Community hits wall against Cougars

Community's Lucas Burke (7), Justin Hampton (55) and Jonathan Handy (70) work together to bring down Clarksville Academy's Heath Dyer on a keeper. (T-G Photo by Jasen Richardson) [Click to enlarge] [Order this photo]

They were greeted by sheets of rain, a soaked field and a merciless officiating crew.

Clarksville Academy's Cougars came out early on and attacked on both sides of the pigskin to halt the Vikes 39-0.

After last week's promising second half against Forrest, the Purple and Gold (0-10) hoped to find the same rhythm and implement a solid game plan.

The hosts sprung into action late in the first quarter. Quarterback Heath Dyer directed the Cougars with both a passing and a running game and steadily drove the field.

With just under three minutes to go, Dyer completed a 2-yard touchdown pass to Zach Eaton to put Clarksville Academy (3-7) ahead for good.

Community's Jesse "Coop" Cooper bootlegs out of the pocket to try to find a receiver amidst a torrential downpour. (T-G Photo by Jasen Richardson) [Click to enlarge] [Order this photo]

"It was not the outcome we were expecting, needless to say," Community coach Johnnie Frost said. "The weather probably played a little bit of a factor there. That groove we had (last week) was partly because we were mixing it up with the run and the pass. Even though we tried to throw, it was still tough to do."

Viking freshman quarterback Jesse "Coop" Cooper attempted to find some sort of passing game, but found himself in trouble most of the time. With 6:15 left in the third quarter, Cooper managed a 55-yard keeper to left.

Cody Pierce and Trey Barnes added some substantial help on the ground for Community.

When the Unionville crew broke for a decent gain, the yellow hankies started to fly and a lot of the yardage gained was canceled. The officiating was blatantly one-sided, especially in the second half.

The Cougars were practically walked into the end zone for their final touchdown with 7:05 left in the game by the officials. The zebras scrutinized the Vikings and called a handful of personal fouls, including a late hit call, without a hit involved where the flag was thrown.

"I tell the kids to be bigger about things like that," Frost said. "But we didn't really help with losing that yardage with our blown coverage and missed tackles. It is part of the game and we must realize that."

Pierce had two punts blocked, at 8:28 in the first quarter and 7:05 in the fourth.

Community loses seniors Pierce, Barnes, Albert Irwin, Dustin Tapp, and Justin Hampton. The rest of the squad will have a TSSAA mandatory two weeks off, then it's back to work.

"After a couple of weeks off, we will be ready to go back into the weight room," Frost said. "We will get a little stronger and get into better shape for next season. We will work on our speed and agility. That's the plan. We will be losing some leadership, but hopefully we will gain some fresh leadership. I am really proud of all the kids that stuck with the team to the end. They could have very easily quit this team at any point in the season, but they didn't and there is a lot to be said about that."