By Britney Bailey, For the Tribune
Vestavia, Ala. – The Clay-Chalkville Cougars suffered a road defeat Friday night to the Vestavia Rebels.
The Rebels’ Charlie Taaffe threw for 238 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for 85 yards and a score to lead Vestsvia to a 28-14 victory.
The Cougars (8-2, 6-1) struggled greatly on both sides of the ball throughout the game, and self-inflicted wounds became too much for them to overcome.
The 7A Rebels (5-5, 4-3) took a first-quarter lead at the 4:46 mark, courtesy of a series of explosive runs from Taaffe.
The Cougars gained momentum on their next possession with a long ball from quarterback Aaron Frye to wide receiver Marlon Compton, but they could not capitalize on the drive.
Vestavia would add to their lead in the second quarter with a Bruce Littleton run to put the Cougars down 14-0 with just under two minutes off the clock.
The Rebels’ defense held off the Cougars until 1:02 to go in the half. Aaron Osley barreled his way into the endzone for a 2-yard touchdown run to cut the Rebel lead to seven before heading to the locker room.
Osley scores for the Cougars. Credit: Jake McCune
The Rebels opened the second half with a 33-yard pass from Taaffe to Littleton to give the Rebels a 21-7 lead with 8:44 left in the third quarter.
An impressive 41-yard run from Aaron Osley put the Cougars in scoring position, but penalties would halt their momentum again. The Cougars attempted for a field goal from Joseph Del Toro to close the lead, but the Rebels’ defense blocked the kick.
Taaffe connected with Littleton again at 1:03 to go in the third for a 34-yard touchdown and extend the Rebels’ lead to 28-7.
With Clay looking to get back in the game, Cougar running back Josh Woods answered the call with a 25-yard run for a touchdown with 11:04 on the clock in the fourth quarter, reigniting the Cougars’ hopes for a comeback. Del Toro added on with a successful PAT.
Woods scores the Cougars’ second touchdown of the night. Credit: Jake McCune
Clay attempted an onside kick but was unable to gain possession after the ball got through the hands of the Vestavia return team.
The Cougars were unable to put together another scoring drive and the Rebels ran the clock out over the remaing minutes of the game.
This was the Cougars’ second season loss, following their loss to Oxford two weeks prior.
“Not very physical and very disconnected. We are not very good right now, I’ll be honest with you,” said Clay head coach Stuart Floyd. “We had trouble stopping the run, big plays. We get the ball in the red zone offense, and we self-inflict ourselves. Self-implode with penalties. It’s the same thing every week. We’ve beat a couple good teams, but I’d say the back half of the season any quality team we’ve struggled against. We just have zero leadership. It is what it is.”
“We coaches, we can only want it so much for them,” Floyd said. “At some point they’ve got to want it. The execution has got to come into play. There were plays to be made tonight, and we didn’t make plays. Just got to play better. I’m not a heart surgeon. I can’t give them a heart. If they don’t want to do it, don’t do it.”
The Cougars host Gadsden City (6-3) in the first round of the playoffs Friday.
