Published Saturday, November 15, 2008

Cougars roll through fog for 5th-straight shutout

The Newnan Times-Herald

In what was more a warm-up than a first round playoff test, the Newnan Cougars rolled over Johnson of Savannah in fog-shrouded Drake Stadium Friday night, 55-0.

The Cougars bolted into the lead in the first 83 seconds of the game and were halted only by their own liberal substitutions which began in the second quarter.

Newnan's vaunted defense, which registered its school record seventh shutout of the season and fifth in a row, turned out to be an offensive weapon Friday, scoring three touchdowns, two by Alec Ogletree, on a couple of interception returns and a blocked punt.

In addition, Alan Bonner ran a punt back for a 51-yard score as the Cougars tied the all-time NHS record with their 11th straight win.

"I'm just glad we lived to play another night," said coach Robert Herring who picked up his 301st career victory.

Newnan hosts the winner of Tift County and M.L. King game in next week's second round. Tift and MLK play Saturday night.

"Our kids responded just the way we wanted them to," Herring added, "by taking care of business."

The 55-points matched the season-high 55 Newnan scored against Lovejoy back on Sept. 12 and are the most a Newnan team has ever scored in the postseason, topping the previous record of 47 set against Riverdale in the first round of the 1985 post-season.

The Cougars led 35-0 at the end of the first quarter and 55-0 at halftime and Herring and his staff shuffled players in an out of the game over the final two periods which were played with a running (non-stop) clock.

"This was more nerve-wracking than a close win, trying to get everybody into the game," laughed defensive coordinator Mike McDonald.

Keandreas Wynn burst across the goal line from 15 yards out on Newnan's five-play, 59-yard opening drive to give the Cougars a 7-0 lead after Sam Taylor's PAT with 10:37 still to go in the first quarter. Wynn now has 18 rushing touchdowns on the year and four catching, 15 of his scores coming in the last six games.

Ogletree's interception moments later and 34-yard return, Newnan's first pick returned for a touchdown this year, gave Newnan a 14-0 advantage.

Nick Hill capped a nine-play, 55-yard march four minutes later with a three-yard run and it was 21-0.

Bonner upped it to 28-0 with 1:28 to go in the opening period when he raced 51 yards behind a beautiful wall set up in front of the Newnan sidelines. It was the Cougars' first kick return for a TD this year.

Alex Ogletree, not to be outdone by his brother, picked off an Atomsmasher pass on Johnson's next series and scored from the 23 to give Newnan a 35-0 lead with 35 seconds left in the opening quarter.

Newnan added three more touchdowns in the second quarter.

Hill scored his second touchdown of the night and third of the season on a five-yard run early in the period to cap a 50-yard, four-play drive.

Alec Ogletree blocked a Johnson punt and picked up the loose ball and ran it in from 25 yards out with 5:18 to go to make it 49-0 and Carson Carroll scored on a five-yard plunge just before halftime to put the finishing touches on a 65-yard, eight-play march.

Those 55 first half points tied the Cougar record set earlier this year against Lovejoy and the 11th straight victory made this year's team only the second Newnan squad ever to win that many in succession.

The 1992 Cougars reeled off 11 straight wins before losing in the second round of the playoffs.

The Newnan defense extended its consecutive scoreless quarter streak to 23 and has not allowed a point since the first quarter of the Riverdale game on Oct. 10.

Russell Powell's 23-game TD streak, however, was ended.

For the first time since he stepped into the starting quarterback role in 2007, he did not either run for a touchdown and/or throw for a TD in a game.