Wildcats Defeat Grayson, Bring Tobacco Stick Home

The Edmonson County Wildcat football team returned home from Leitchfield with the coveted Tobacco Stick this past Friday as they controlled the entire contest, defeating AAAAA Grayson County 43-7, and improving their record to 2-1 on the season.

The Wildcat offense started off slowly, having to punt on their first series, but their defense held strong.  After holding the Cougars on the first 3 downs, senior defensive end Jacob Peger blocked the Cougar punt, giving the Wildcats great field position. Junior running back Daniel Caudill scored from 4 yards out to give the Wildcats a 6-0 lead s the extra point attempt failed. 

On the first play of defense, Peger hit the fullback causing a fumble and recovered the fumble giving the ball back to the Wildcat offense. After a couple penalties pushed the Wildcats back, sophomore kicker Brett Brannon booted a 35 yard field goal to push the score to 9-0. 

The Wildcat defense again stopped the Cougars on three downs. A mishandled snap on the punt was picked up by Peger who ran down to the 1-yard line. Sophomore quarterback Tucker Cole used a quarterback sneak for a 1-yard touchdown. Brannon made the extra point for a 16-0 lead.  

The Wildcat defense held the Cougars on 4th and 3 near midfield, and even though the offense fumbled the ball away inside the redzone, the defense came up big again as senior defensive end Tyler Hayes caused a fumble and junior linebacker Dylan Waldrop recovered. The Wildcats scored again as Cole ran a quarterback sneak for the touchdown. Brannon added the extra point for a 23-0 lead. 

The Wildcat defense forced another Cougar punt giving the ball back to the Wildcats near their own 30 yard line. After a few run plays edged the Wildcats near midfield, Cole found sophomore receiver Logan Lindsey down the Cougar sideline for a 50 yard pass that set the Wildcat offense up inside the 5 yard line. It took two plays as sophomore running back Zack Farmer punched it in from 1-yard out, and Brannon’s kick gave the Wildcats a 30-0 lead as the Wildcats held that lead at halftime.

The stick is back home pic.twitter.com/xJep8VDkAV

— Wyn Caudill (@WynCaudill) September 5, 2015

Above: Tweet from @WynCaudill, L-R: Jarod Hines, Brayden Carey, Daniel Caudill, Tucker Cole.

The Wildcat defense continued aggressive play as a sophomore outside linebacker stripped the ball from the Cougar quarterback and Lindsey, also playing outside linebacker, recovered the fumble. Cole found senior receiver Jarod Hines wide open down the left sideline for a 25-yard touchdown pass, and Brannon’s kick gave the Wildcats a 37-0 lead. 

The Cougars got on the board on their next series taking an option pitch 52 yards for a touchdown. The extra point was made to bring the score to 37-7. The Wildcats fumbled the kickoff giving the Cougars great field position, but the EC defense quickly stopped the Cougars, forcing another punt. Carey tackled the punter before he could get the punt off and Farmer recovered around the Cougar 35-yard line. 

On the last play of the 3rd quarter, Caudill broke a trap up the middle for a 25 yard touchdown run, and Brannon’s extra point gave the Wildcats a 43-7 lead. Both teams traded possessions in the fourth quarter as the Wildcats ran out the clock and sealed the victory. 

ECHS head football coach Kyle Pierce said he was happy with his team’s performance. “Our kids came out and played hard and really took advantage of the mistakes our opponent made. We wanted to stay focused and other than just a few plays, I think our kids did just that. I am happy for our team, but especially glad for our seniors that they get to take the Tobacco Stick back home to Brownsville. We had some guys step up tonight and play really well. When we watch the film, there will be plenty to work on, but luckily, we still have a few games to fine-tune everything before district play begins.”

The Wildcats will now turn their attention to Warren East, as the Raiders come to Brownsville Friday night. According to Pierce, it will be a tough test. “They probably have some of the best athletes we'll see on our schedule. We'll have to do a great job defensively and in the special teams and make tackles in space. Offensively, we'll have to move the ball, do a better job of converting in the red zone, and control the field position game. I expect a big crowd this Friday night. Anytime you play schools that are close to you, there is a little bit of a bragging right attached to the game. We know we have a tough test in front of us, but I think our guys will want to continue to prove what kind of team we can be.”

Kickoff is scheduled for 7:00 at ECHS Wildcat Stadium. You can listen live right here on EdmonsonVoice.com on WildcatsLive as the pregame show will begin at 6:40pm with Scott and Bryan.