It might have been the most entertaining Newnan-East Coweta game ever.
The Cougars rallied from five points down going to the fourth quarter in Drake Stadium Friday night to win the 18th meeting between the two schools, 43-26, and complete their second undefeated regular season in a row.
The Cougars, trailing for the first time this year after three periods, put together a season-high 28-point final period to come away with their seventh straight series win over the Indians (which EC still leads 10-8) and their 28th straight regular season victory to tie the county record set by East Coweta from 1999-01.
With the Cougars having clinched the Region 4-AAAAA championship (their fourth in a row) last week and East Coweta clinching third place, Friday's game had little meaning except for pride and bragging rights, but the two teams went after each other with their customary fire.
The final score surprised Newnan head coach Mike McDonald, however.
"I think both teams were expecting a low scoring game," he said. "But I told (East Coweta head coach Clint Wade) after the game that for two old defensive coaches to be in a game like this was really something."
But there was little defense Friday especially for two teams that pride themselves in stopping their opposition.
The two teams' premiere players did their thing Friday.
East Coweta's Tay Willis scored on a 59-yard run and an 80-yard pass play that was more like a 110-yard run after he took a short toss from Austin Ingram and ran all the way across the gridiron before turning upfield for his 80-yard gallop.
Newnan's Chris Robinson scored three times and quarterback Lendell Arnold threw two TD passes, one each to Alec and Zander Ogletree.
The Indians led in every quarter, but in the end couldn't forestall the Cougars' offense.
"We just ran out of gas in the fourth quarter," Wade said of his team that fell to 7-3 with the loss. "We didn't have anything left in our tank.
"But for our kids to go up against a team of Newnan's calliber and battle them all night like we did is a real tribute to them."
Willis' 59-yard run on the third play of the game, very similar to his 64-yard TD run on the third play last week against Riverdale, gave the Indians a quick early touchdown and a 7-0 lead after Mikey Zeidler's PAT.
Newnan came right back to tie it on a 58-yard touchdown pass from Arnold to Alec Ogletree who snatched the ball away from an Indian defender at the 25 and scored untouched.
Patrick McAlpin's extra point tied the game with 1:40 left in the first quarter.
Zeidler's 32-yard field goal early in the second quarter pushed EC back out front, 10-7, but Newnan came back on an 85-yard, three-play drive four minutes later to take a 14-10 lead into halftime after Robinson dashed in from 42 yards out.
The Cougars were ahead at halftime for the 10th straight time this year.
EC answered quickly in the third quarter, however, as Ingram and Willis combined on their 80-yard pass play. Newnan blocked the PAT, but EC led 16-14 with 10:27 to go in the third quarter.
It marked the first time the Cougars have lost a lead all year and the first time they have trailed in the second half all season.
Jarin Fowler's interception return to the Cougar 27 set up Zeidler's second field goal of the night and 10th of the season, a 26-yarder late in the third quarter and the Indians were up 19-14 going to the final 12 minutes.
But the Cougars would explode with their highest scoring quarter of the year, besting by one point their second period against Chapel Hill.
"Our kids never lost their poise," McDonald said. "They never quit battling.
"We're just so proud of what they've done this year. To lose 31 seniors off our great team from last year and to have to start over on offense, I never imagined we'd be 10-0 at this point."
Robinson's 32-yard TD run and Ingram's two-point conversion carry put Newnan back on top, this time to stay, at 22-19 in the first 13 seconds of the fourth quarter.
After Jamal Ransby's interception near midfield Arnold and Zander Ogletree combined for an 18-yard scoring pass to make it 29-19 Newnan and provide the Cougars with what seemed like plenty of breathing room with 8:47 left.
But EC wasn't through.
Quarterback Zach Hutcheson threw a 79-yard bomb to K.J. Hill moments later to the Newnan two and Angel Santiago scored on the next play and the Indians had climbed to within 29-26 with 7:09 still to play.
But the Cougars iced it away on their next possession, going 64 yards in 12 plays, running almost four and a half minutes off the clock and converting two fourth downs along the way before Robinson scampered in from 14 yards out.
Bryant Ball added a final score with 2:05 left with a nine-yard scoring run.
***
Score by quarters:
EAST COWETA 7 3 9 7 -- 26
NEWNAN 7 7 0 29 -- 43
1ST QUARTER
ECHS -- Tay Willis 59 yard run (Mikey Ziedler kick)
NHS -- Alec Ogletree 58 yard pass from Lendell Arnold (Patrick McAlpin kick), 1:40
2ND QUARTER
ECHS -- Mikey Ziedler 32-yard field goal, 8:52
NHS -- Chris Robinson 32 yard run (McAlpin kick), 4:02
3RD QUARTER
ECHS -- Tay Willis 80 yard pass from Austin Ingram (kicked failed), 10:21
ECHS -- Mikey Ziedler 26 field goal, 1:39
4TH QUARTER
NHS -- Chris Robinson 32 yard run (Arnold run), 11:47
NHS -- Zander Ogletree 18 yard pass from Lendell Arnold (McAlpin PAT)
ECHS -- Angel Santiago 2 yard run, (Ziedler PAT), 7:09
NHS -- Chris Robinson 14 yard run, 2:34 (McAlpin kick), 2:34
NHS -- Bryant Ball 9 yard run (McAlpin kick), 2:05
