By Brittney Bailey, For the Tribune
CENTER POINT– The Clay-Chalkville Cougars added to the win column again Friday night on the road against the Center Point Eagles, 38-14. The Eagles handed the ball over on their first possession that put the Cougars in Eagles territory on the 14-yard line. Aaron Osley hit the ground running for a 14-yard touchdown run to give the Cougars a 7-0 lead with just under two minutes off the clock.
The Eagles botched the snap on their next possession, leading to the first of two safeties for the Cougars on the night, increasing the lead to 9-0. Clay quarterback Jaylen Mbakwe slid through the Eagles’ defense on the next possession with a 29-yard touchdown run with 7:30 to go in the first to up the Cougar lead to 16.
Mbawke, with help on the ground from Taurus Chambers on the drive, barrelled into the endzone for six more shortly after for his second touchdown of the night to take the Cougar lead to 23. The Eagles managed to stall the Cougars next possession with the second sack of the year on Mbakwe. The Eagles’ efforts wouldn’t hold true, as another botched snap gifted the Cougars a second safety with 5:04 remaining in the first, giving the Cougars a 25-0 lead.
The second quarter, marred with penalties and offensive struggles, remained scoreless for both parties.
Osley turned up the heat to kick off the third quarter, however, pushing the Cougars to their own 3-yard line on a collection of runs, leading to Mbawke’s third endzone appearance, amping the Cougar lead to 32 after the PAT.
The Eagles would intervene on Cougar production in the fourth, with an interception in Cougar territory, leading to a 19-yard touchdown and a 2-point conversion to put 8 on the board with 5:54 remaining in the game.
Penalties would continue to haunt the Cougars for the remainder of the game, leading to an ejection late in the fourth. Chambers pushed the Cougar offense for over 50 yards on the ground collectively on their next drive, despite the penalties, for a 4-yard endzone push to make it a 39-8 ballgame.
The Eagles’ offense refused to lay down, with Center Point quarterback Therman Moore sliding through a confused Cougar defense for a 50-yard touchdown run to add on 6 more for the Eagles for a 39-14 final.
Clay Chalkville offensive coordinator Stuart Floyd said, “We definitely started fast on both sides of the ball, but I think we got complacent throughout the game and played sloppy toward the end. We will have to play better next week or it will not be a good day. But I fully expect our kids to be ready to play Thursday.”
Center Point head coach George Bates spoke of his team’s struggles. “Everything that could go wrong in the first three minutes of the game went wrong. Nerves got the best of us early on and playing a great program like Clay, who doesn’t need any help, that can’t happen. Proud of the way we competed in the second half. Throughout the negatives, we found some positives to take away from the game that will help us in the immediate future. We are looking forward to the second half of the season.”
The Cougars remain on the road next Thursday to take on the Thompson Warriors at 7pm on ESPN. Center Point looks to rebound against a 1-4 Fairfield team on Friday night.