then it was fourth down with 7.7 seconds left to go. Cowboy quarterback, Tre Adams lined up in a shotgun formation and called for the ball. Adams rolled to his right, shook off a War Eagle defender, stopped and planted his feet before throwing an arcing pass across the field into the hands of Derrick Staten; who was quarantined in the left rear corner of the end zone.
The touchdown gave the Cowboys a 28-27 victory that will be remembered for years to come.
At the end of the game, Coach Coe gathered his team together as he usually does.
“That right there is why you don’t quit in life,” said Coe. “I have never, ever, ever, been prouder of a group of fellows.”
Tre Adams went 10 for 17 with 146 yards through the air, with two touchdowns and one interception. Derrick Staten had 100 yards rushing on 10 attempts and one rushing touchdown. Staten also had five pass receptions for 73 yards and one touchdown catch.
Players of the week for the Cowboys were: Darryln Brooks on special teams, Derrick Staten on offense and Johnathon Alexander on defense. Zane Herring was named Offensive “Hog” of the Week and Cameron Brown was named the Defensive “Hog” of the Week.
Next on the schedule for the Cowboys will be Newberry High School. The Panthers (1-0) are coming off a 45-13 victory over Santa Fe High School (Alachua). The game will take place on Friday, Sept. 1, at Newberry. Kickoff is slated for 7:30 p.m.
Madison County vs. Newberry preview: The Madison County High School Cowboys are coming off a dramatic win against the War Eagles of Wakulla High School. It is uncertain if Cowboy running back Teryon Henderson will be back from a rib injury to play against Newberry. The Cowboys proved with Derrick Staten to still have a strong rushing attack. Turnovers were a problem for the Cowboys while playing in the rain in Crawfordville, a problem the Cowboys’ Head Coach Mike Coe will surely address. Newberry was a playoff team last year, and they may be a tough contender this year as well. I think, in the end, the Cowboys will prevail. Rick’s Pick: Madison County
Joe Pinkos’s forecast – Madison County by 8
Joe Pinkos’ Power Ratings are calculated by a formula based on strength of opposition and margin of victory with greater weight given to recent games. The forecasted margin of victory for each game is determined by subtracting the power rating of the lower-rated team from the power rating of its higher-rated opponent.
The second Associated Press Top 10 Florida High School Football Poll for the 2017 season. First place votes in parentheses, followed by records, rating points, and previous ranking. Area teams in bold.
By Andrew Barton & Justin Butler
Coverage area includes 26 counties in North Central Florida – Alachua, Baker, Bradford, Citrus, Clay, Columbia, Dixie, Duval, Flagler, Gilchrist, Hamilton, Hernando, Jefferson, Lafayette, Lake, Levy, Madison, Marion, Nassau, Putnam, Sumter, St. Johns, Suwannee, Taylor, Union & Volusia counties.
Monday, 4:45 p.m. (PREGAME) – High School Football
