Copiah Academy Colonels

2008 Schedule & Results 

8/22 Bowling Green 42     CA 0

8/29 Leake 29    CA 8

9/5  Copiah 8   Brookhaven 6

9/12 Oak Forest 19 Copiah 13 2OT

9/19 Copiah 48  Hillcrest 7

9/26 Copiah 14 Wayne 0

10/3 Copiah 35 Prentiss Christian School 12

10/10 Copiah 18 Riverfield 15

10/17 Simpson 42 Copiah 0

10/24 Columbia 35 Copiah 14

10/31 Copiah 17 Presbyterian 14

11/7 Winston 32 Copiah 15

MPSA AA Playoffs

Winston 32, Copiah 15

The 6-5 Copiah Academy Colonels, a 4th-seeded “wild-card” team, rolled into Louisville last Friday night to face the undefeated and #1-ranked Winston Academy Patriots in the first round of the MPSA AA playoffs. And for two quarters, CA shocked Winston players and fans alike as the underdog Colonels outplayed the Patriots, grabbing a 15-7 halftime lead. However, Winston scored 18 unanswered points in the third quarter and rallied to beat Copiah 32-18.
The big question for CA players and fans was “What if?” What if starting quarterback Hunter Renfroe had not sustained a concussion that kept him sidelined the entire second half? What if the Colonels had gotten the benefit of several controversial calls that changed the game’s momentum? What if defensive stalwart Rob Pyron had not gone down with an apparent knee injury in the second half?
“They (Winston) probably overlooked us,” CA head coach Scotty Cline said afterwards. “We’re disappointed with the loss, but we played as hard as we could. We definitely gave Winston a run for their money.”
CA’s Ben Boone ran the opening kickoff back to his own 20. >From there, he lined up at quarterback on second down and threw the ball over the middle to Reece Hankins, who took it all the way to the Winston 31. Moments later, the Colonels came up inches short on fourth down, and the Patriots took over on their own 10-yard line.
Following a Winston punt that was downed near midfield, Hankins picked up 25 yards when he made a leaping catch of Hunter Renfroe’s pass at the Patriot 34. Three plays later, Renfroe ran left for a 15-yard gain that gave the Colonels a first down at the 12. On 4th-and-8, Boone lined up in a spread formation and connected with Renfroe for an apparent touchdown, only to have it called back for having too many men on the line of scrimmage. Russ Singleton’s 30-yard field goal attempt in the waning seconds of the first period hit the crossbar and bounced back.
Copiah got the ball back on the first play of the second quarter when Brandon Smith recovered a fumble on the Winston 27-yard line. Eight plays later, Renfroe scored from the one on a quarterback sneak. The Colonels faked the PAT, and kicker Russ team’s Singleton tossed a pass to Drew Granger in the end zone for the 2-point conversion and an 8-0 lead with 8:19 left in the half.
Winston’s Brandon Garner ran the ensuing kickoff back 30 yards to his own 45. On the first play from scrimmage, quarterback Tyler Dalton bulled his way 33 yards to the CA 22, and then scrambled 23 yards for a Patriot TD. Dylan Morgan kicked the PAT, and Winston trailed by only one, 8-7.
Copiah responded by marching 72 yards in a drive that featured Renfroe’s 41-yard pass to Singleton, who made a leaping catch at the Patriot 13. Renfroe then dumped a pass to running back Jeremy Newman, who took it 7 yards for the TD. Singleton added the PAT, and the Colonels led 15-7 at the half, thanks to a pair of last-minute sacks by Smith and Newman, respectively.
Three plays after receiving the second-half kickoff, Winston’s Tyler Dalton hooked up with wide receiver Dylan Morgan for a 55-yard TD. Austin Harrison ran right for the 2-point conversion that tied the score 15-15 in the opening minute of the third quarter.
Moments later, quarterback Ben Boone, filling in for the injured Renfroe, threw a pass to Hankins, who made a leaping catch near the Copiah sideline. However, an official ruled he was out of bounds, and the Colonels were forced to punt. The Winston punt returner appeared to call for a fair catch, but the officials failed to see it, and Corey Vernon ran the ball all the way to the CA 17. There the Copiah defense stiffened, and the Patriots were forced to settle for Morgan’s 37-yard field goal and an 18-15 lead.
Boone’s 28-yard kickoff return gave the Colonels good field position at their 43-yard line. But the Patriots got the ball back near midfield on Caleb Kelly’s interception midway through the third period. Dalton’s pass to Austin Harrison gained 23 yards down to the CA 25, setting up a 21-yard TD pass to Morgan that put Winston ahead 25-15.
Reece Hankins took the ensuing kickoff back 59 yards to the Patriots’ 31-yard line. After the drive stalled, Copiah called on Russ Singleton, who booted a 30-yard field goal that cut the deficit to seven, 25-18, at the beginning of the final quarter.
Winston responded on the next play from scrimmage when Vernon raced 28 yards to the CA 34-yard line. Two minutes later, Dalton connected with Harrison for a 27-yard TD, increasing their lead to 32-18.
The Colonels had several more opportunities to score in the final minutes, but couldn’t sustain a drive and turned the ball over on downs, enabling the Patriots to run out the clock.
 “We had some big chances,” Cline said afterwards. “We just couldn’t quite get it done.”
Despite the disappointing loss and a 6-6 final record, the second-year coach failed to offer any excuses. “Injuries play a part of every year,” he continued. “You play with the cards you’re dealt. We never even thought about calling this a rebuilding year.
“We challenged our young guys to step up to the challenge,” he went on. “We told them we weren’t looking for them to be superstars. We just wanted to turn them into good football players, and some of them were by the end of the year. We’ve enjoyed some success the last 4 or 5 years, and we challenged them to keep the program where it was. They worked hard and earned everything they got.”
Cline had some special words of praise for his seniors: Clayton Denson, Todd Pitts, Cullen Gentry, Jeremy Greer, Peter McKinley, and Garrett Gaddy. “The seniors handled themselves well,” he noted. “They did a good job and led the team the way it needed to be led. We were able to get into a playoff game, and the young players got a taste of it. Now they know what it takes to get there and hopefully we’ll go even further next year.”

Columbia 35, Copiah 14

In beating Copiah Academy 35-14 last Friday night, the Columbia Academy Cougars accomplished 2 things: first, they ended any realistic hopes the Colonels had of making the playoffs; and second, they evened Copiah’s record at 5-5 while improving their own record to 3-7. And now, the Colonels must defeat AAA Presyterian Christian School this Friday night in Gallman to finish the season with a winning record.
The evening began on a positive note as Copiah’s Drew Granger recovered a Cougar fumble at the 35-yard line on the first play of the game. However, Columbia got the ball back moments later on R.J. Thomas’ interception at his own three.
Neither team moved the ball consistently until Reece Hankins’ juggling catch of Hunter Renfroe’s pass picked up 12 yards late in the opening quarter. Unfortunately, Copiah lost the ball two plays later when Michael Saucier recovered a fumble at the Colonel 24. That set up Josh Hamilton’s 4-yard TD burst and Saucier’s PAT that put the Cougars ahead 7-0 with 8:36 remaining in the half.
On the ensuing series, Renfroe’s pass to Hankins on 3rd down netted 17 yards, and a pass to Michael Williams picked up 7 more. The Colonels were eventually forced to punt, and after the teams exchanged possessions, Columbia’s Josh Broom, a 9th grade running back, turned the corner and outran the Copiah defenders 75 yards to the end zone. Saucier kicked the PAT, and the Cougars led 14-0 at halftime.
Following the second-half kickoff, the Colonels registered a first down when Renfroe connected with Jeremy Newman for a 14-yard pass completion on third down. The drive stalled and CA was forced to punt, but the Colonels got the ball back when Russ Singleton recovered a fumble in Cougar territory.
From there, Copiah drove 47 yards in 9 plays, with Renfroe taking it the final 3 yards for the touchdown. The Colonels faked the PAT and converted a two-point conversion when holder Russ Singleton passed to Clayton Denson in the end zone. With 4:33 left in the third period, Copiah trailed by only six, 14-8.
After Columbia’s field goal attempt sailed wide right a minute later, the Colonels mounted a drive into Cougar territory. Key plays included an 18-yard pass completion from Renfroe to Newman and Renfroe’s 16-yard run. However, a fumble recovery by the Cougars’ Daniel Dunaway stopped the threat.
Columbia scored again early in the final quarter when Broom bounced outside and raced 63 yards for a TD. The Cougars went for two, but failed when Peter McKinley tackled the ball carrier short of the goal line.
CA responded as Hankins took the ensuing kickoff and returned it 90 yards to make the score 20-14. Columbia then recovered CA’s onside kick attempt and drove 44 yards in 10 plays while burning five minutes off the clock. Thomas scored the clinching TD on a 4-yard dash around the right side and then passed to D. D. Mitchell for the two-point conversion and a 28-14 lead.
Less than a minute later, Mitchell intercepted a Copiah pass, setting up his team’s final score – a one-yard plunge by Hamilton.
Renfroe passed to Williams for 11 yards and threw twice to Newman, the second completion a “hook-and-ladder” designed play to Ben Boone that resulted in a 17-yard gain. A pass to Singleton gained 9 more yards, but Renfroe was sacked on fourth down in the game’s final seconds.
“We needed a win,” said Columbia coach Mitch Mitchell, the former CA coach who was instrumental in reviving Copiah’s football program and leading the Colonels to a state championship two years ago. “We had been playing better lately, but didn’t have any W’s to show for it. Tonight we made some big plays and didn’t give up any (big plays).
“It was a strange night,” he admitted. “It felt kind of odd to look across the field and see Coach Cline and the others on the opposite sideline.”
Even though CA lost, there were some bright spots for the Colonels. Renfroe rushed 23 times for 93 yards and completed 10 of 29 passes for 103 yards. Newman caught 4 of those passes for 49 yards. Defensively, Copiah was led by Bradley Sharp with 6 tackles, Granger with 5 tackles, and Boone with 4 tackles.
“We spent a lot of time together at Copiah,” Scotty Cline said of the man who hired him to coach at CA. “It was fun, and it was even fun coaching against him in this game. The difference tonight was turnovers and field position. We still have a slim chance of making the playoffs, but a lot of things would have to occur for that to happen.”
Otherwise, the Colonels will conclude their 2008 season this Friday night when they host the Presbyterian Christian Bobcats. Kickoff is set for 7:00 PM in Gallman.

Simpson 42, Copiah 0

Simpson jumped on Copiah 28-0 by halftime and added 14 points in the second half to defeat the Colonels in Gallman last Friday night.  The lost dropped Copiah to 5-4, 2-1 in district play. 

The Colonels travel to Columbia this Friday night in the last division game of the year, with a playoff spot hanging in the balance.  Kickoff is at 7:00.

Copiah 18, Riverfield 15

BY TREY CHAPMAN

BY TREY CHAPMAN
Last Friday evening in Gallman the Colonels went on a wild ride that wound up being a happy one at the end. After racing out to an 18-0 lead with 20 minutes of football left in the game the Riverfield Raiders decided that they wouldn’t leave Gallman without a fight.
Riverfield won the opening coin toss and elected to defer to the second half. The Colonels started out with an illegal procedure call and a fumble and would eventually have to punt the ball away to the visitors.
The Colonel defense led by Ben Boone and Michael Williams with six tackles each on the contest, would force a 3 and out on the Raiders first possession as well. The Colonels and the Raiders would swap the next two possessions each. The last Raider possession would result in a turnover on downs with: 43.3 seconds left in the first period.
The Colonels would take over at their own 17 yard line, and following a 9 yard scamper by Ben Boone, the Colonels would strike deep for the first score of the game, an 82 yard score from Hunter Renfroe to Reece Hankins with 11:47 left before half time. The 2 point conversion would be no good and the score would stand at CA-6 RA-0.
The Colonel defense would again force a 3 and out on the next Raider possession. The Colonels would then march 58 yards over eight plays. The drive would be highlighted by a Renfroe to Hankins connection for 50 yards. Hankins had 4 receptions for the evening covering 127 yards and one TD. The drive was capped off by a Ben Boone 2 yard plunge. The 2 point conversion was no good and with 6:08 left in the second the score stood at CA-12 RA-0. The first half would end with CA up 12-0.
RA would get the ball to start the second half and the first play was a Raider fumble. Bryce Guess gobbled it up at the RA 34 yard line with 11:54 in the third quarter. The Colonels would cash the gift in for a touchdown at the 8:48 mark in the third. Hunter Renfroe would call his own number from one yard out for the Colonel touchdown. The PAT was no good and the score was CA-18 RA-0.
Then the Colonels grabbed the hand rails and held on for what would be a wild ride for the rest of the game. The Colonels suffered injuries to Bryce Guess, Ben Boone and Rob Pyron that would take them out for the remainder of the contest with Pyron seeing some action the rest of the way.
Riverfield would take the next possession and pin the Colonels deep in their own territory at the Colonel 18 yard line. Then, following a bad exchange from center to quarterback the Colonels would be forced to punt from their own one yard line. Reece Hankins got away a 29 yard punt that was returned to the CA 15 yard line.
RA wasted little time and on the next play would be a Cater to Davis 15 yard pitch and catch for a Raider TD. The Davis PAT was good and with 4:25 in the third quarter. The score was CA-18 RA-7.
RA would attempt an on-sides kick that was thwarted by Trevor Blocker. Then the Raiders would force a quit 3 and out series for the Colonels. The Raiders would then take their next possession 87 yards over the course of 10 plays and 5 minutes and one second. The drive was capped off by a Colton Franklin 32 yard run and a 2 point conversion with 10:14 left in the game. The score was CA-18 RA-15.
The ensuing Colonel possession was halted by a Raider interception at the 9:59 mark. The ailing Colonel defense made a huge stop with 6:40 left in the contest, forcing a turnover on downs at the Colonel 27 yard line.
The Raiders then elected to take all three of their time outs on the next Colonel offensive possession. The only thing that wasn’t figured into the Raider equation was the roughing the punter call that came at the 5:51 mark in the fourth. Then, behind the tough running of Jeremy Newman, the Colonels were able to run out the clock and preserve the Colonel victory. The Colonels improved to 5-3 and (2-0) on the season.
Coach Cline post game advised, “We just beat a quality football team here tonight. Our guys held on and showed that they didn’t have any quit in them tonight. Hats off to the young guys that stepped up when Bryce and Ben went down with injuries, it doesn’t get any easier as Simpson comes in here next week. We are going to enjoy this one tonight and start our preparation for Simpson tomorrow.”
It is sure to be a packed house so get their early to Colonel Stadium, as the Pearl River Rivalry renews this Friday evening in Gallman at 7 pm.

Copiah 35, Prentiss Christian 12

The temperature was just right for football last Friday evening in Prentiss. For the first time this season the Colonels found a rare road victory – their first of the season (4-3) and (2-0). As the temperatures cooled off the Colonels heated up in route to a 35-12 win over the Prentiss Christian Saints.
The Saints won the toss and elected to take the football. The Colonel defense forced a quick three and out series. The Colonels took over at the Colonel 38 yard line with 10:45 left in the first stanza.
The Colonels marched 62 yards over the course of 3 minutes and 17 seconds to score on a Ben Boone plunge from 3 yards out. The 2 point conversion from Reece Hankins to Michael Williams was good and score was CA-8, PC-0. The drive was highlighted by a 12 yard pass and catch from Renfro to Guess, a 21 yard carry by Renfro, as well as a 13 yard carry by Ben Boone all of which resulted in first downs for the Colonels.
The Colonels and Saints would exchange punts on their next possessions. Then the Saints would show that they had some fight in them when they scored on a 37 yard strike from Ethan Lee to Matthew Speight’s with 32 seconds left in the first quarter. The 2 point conversion was no good and the score stood CA-8 PC-6.
The next Colonel score would come following a Reece Hankins interception that was returned to the Colonel 41 yard line with 6:08 left in the second quarter. The Colonels would turn the gift into points on the ensuing drive. The drive would cover 59 yards over 6 plays that was capped off by a 9 yard scamper by Bryce Guess at the 3:13 mark in the second quarter. The Russ Singleton PAT was good and the score stood CA-15-PC-6.
The following Colonel kickoff was returned to the Saint 42 yard line with 3:05 left. The first play of the drive was a 58 yard strike from Ethan Lee to Hunter McPhail for the touchdown with 2:56 left in the half. The 2 point conversion was no good and the score stood at CA-15, PC-12.
The Colonels next drive would result in a Hankins punt. PC had the ball at the Colonel 32 with 47 seconds left. The drive would be thwarted by a Hunter Renfro interception with 5 seconds left in the first half.
The turning point in the game came with 5:11 left in the third quarter when a halfback pass was called from Ben Boone to Reece Hankins; 48 yards later Hankins would score a Colonel TD. The 2 point conversion was no good and the score would stand at CA-21, PC-12.
The Colonel defense would play a stellar second half, and hold the Saints scoreless. The Colonels would add two more scores from Ben Boone one from 91 yards and the other from 14 yards. The first of the above listed Boone scores resulted in a 2 point conversion from Boone to Hankins. The final score resulted in a blocked PAT which would make it CA 35 PC-12.
In a post game interview, Coach Scotty Cline mentioned, “The offensive line and defensive lines really controlled the game in the second half. I was real proud of our guys and some leaders who stepped up during halftime. They really answered the challenge and we won a hard fought conference victory here tonight. We must now turn our focus to Riverfield (LA).”
The Colonels return home for a two-game home stand beginning next Friday vs. Riverfield with kickoff expected around 7 p.m.

Copiah 14, Wayne 0

The Copiah Academy Colonels danced their way to a Homecoming win over Wayne Academy Friday night.
Wayne won the opening toss and deferred to the second half. The Colonels would march all the way to the Wayne 2 yard line before a Colonel interception turned the ball over to the visitors. Wayne would return the favor six plays later as Reece Hankins picked off a Jaguar pass with 2:38 left in the first quarter.
 The Colonels would turn the gift into 6 points five plays later on a 7 yard plunge by Bryce Guess at the 1:09 mark in the first quarter.
The Colonel defense would prove to be very effective the rest of the first half as they kept the Jags scoreless for the remainder of the first half. Rob Pyron, Michael Williams, Reece Hankins, B. J. Newman, Jeremy Newman and Jeremy Greer would help to lead the Colonel defense throughout the game.
After a festive half-time homecoming celebration, Jennifer Albritton and her court would enjoy a Colonel victory as the Colonels currently have a 6-0 Homecoming win streak dating back to ’03.
Wayne would take the second half kickoff and the drive would stall at the Colonel 39 yard line. The Colonels and the Jags would exchange punts the rest of the third quarter with the score still CA-6 WA-0.
The fourth quarter would provide the final score of the evening. A Colonel drive that began at their own 26 yard line with 4:09 left in the third quarter went 12 plays and covered 74 yards and was capped off by a 2 yard plunge by Bryce Guess and a 2 point conversion from Reece Hankins to Hunter Renfro to make the final score CA-14 WA-0.
Post game Coach Scotty Cline advised, “I was real proud of our guys tonight – they kept fighting and wouldn’t give up. We have a big game next week at Prentiss and we need to turn our focus to Prentiss. I was really proud of how Jeremy Newman and Reece Hankins stepped up when Ben Boone and Bryce Guess were out of the game. Also Hunter Renfro is starting to grow up as well. I am really proud of our club. I want everyone to stay behind us and get ready to head to Prentiss this Friday evening.”

Copiah 48, Hillcrest 7

 The Colonels returned to the friendly confines of Colonel Stadium this past Friday evening and entertained the Hillcrest Christian School Cougars. With the recent memory of an overtime loss hanging in the Colonels minds, it didn’t take them long to shake that bitter memory and get back in the win column (2-3), (0-1).
This Colonel team unlike the recent Colonel teams of memory seems to like playing at home and so far and is 2-0 at home this year. A homecoming date with Wayne Academy waits in this week’s wings and Coach Cline will have his work cut out for him to keep his team focused on the game at hand and off of all of the Homecoming week festivities.
 The Colonels won the opening toss and elected to defer to the second half. The Colonels were missing two Seniors and a Junior in Cullen Gentry (concussion), Jeremy Greer (viral infection and a week long hospital stay) and Billy Henley (injured foot). However the Colonels showed no ill effects of injuries listed above.
The opening kick was downed at the HC 33. Three plays later a Cougar fumble was gobbled up by  Rob Pyron. The Colonels were set up at the Cougar 31 yard line. Four plays later Bryce Guess took it in from 6 yards out and the Colonels, following a Russ Singleton PAT, took a lead that they would never relinquish. The Colonels forced a Cougar punt on the next possession following a 3 and out series.
Hunter Renfro returned the Cougar punt 26 yards to the Cougar 32 yard line. The very next play Bryce Guess would again reach pay dirt via a 32 yard rush. The Singleton PAT was blocked and the score stood CA 13 HC 0.
Following the Colonel kickoff the Cougars would scrimmage from their own 30 yard line and the Colonel D would again force another 3 and out. The Cougars punt pinned the Colonels at their own 20 yard line for their third possession of the evening.
The first play of the series would be a Hunter Renfro to Reece Hankins 80 yard strike with 4:35 left in the 1st period. The Colonels would go for two and the Renfro to Guess pass was good and the score was CA 21 HC 0.
The Colonel kickoff would set up HC at their own 32 yard line. The next play was another Cougar turnover that was recovered by Michael Williams at the Cougar 33 yard line. The Colonels on the next play would fumble it back to the Cougars at the HC 37 yard line. The next play would be a Drew Granger sack for a loss of 12 yards and the second play would be a Reece Hankins interception of the Cougars at the Colonel 48 yard line with 2:57 left in the 1st quarter. Five plays later Hunter Renfro would take it in from 5 yards out and following the Singleton PAT the score was CA 28 HC 0.
Following the Colonel kickoff HC would scrimmage from their own 45 yard line. The Cougars would get on the board on the second play of the drive. The lone Cougar touchdown came via a Vandevender to McNair 39 yard strike with 11:04 left in the 2nd quarter. The Kelly Jordan PAT was good and the score stood CA 28 HC 7.
The Colonels wasted little time answering the Cougar score on the next drive. The Colonels began the drive from their own 35 yard line. The fourth play of the drive was a Renfro to Hankins 20 yard TD strike with 9:13 left in the half. The Singleton PAT would be good and the score stood at CA 35 HC 7.
The Colonels following the kickoff would again force a 3 and out on defense. The Colonels Hunter Renfro would engineer a 7 play drive that was capped off by a 6 yard TD strike from Renfro to Williams. The Singleton PAT was good and the halftime score would stand at CA 42 HC 7.
The second half would feature one more Colonel score coming via a Drew Granger 61 yard TD run with 10:04 left in the third quarter. The Singleton PAT was no good and the score would remain at CA 48 HC 7.
Unofficially the Colonels had 420 total yards of offense with 276 coming via the ground and 154 through the airways. The Colonel Defense allowed only 141 yards 65 on the ground and 76 through the air. Individually for the Colonels on the ground Bryce Guess had 7 carries for 72 yards; Ben Boone had 4 carries for 36 yards. Jeremy Newman had 11 carries for 93 yards. Drew Granger had 4 carries for 67 yards and Renfro would have 3 touches for 9 yards.
 Through the air Renfro was 5 for 6 with 2 TD’s for 154 yards. The leading Colonel receiver would be Reece Hankins with two receptions for 100 yards and 2 TD’s. Brandon Smith had one reception for 5 yards. Bryce Guess had one reception for 22 yards; finally Michael Williams had 2 catches for 27 yards and one TD.
A homecoming date with Wayne Academy waits in the wings for the Colonels as they wrap up their current two game home stand this week at Colonel Stadium. Kickoff will be at 7 pm. Come out and support your Colonels this week and enjoy the Homecoming festivities.  

Oak Forest 19, Copiah 13 2OT

BY TREY CHAPMAN

 Copiah 8, BA 6

What began as a dismal start to the 2008 football season for the Copiah Colonels changed fortunes Friday night in the Colonels’ thrilling 8-6 win over Brookhaven Academy. The win puts Copiah, 1-2, 1-0, in sole possession of first place in District 4-AA. Brookhaven fell to 1-2, 0-1, in their first loss to the Colonels in three years on the football field.

Some might consider it an upset win for the Colonels, who have been playoff stalwarts since 2004. The team had been shut out at Bowling Green in week one, and could muster only one score in week two at Leake. Combined, the once-dominant Colonels had been outscored 71-8 in the first two weeks of the season. The Brookhaven Cougars began the season by keeping defending AA champ Centreville in check at home, losing only 14-7. Then, the Cougars picked up a huge win over Oak Forest in week two. Before Friday night, the Colonels looked to be in trouble when the visitors rolled into town.

But, games are won on the field, not in the papers. And, Copiah did what it had to do to win Friday night: stop the Brookhaven rushing game and muster enough offense to get ahead and stay ahead.

The Colonels’ lone score came late in the first quarter. Junior quarterback Ben Boone directed a drive that was capped when his 13-yard pass was captured by receiver Hunter Renfroe in the end zone. Boone and Renfroe added the two-point conversion through the air once again, giving Copiah the lead at 8-0.

The scoring play was exponentially costly for the Cougars because the Colonels were in a fourth down situation. If Brookhaven stopped the Colonels, then the momentum would have shifted to the visitors. Fortunately for the home team, the misdirection play worked to perfection resulting in a huge score.

The Cougars didn’t wallow in their own misfortunes for very long. Marching right back down the field in only 2:12 BA quarterback Rogers completed a 22-yard pass to receiver Dorman to notch the Cougars’ only score of the evening. The two point conversion attempt was stopped by the Colonels, however, proving to be the difference in the game.

For the remainder of the contest, the teams battled scoreless, as the defenses dug in and dominated. After a final late attempt to convert on fourth down failed for Brookhaven, the Colonels simply took a knee on two consecutive snaps to run out the clock and secure the win.

The win is a big boost to Copiah’s confidence, to say the least. Players rejoiced on the field for several minutes after the game–after shaking the visitors hands in a respectful manner–while fans in the stands joined them in their prideful display.

Boone led the Copiah offensive attack, accounting for 137 of the team’s 152 total yards. On defense, he and his teammates continually stuffed the Cougar running attack, hitting fullback Kolby Byrd–the Cougars’ main offensive weapon–time after time in the backfield, thwarting any long gainers. The game was, by all intents and purposes, an old-timey slug fest between two neighborhood rivals, and one that will be talked about for a long time coming.

The players and coaches, however, can’t savor this one for long. Up next is a trip to face the Oak Forest Yellow Jackets–on the hosts’ homecoming–in Amite, LA, this Friday night. The trip is Copiah’s third road game in the first four weeks of the season. A win at Oak Forest will mean a 2-2 split to start the year against a very tough schedule, not bad considering division foes Simpson, Prentiss Christian and Columbia loom in the distance.

The Yellow Jackets’ game against Silliman last Friday was post-poned after Hurricane Gustav plowed through the area in southeast Louisiana last week causing widespread power outages. Besides their week 13-12 two loss to Brookhaven, Oak Forest, 0-2, lost at Parklane 35-32 in week one. The Jackets are coached by Jason Brabham and run a multiple-look option-oriented offense and attack on defense with blitz packages.

The contest Friday night should, competitively, be another good one. Kickoff is set for 7:00.

Leake 28, Copiah 9

Copiah Academy traveled to Leake last Friday, searching for win number one.  After a quick start, things looked promising for the Colonels, but the Rebels took control of the ball and eventually wore down the road weary Colonels 29-8.
Copiah put together a good drive to start the game afte receiving the opening kickoff.
Ben Boone capped off the drive with a one-yard plunge.  Boone then completed a pass to a Colonel receiver to score the two-point conversion, giving Copiah the lead at 8-0 early in the first.
Leake notched 15 points in the second quarter–two touchdowns and a 29-yard field goal.  At halftime, the home team lead 15-8
The Rebels added a 3-yard touchdown in the third.  Leake got one late score, a 13-yard run in the fourth, to put the game out of reach.
Copiah, 0-2, hosts Brookhaven Academy, 1-1, this Friday night in the first division game for both teams.  Brookhaven is coming off of a 13-12 win at Oak Forest last Friday.
Kickoff in Gallman is set for 7:00 Friday evening.

Colonels hoping pride turns into victories

BY TREY CHAPMAN

Two-A-Days have begun in ernest on campus at Copiah Academy. The Colonels began camp on July 28, 2008. They had 24 to report for practice for the 2008 edition of the Copiah Academy Colonels.

Recently speaking with 2nd year Offensive Coordinator Edwin Reeves, “We are having a lot of review of our schemes and formations. We are trying to re-enforce our offensive scheme that we put in place last year. We have a lot of experience to replace, we are working hard on the basics and are trying hard to get the guys in shape to play on a day in day out basis.” Ben Boone will be called upon to fill some big shoes in the form of replacing a 3 year veteran in Daniel Sims. Coach Reeves advised, “Boone is going to be more of a running type quarterback and should be very effective in the short passing game. Bryce Guess will be in our backfield and he will play a integral part of the Colonel offensive scheme. Guess can run both inside and outside and be a threat in the passing game both split out and coming out of the backfield. On the offensive line, we have more experience to replace, we only have two returning starters but we have more depth in the Offensive line than we have had in years past. We have a volunteer assistant in the name of Richard Byrd, former Southern Miss and Houston Oiler/Texan and he has been invaluable during summer camp. There has been a vast improvement in the Offensive Line in a very short period of time.”

Last week via telephone, 2nd year Coach Scott Cline advise, “We have a lot of work to do. We lost a lot of experience on both sides of the ball. Right now we are just trying to get better every day. So far we are showing signs of progress on a daily basis. The Jamboree this past Thursday showed us some areas of opportunity and also showed us where we have been doing some things very good as well. We have a lot of work to do for this Friday as we prepare for Bowling Green. I am really excited about the guys that we have out this year and I expect great things from this team before the year is out.”

During the annual Jamboree on Campus last week the Colonels lost to Trinity 6-0 and a scoreless tie against ACCS in the nightcap of the annual pre-season scrimmage. The Colonels as mentioned above open on the road this week in Franklinton, LA against the Bowling Green Bucaneers in Franklinton, LA. The game can be heard on WDXO-DX 92.9 ESPN Radio beginning at 6:30pm.