What a heart-breaker.
Facing a 33-31 deficit with five seconds to play, the Durant Cougars found themselves in field-goal range and on the brink of avenging last year’s loss. The kick missed, however, and the home crowd fell completely silent.
No one can say it wasn’t a great game, though. Jalen Forte got Durant on the board first, scoring with just under nine minutes left in the first quarter, and Newsome answered back at 1:32 with a 20-yard touchdown pass.
Thanks to Erick Davis’ arm and Derek Wells’ leg, the Cougars found themselves ahead, 17-6, right before halftime. Again, Newsome answered with a touchdown at just over a minute left.
The Wolves pulled ahead at 9:23 of the third quarter, thanks to their aerial attack, but Crispian Atkins punched one in from the goal line at 2:39 to give the lead back to Durant. Not to be outdone, Newsome scored again on the very next play – an 80-yard run by Chris Bryant.
Durant took a 31-27 lead at 0:40 in the quarter when Davis threw a 58-yard strike to Garrett Rentz, and Newsome had no answer until 1:47 in the fourth quarter. After plowing through the defense for a two-yard score, the Wolves’ defense was able to contain the Cougars and go home happy.
In other area action, Plant City also dropped a tight one to Tampa Bay Tech, losing 17-15, and Strawberry Crest let an early lead slip away in a 48-26 loss to Riverview.