On Tuesday evening, the North Cougars 8th grade football team headed west to wrap up the regular season against the Hawks from Heritage Middle School. In what would be a preview of the championship matchup next week, both sides wanted to show who had the upper hand right now.

In the first game, North's A team quickly jumped out on top. QB Rylan Horn connected on a quick pass to wide receiver Darran Perry who took the ball 60 yards up the sideline to score. The 2 point kick from Diego Rodriguez Parada upped the lead to 8-0. Riding this momentum, North also capitalized on a huge sack from defensive end Wyatt Synowicki along with a strong punt return from Perry to set them up for success once again. This time, Horn found his tight end Nathan Campbell over the top to increase the Cougar advantage to 14-0. However, the Hawks would not go quietly and turned the game around during the second period. First, they capitalized on an interception return to get on the board and followed that up with a QB keeper to knot the score at 14 all by the halftime break. The second half featured both teams playing tough defense and trying to hold off the other from getting the lead back. North featured a fumble recovery in the end zone by safety Miguel Lopez-Vergara along with a pass tipped by cornerback Shane Tetteh and intercepted by Perry. Not to be outdone, Heritage was able to pick off a few passes themselves. But the Cougars were able to jump back on top with another long TD completion from Horn to Perry over the top... and held on through a tense 4th quarter to secure the 20-14 victory AND an undefeated regular season!

Taking the field for their final contests of the season, both B teams looked to finish on a high note. Through the first quarter, neither side could break through in this back and forth affair. In the second quarter, it was the Hawks who got on the board first thanks to some very creative officiating on the play. But North's defense continued to push on; giving the Cougars another opportunity to score. And after pushing the ball down the field, running back Chris Angel punched in the touchdown and cut the lead down to a 7-6 score at the half. In the third quarter, North continued to lead the charge behind the running of Angel and Julian Joseph, but it was QB Jackson Greene on the keeper that gave North their first lead. Then, Greene hit wide receiver Marco Piriano for the extra point play to set the score at 13-7 Cougars. After getting the ball back in the 4th quarter, North continued to march methodically down the field... including a standout pancake block from offensive lineman Bryce Imhoff! This time, it was QB Andrew Espinoza who hit tight end Gavin Fischer for a game-sealing TD. Kicker Preston Boucher added the 2 point kick and North was in command by a 21-7 count. Despite the Hawks finding a quick pass over the top for one more score, it was the Cougars who held on to earn the W and finish at 4-2 on the season!

UP NEXT:
A TEAM- Home vs. Heritage Middle School on Tuesday, 10/27/26.
Game to be played at Buddy Echols Stadium. Time TBD...

#GoCougars!