Cougars gamble backfires

Cooper High School coach Mike Spradlin elected to gamble with a two-point lead against Garland, but the plan backfired in a 28-14 loss Friday night.

"Put that on me," Spradlin told the Abilene Reporter-News. "That's the way it goes. That's the way it is. We've got to believe in ourselves enough to do that. A coach does that because he believes in his guys and his team. I still believe in them. Nothing's changed."

The play Spradlin was talking about came early in the fourth quarter after a swing of momentum that went in Garland's favor.

Garland scored on a 35-yard field goal by Jacob Lindo to cut Cooper's lead to 14-6 with 2:36 left in the third quarter. After that score, the Owls caught the Cougars off-guard with an onside kick and started their drive at the Cooper 47.

Seven plays later, Garland quarterback Jared Barnett hit Alex Updike with a 12-yard pass to cut the lead to 14-12. The Cougars kept that lead after stopping a two-point conversion attempt.

On their ensuing drive, Spradlin elected to have his squad attempt to convert a fourth-and-inches from near midfield -- but quarterback Ryan Heslep fumbled the ball.

An unsportsmanlike conduct call tacked on 15 yards to the play, giving the Owls the ball at the Cougar 30. Eight plays later, Michael Guidry scored from a yard out for the go-ahead touchdown.

It all fell apart for the Cougars from there. Lindo kicked his third field goal of the night, a 26-yarder, and Greg Brown returned an interception 55 yards for a touchdown to cap a 22-point fourth quarter for the Owls.

"We set this schedule up to get better," Spradlin said. "We're going to learn some things from tonight. We better. We did all these things to get better and get ready for district. That's what we did, and that's what we'll do. We'll find some things and try to get better."

Garland's Lavar Hunt returned the game's opening kickoff 80 yards down to the Cooper 10-yard line. However, the Owls were forced to settle for a 25-yard field goal by Lindo.

The Cougars answered with a 10-play, 72-yard drive. A'mon Pimpton capped the drive with a 1-yard touchdown run.

It appeared Garland would answer. But Brandon Henderson tipped a Jared Barnett pass on a first-and-10 play from the Cooper 15 on the ensuing drive, and Joshua'e Robinson picked the ball out of the air for an interception.

Cooper had a chance to get some points, when the Cougars drove 70 yards down to the Owls' 3. However, Pimpton fumbled the ball away.

Date of Article: Sat Sep 20, 2008 3:20 am

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