Tyson Crosby caught two passes for 48 yards and a touchdown and rushed for 51 yards and two touchdowns while Dalton Rogers ran for 120 yards on 11 carries and scored two touchdowns of his own in the CCA Patriots’ 41-8 win over the Baker County Bears Friday night at Patriot Field in Douglas.
Early on, it looked like the game, which was the first one in program history played under permanent lighting at CCA’s home field, would be a shootout. The Patriots jumped out to an early 13-0 lead. The Bears answered with an 80-yard touchdown and a two-point conversion on their first possession.
After that, however, CCA’s offensive line took control of the game and allowed the Patriots to pull ahead, stretching their lead to 34-8 at halftime. In the second half, the Patriots scored one touchdown, a four-yard scamper by Rogers, to seal the win.
CCA had scored twice before the Bears ever ran a play. The Patriots scored on a 41-yard pass from Sam Ables to Crosby to take a 6-0 lead. CCA then went for an onside kick, which Jonah Hall recovered. That set up a one-yard score by Ables. The point-after was good and the Patriots had a 13-0 lead.
The ensuing kick went into the end zone for a touchback. On the Bears’ first play, quarterback Taylor Sanders found receiver Ronnie Williams wide open down the sidelines for an 80-yard score. The Bears went for two and were successful, narrowing the Patriots’ advantage to 13-8 with 3:58 remaining in the first quarter.
From there, the Patriots hit their stride and never looked back. On the first play of the second quarter, Crosby scored on a five-yard run. A few minutes later, he scored again from 34 yards out. Late in the second quarter, Rogers scored his first touchdown of the night, a four-yard run with 3:37 left in the first half that put the Patriots up 34-8.
In the second half, Rogers found the end zone for CCA’s final score of the night on a 24-yard run with 8:14 left in the third quarter.
“It makes things so much easier with those big guys up front,” said Crosby after the game, speaking about his linemen. “They do such a good job and really keep our team rolling.”
“This was a pretty good way to start the season. I love starting out 1-0. We’ve got more work to do. We have a region opponent coming in next week. We’ve got some little mistakes we’ve got to fix but we’re here to work. It’s a long season. But I couldn’t be prouder of my team,” said CCA head football coach Jed Marsh.
Next Friday, the David Emanuel Academy Eagles come to town for a 7:30 region contest at Patriot Field. Friday night, the Eagles defeated the Georgia Christian Generals 48-6 in Stillmore. Both CCA and DEA are 1-0 on the season.
Robert Preston Jr./DouglasNow.com
