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CAVEMEN WINS AGAINST COUGARS

Cavemen wins against Cougars

DEJANAY BOOTH

Current Argus | 9/16/2017

PHOTO CREDIT: Carlsbad Athletics

Carlsbad Cavemen (2-2) returned from a 20 point shortfall in the first half for a 21-20 win against Cibola Cougars (0-4) at Friday's homecoming game.

First with the ball, the Cougars managed to rush points on the board the first three minutes with a touchdown and an extra point, starting the game 7-0 in the first quarter.

The Cavemen were not able to match that aggression and turned the ball back to Cougars after only gaining a few yards in four plays.

With three minutes left in the first quarter, junior Cavemen Tate Collins rushed for more than 20 yards, bringing energy from the Cavemen side.

The team could not hold on through the first half, despite gaining several yards on the field.

By the end of the the first quarter, the Cavemen were looking at a 20 point deficit against the Cougars.

But the fight was not over.

Cavemen coach Gary Bradley said the two halves were "night and day."

"We probably tried to do a little too much offensively, instead of doing what we're good at. I take the blame from that on offense," Bradley said. "Hats off to Cibola, they played a great game and they're a great team."

Bradley said despite a tough first half, the team did not panic or give up.

Going into the second half, the Cavemen challenged the Cougars, recovering a few fumbles and an interception.

The offense lead the team to three touchdowns from junior running backs Collins and Dustin Easton.

Quarterback Jaykon Willis, wide receiver Jordin Molina and running back Jake Bowen, rushed more than 30 yards each in the second half.

Willis said rushing is second nature as the senior quarterback started his Caveman career as a running back.

MORE: Cavemen Homecoming

"I'm a running quarterback, most teams know that," he said. "If someone's not open, and I can get to scramble, then I will. But if someone's open, I'll throw it to them."

"Personally, I love running the ball."

With less than two minutes in the fourth quarter, with the Cavemen down 19-20, Collins successfully caught the ball for a two-point conversion.

It was then up to the Cavemen defense to finish the game.

They brought more pressure with each Cougar play, stopping players within a few yards.

"The heart that these guys showed, being down and also having some goal line stands and getting some turnovers, is really priceless," Bradley said. "It's the way we train and it's the way we practice. And it came through for them. I think they believe in themselves, absolutely."

Willis said that in the last 20 seconds, as he watched his defensive teammates, he was confident that they were going to stop Cibola from scoring another touchdown.

"I have trust in our defense, I have faith in our defense," he said. "Together, we just need to keep doing what we're doing."

"If we just keep having that fight, keep having that mentality, we can go places."

Cougar coach Roderick Williams said he was proud that the team was able to keep the ball moving up and down the field.

"That's what we wanted to do. We ran the ball well, we threw the ball well. And so that's what we really enjoyed," Williams said. "We just didn't handle certain situations correctly."

Bradley said the audience at Friday's game was full of energy.

"It was a great crowd," he said. "I've never seen it so loud here in Carlsbad. That's one thing — you come watch the Cavemen, you're going to stay for four quarters."

Room for improvement

Bradley and Williams each said there is room for improvement as their teams continue into the 2017 season.

Both coaches said their teams need to avoid turnovers.

"You can't turn the ball over. You turn the ball over, it gives the other team momentum and they start playing harder," Williams said. "We let them (Carlsbad) back in by turning the ball over three times."

Bradley said although the team maintained their aggression in the second half of Friday's game, the Cavemen now need to focus on playing at a high-energy level throughout the game.

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