Countryside Touchdown Club

TAMPA - Of all the pre-season jamborees played in recent years, none had a more brazen finish like the 2008 tune-up between cross-county foes Countryside and Alonso. For the second consecutive season, both team hooked up in a game which its result would not figure in the overall standings. At CHS last year, the Cougars defeated the Ravens 28-20, but Friday night's contest on the road would prove to be a battle of seesaw action, especially towards the game's final quarter, in which mostly JV players saw time.

The home team would draw first blood in the only first quarter scoring when Shaine Mathis caught a 5 yard touchdown pass from the versatile sophomore quarterback C.J. Bennett after a methodical drive in which in-routes picked apart the Cougar "D". Not to be outdone, the garnet and gold found pay dirt to bridge the gap to 7 when star running back Dawrence Roberts scampered for a 16 yard score. With under a minute left in the half, Bennett hit Jesse Anaya for a 24 yard TD to send it to the locker rooms 21-7.

Sloppy play dominated the third quarter as both teams punted regularly in a war of attrition and sent it to the final 12 minutes still stuck on 21-7. Junior varsity players took the field and a comeback of sorts began for the upstart Cougars. Grey Crow, younger brother of former standout L.D. Crow who now sees time as a Stanford Cardinal, took over for back-up Ryan Dailey. It was an aerial assault as Crow connected with Derek Messmore for a whopping 73 yard touchdown to get Countryside back to within 7. The catalyst occurred when on the ensuing drive, Alonso punter Angel Santiago botched a kick from his endzone and Johnny-on-the-spot special teamer Daryl Hobbs easily tallied from 4 yards out to stun the crowd and tie the game 21-21. The deadlock would be short-lived, however, as on the next drive, the Ravens answered with an 85 yard run by Brandon Holloway to cap the scoring at 27-21 and finishing off one of the more exciting finishes in a jamboree.

The Cougars now turn to the 2008 regular season beginning Friday, September 5, when the team kicks off the new year with 3 straight road games at Pinellas Park, Gibbs, and St. Pete. The first district game and home game will be contested on September 26 vs. the Dunedin Falcons. Game time for the aforementioned games is 7:30.