Peewe Cougars stay tough in finale to spectacular year

The Peewee Cougars wrapped up their season Saturday with a heartbreaking 18-14 loss to McCrory in the second round of the regional football playoffs.

Rector held a 14-12 lead as time wound down in the fourth quarter. The Cougars had the ball with less than two minutes to play, but were forced to punt after going three-and-out.

The Rector defense played strong, as it had the entire second half, forcing McCrory into a fourth and three near their own 35-yard-line with only 17 seconds showing on the clock. Disaster struck for the young Cougar squad, as their opponents broke free on a screen pass, going 65 yards for the winning score. The running back hit the end zone just as the buzzer sounded, bringing an end to the hard-fought contest.

"It's one of those situations where you put two good teams together and one of them has to win," coach Kirk Ford said. "They were probably the best team we've played all year and they would be likely to say the same thing about us. It was just a good game between two good teams."

McCrory started the game with possession of the ball, driving 70 yards to go ahead 6-0 early.

The Peewee Cougars answered right back, pounding the ball right back at their foes. Austin Beck broke free on a 21-yard carry to tie the game up at 6-6, as both teams made the most of their first possessions.

McCrory broke free on a screen pass in the second quarter to move ahead 12-6 at halftime.

Rector moved ahead in the third quarter on a 15-yard score by Beck. Lawson Ford added the two-point conversion, as the young Cougars took a 14-12 lead.

Defensively, the Rector squad denied McCrory many opportunities in the second half, limiting their opponents to just two first downs in the final two frames.

"I thought we played about as good a game as we could," Ford said. "I don't think we could have played any better than that. I'm proud of my kids and how hard they played all season long. We got to where we are because of how hard they worked and how much they wanted to win. It wasn't anything we did as coaches; it was the kids."

The team celebrated their outstanding season with a bonfire Tuesday evening.