Cougars Show Teeth In
Shutout
Photo
By John Ray
by Mike Wachsman
Posted 09-19-09
The lack of offense much of the night wasn't of much concern to
Beechcroft, which used its speed and stifling defense to shutout visiting
Whetstone 27-0 Friday night.
Nursing a 6-0 lead heading into the final 12 minutes, Beechcroft (2-2,
1-0) got three fourth quarter touchdowns. Sheldon Akin plunged over from
the one-yard line, and a two-point conversion run was successful, making it
14-0. The Cougars really broke things open ona a 62-yard fumble return by
Larez Harper with just under seven minutes remaining to play.
"That kind of sealed it for us," Beechcroft coach Tom Dunlap said. "We
struggled a lot tonight, but Larez's play kind of got us over the top. We
just weren't at our best tonight. I think some of it was definitely
Whetstone, but we didn't help ourselves much out there, either."
The Braves (1-3, 0-1) got 155 yards rushing from ubertalented Marcus Penn,
but had only one real scoring threat all night.
Beechcroft has settled in nicely after starting 1-2 -- though it should be
noted the losses were to powerhouse Upper Arlington and an emerging St.
Charles. The Cougars look to have one of the best defenses in the league,
and thrive on forcing opponents out of their comfort zone. Beechcroft was
aggressive defensively most of the night, and outside of Penn Whetstone had
no real answer.
"Defense is definitely our calling card," Dunlap said. "We like to get
after you. We have some guys on offense that are explosive, but I think most
people will tell you that we make our name with defense."
The Cougars shouldn't truly be tested until their City North showdown at
home with league kingpin Brookhaven Oct. 16. But Dunlap said his squad isn't
looking ahead, and is trying to get better on a weekly basis.