Sam Ables was five of 10 for 111 yards passing with three touchdown passes and a rushing score, and Dalton Rogers rushed for 142 yards on 12 carries and caught a 31-yard touchdown pass in the CCA Patriots’ 34-0 win over the Holy Spirit Prep Cougars (Atlanta) Friday night at Patriot Field in Douglas.
The two teams moved the kickoff from 7:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. in order to accommodate the Cougars’ length of travel. The game featured a running clock in the fourth quarter; as a result, the game ended before most in the state were out of the first quarter.
The Patriots jumped out to an early lead and scored seemingly at will in the first half. On their first possession, Ables connected with Ethan Duran for a 30-yard touchdown pass with 9:54 left in the first quarter. Duran handles the kicking duties and his foot was perfect on extra points all night. On the ensuing kick, CCA opted for an onside kick and recovered. Ables quickly found Dalton Rogers for another touchdown pass. Six plays into the game and 34 seconds after their first score, the Patriots were up 14-0.
CCA added more points on a five-yard touchdown run by Ables with 10:27 remaining in the second quarter. The two teams fought each other for about eight minutes until the Patriots struck again, this time on a 43-yard pass from Ables to Jonah Hall. With 2:12 to go in the first half, CCA had a 28-0 lead. Bo Roberts added six more points 45 seconds away from half-time on a five-yard scamper into the end zone. This time, the Patriots opted to go for two instead of kicking. They didn’t convert and as the half ended, they had a very comfortable 34-0 advantage.
In the second half, the Patriots and Cougars battled to a draw, with neither team scoring in the final two quarters. CCA improved to 2-2 on the season with the win.
Ethan Duran caught three passes for 46 yards and a touchdown. Hall caught one pass for 43 yards and a touchdown.
Defensively, Damian Duran, Beckett Waldron, and Clay Philips each recorded two sacks. Waldron also had a team-high 6.5 tackles, followed by Roberts with six, Philips with 5.5, and Damian Duran with five.
Ethan Duran was 4-4 on extra points. He also intercepted two Cougar passes.
Next week, the Patriots head north to Sparta for a 7:30 contest against John Hancock Academy.