It was a match-up between two top 10 programs in Macon on Friday night. And the CCA Patriots made a big statement with a convincing 35-0 win over the Covenant Academy Rams to improve to 6-2 overall and 2-2 in region play.
Both teams fought to a 0-0 draw in the first quarter. It looked like it might be a low scoring defensive slugfest – until the Patriots struck early in the second quarter. CCA drove down the field to the Rams’ six-yard line. The Patriots opted to run the wildcat with Tyson Crosby in the backfield. He took the snap and his offensive line parted Covenant’s defensive front. Crosby slipped into the end zone easily for the first points of the game. Ethan Duran’s extra point was good and with 11:07 left in the second quarter, the Patriots were up 7-0.
CCA head coach Jed Marsh dug into his bag of tricks on the ensuing kick and went for an onside kick. The Patriots recovered and thus began their second march to the end zone. This drive ended the way the other one had – with a Tyson Crosby score. Quarterback Sam Ables hit Crosby for a five-yard touchdown reception and a 14-0 lead with 6:43 left in the quarter.
The Patriots wouldn’t score again and took that two touchdown advantage into halftime. One troubling characteristic CCA has displayed over its last few games is an unwillingness to score in the second half. The Patriots have been a machine in the first half; the third and fourth quarters, however, have been sluggish to say the least.
That wasn’t the case Friday.
The scoring continued in the third quarter when Dalton Rogers ran in from 24 yards and a 21-0 lead. Crosby scored two fourth-quarter touchdowns – one from eight yards and the other from 18. Duran’s foot was true all night long and the Patriots had built a comfortable 35-0 lead by the halfway point of the fourth quarter.
While the CCA offense was having its way with the Rams, the defense was controlling the game from the other side of the ball. Aside from Covenant’s first drive of the night, the Rams didn’t do very much on Friday. Several Patriots posed significant problems for the Covenant offense, namely Bo Roberts (sack), Damian Duran (sack), Luke Russ (fumble recovery), and Beckett Waldron (interception). Clay Phillips, one of the biggest disruptors on the defensive line, was playing well until he left the game in the first half with an ankle injury. The Rams didn’t get many possessions and the ones they did get didn’t last very long.
The Patriots have three more games remaining: Crisp Academy at home on Thursday, Vidalia Heritage on the road on October 17, and Westwood at home on October 24. In this week’s rankings, Vidalia Heritage was ranked #2 while Westwood was #8. It’s a tough gauntlet to run and it will probably take at least one more win to make the postseason. The top 10 make the playoffs.
“We’ll enjoy this one for a little while then we’ll have to ice up tomorrow. We are a little banged up and we’ve got to get healthy in a hurry for Crisp,” said Coach Marsh after the game.