By By Marty Stamper / staff writer
Sept. 25, 2004
DECATUR How a team responds to a challenge says a lot about its character.
Newton County head football coach Jeff Breland couldn't be more proud of the way his team answered its halftime challenge Friday night.
The Cougars scored four touchdowns in the third quarter to turn a 14-7 halftime deficit into a 34-14 lead en route to a 41-28 Division 5-3A win over West Lauderdale.
When the Cougars couldn't find a chink in the Knights' armor, they simply made one. In the second half, Newton County had 24 rushes for 240 yards and one reception for 23 yards.
The Cougars opened the second half with a six-play, 66-yard scoring drive with Duke Hudnall leaping into the end zone from a yard out with 8:44 left in the third quarter. The drive's big play was a 41-yard run by Hudnall's backup, J.D. Skinner.
After pulling even at 14-14 on Austin Scoggin's extra point, the Cougars went about taking the lead for good. A two-play, 80-yard drive accomplished that deed. A 70-yard keeper by Colby Amis set up a 10-yard touchdown run by Skinner with 6:26 left in the third period.
The Cougars held the Knights and blocked a Scott Truesdale punt with Scott Field returning the ball eight yards to the West 8. Hudnall scored untouched on the next play for a 27-14 lead.
Hudnall sniffed out a West fake punt and returned an interception 60 yards for his third touchdown of the quarter with 50 seconds left.
West salvaged something out of the period when the Knights put together a two-play, 57-yard scoring drive capped by a 46-yard scoring pass from Austin Davis to Christian Trussell with 12.6 seconds left in the third quarter. The PAT failed, leaving the Cougars with a 34-20 advantage.
West battled back to within 34-28 with 8:05 to play when Dameon Baylor raced 82 yards following a Cougar punt. Davis then teamed with Ben Weil for a two-point conversion.
Newton County responded with a seven-play, 80-yard scoring drive that clinched the win. Amis had a key 23-yard pass to Jose Alcantar on second-and-15 and then scored on a 48-yard keeper around left end.
West took a 7-0 lead with 9:10 left in the second quarter when Baylor scored on a 3-yard run. Baylor carried the last five plays on the drive, picking up 28 yards.
Newton County pulled even at 7-7 on its next possession as the Cougars marched 66 yards in seven plays. Fred Lyons scored on a 10-yard run with 5:52 to go before halftime.
West appeared to have snatched momentum away when Truesdale rumbled 67 yards untouched up the middle with just 22.5 seconds left in the first half.