With its roster replenished, Durant started a winning streak Friday night by ending Sumner’s 3-0 start in decisive fashion.
The Cougars picked up a 34-6 win at home and looked re-energized by the return of several players from a precautionary quarantine period following the Newsome game, not to mention running back L.J. Gappy finally overcoming last season’s knee injury and getting back on the active roster.
Durant scored touchdowns on its first three drives of the game. Running back Eli Reed got the ball rolling with a 35-yard rushing touchdown with 8:26 left in the quarter, but Leo Tabakovic’s point-after attempt missed. Then the defense stripped the ball from Sumner quarterback Jason Rivera and Wyatt Lawson recovered it at the Stingrays’ 20-yard line, which set up a two-play drive where Nate Richardson plowed through the defense for six more points. Durant attempted a two-point conversion but got nowhere. Finally, after forcing Sumner to punt and getting the ball back at the Stingrays’ 48-yard line, L.J. Gappy and Miguele used their legs to get to the 25-yard line and Miguel used his arm to find Jeremiah Gines in the end zone.. Another two-point attempt failed, but the Cougars did have an 18-0 lead.
Sumner’s defense scored the team’s first and only points of the game with 16 seconds left in the quarter. The Stingrays, who have excelled at scoring on turnovers in 2020, forced Durant to fumble the ball into the hands of Keoni Denny, who immediately burned his way into the end zone for a score. The PAT attempt was blocked and the Cougars’ lead was cut to 18-6.
The only successful scoring play of the second quarter came shortly after Jaiden Gappy swatted a Sumner punt and the Cougars downed the ball at the Stingrays’ 37-yard line. Durant chipped away at the defense with several handoffs and a pass to Gines, and Miguele hit Jeremiah Puerto in the end zone from six yards out to put the Cougars ahead, 25-6, after Tabakovic got a PAT.
The third quarter opened with another scoring drive for Durant, After Elian Gonzalez hauled in a pass to get the Cougars to Sumner’s 17-yard line, Reed took three consecutive handoffs up the middle and scored with 8:19 left in the quarter. Durant took a 32-6 lead with another kick by Tabakovic.
Durant’s final scoring play came as the third quarter ended and the fourth quarter started. Sumner’s last drive of that quarter started with 3:26 left and, as soon as the fourth quarter began, a bobbled snap forced the Stingrays to punt from their own six-yard line. L.J. Gappy broke through the line to block it and grab it in the end zone for a safety, which brought the game to its final score of 34-6.
