Cougars Off to Electrifying Start

Chattahoochee High School’s head football coach Terry Crowder called his team together just seconds after the Cougars won their season opener 35-3 over the Murphy, NC Bulldogs.

As the team gathered around him in the shadow of the goalposts, Crowder wasted no time getting his message out. “We’re going down there to win.”

Each player nodded in unspoken agreement. They all knew “down there” was Camden County, winners of 66 straight games against Georgia high schools and ranked 7th in the state.

Coach Crowder kept it very simple. “Who thinks we can’t win down there?”

Dead silence. Then the coach made a prediction he hoped, or maybe prayed, would come true.

“We are going to win!” That brought his team to life as players began nodding yes, and then chanting, “Win, win, win.”

Now fast forward one week to Chris Gilman stadium in Camden County, and as Larry Munson, the voice of the Georgia Bulldogs would say, “Get the picture.” Game tied 10-10. We go to overtime. Camden scores first, but misses the extra point. Chattahoochee gets the ball and the Cougars know they must answer with a touchdown or Camden’s record goes to 67 straight wins over Georgia schools.

Brendan Cross drives the Cougars down to the six yard line and then calmly finds tight end Wes McLarty in the end zone to tie the score 16-16. That left the game squarely on the toe of senior place kicker Kyle Hady. Snap. Down. Kick. Good! Chattahoochee 17 - Camden-16, and Terry Crowder is not only a winner, but also a prophet. Lightning had again struck for the Cougars.

A week earlier, with Chattahoochee leading Murphy, N.C. 7-0 in the first quarter, a ferocious storm, complete with dangerous lightning strikes, hit Cougar Stadium. The stands were evacuated with fans urged to seek shelter in the gym. The torrential downpour would have made the field almost unplayable in years past. But thanks to the newly installed artificial turf, play was able to resume ninety minutes later in near perfect field conditions.

The Cougars brought their own lightning, driving 74 yards in just six plays to take a 14-0 lead with Cross walking in untouched from six yards out. You want more lightning. No problem, thanks to Elton Ford’s 51-yard touchdown burst up the middle to make it 21-0 midway in the second quarter. Add a 50 yard touchdown pass from Cross to Elton Ford to end the first half with Chattahoochee leading 28-0.

Touchdowns from senior running back Gary Grace and freshman Jay Barden made the final score Chattahoochee-35 - Murphy-3.

Next up, the Cougars host the Wheeler Wildcats Friday night, 42-0 winners over Lithonia last week.