On Tuesday evening, the North Cougars headed over to Grapevine Middle School to resume their young season against the Ponies. Coming off of a Week 1 win, North was ready to get back to action following the long weekend.

And it didn't take long for the A team to find their groove! With their first possession, the Cougars were able to connect on a long TD pass from QB Rylan Horn to wide receiver Darran Perry to break the seal. A 2 point kick by Diego Rodriguez Parada pushed the score to 8-0... and North was just getting started. On the Ponies ensuing possession, Nathan Campbell jumped in front of a short pass and then took a long run the other direction for a Cougar Pick 6! Another 2 point kick from Rodriguez Parada made the score 16-0. Following that, the North defense stood tall and forced Grapevine to punt the ball away. But Perry, now back to receive the kick, decided that he wanted to find the end zone again and ran the punt back for 6. Another 2 point kick pushed the total to 24-0. And North still wasn't finished. Once again, the Ponies made an ill-advised pass that was intercepted by cornerback Gage Burton who also wound his way through the Ponies to find the end zone and add a second Pick 6 of the half. Rodriguez Parada added his fourth extra point kick of the game to push the halftime score to 32-0; with North looking as dominant as possible throughout! Unfortunately, due to some heat-related considerations, the game was called at this point and North walked away with a thrilling victory to start the night!

Following that performance, the North B team were fired up to take the field. However, this game would turn out to be a much different contest. As the clock quickly wound through the time, both sides were methodically searching for a way to break through against the other. A late interception by free safety Samuel Macaluso stopped the Ponies near the goal line and gave the Cougars back the ball. At halftime, the score remained tied at 0-0. In the second half, the Cougar defense continued to step up and make big plays. Defensive end Cole Reyes seemed to constantly be in the Ponies' backfield disrupting their flow. Another interception by corner back Ben Langston continued to give the Ponies fits. And finally, after having driven down the field but being stopped just short of the end zone, it was the Cougars' defense once again stepping up; with defensive end Ayaan Hussain dropping the ball carrier in the backfield to score a 2 point safety with under a minute to play. As Grapevine tried an onside kick to get one last chance, Reyes was able to cover up the ball and secure the 2-0 win for North!

UP NEXT:
Away vs. Colleyville MS on Tuesday, 9/15/26
A team starts at 5:00; B team to follow

#GoCougars!