Countryside Touchdown Club

ST. PETERSBURG - It's hard to win every game, even when the defense was at its best in an all-around great showing vs. the St. Pete Green Devils at Stewart Field in southern Pinellas. You can add the special teams to the list of breakthrough performances on Friday night, as both kicker and punter were on the dot. Despite falling 21-9 for their first loss of the season, the Countryside Cougars came up with a panoply of highlight reels to satisfy even the most salacious of pallets.

The game began with a bevy of running plays, and either team could find the end zone in the first 12 minutes, so scoreless into the second we went. After a Tevyn Rodriguez fumble recovery, William Griswold drove down the field for a spectacular 40 yard field goal, his second of 2008, to put the Cougars up 3-0 with seven minutes remaining in the half. Despite a stingy defense that would bend but not break, opposing junior running back Malik Wilson scampered to the outside and took it in from 33 yards out with less than a minute left in the second to put St. Pete up 7-3 at the half.

Countryside came up with the only score of the third to regain the lead when Alton Taylor caught a bullet from Jimbo Chmelik on 4th and 12 and scored a 20 yard touchdown to make it 9-7. The extra point was blocked, but it would have been a moot point if Mitch Ronacher doesn't come up with a huge interception off of quarterback Chris Winiecki. In the final quarter, the home team offense needed a lengthy drive after nationally ranked punter Pete Kontodiakis placed the ball perfectly inside the five. A couple of big runs later, Ben Sams found the end zone for a 6 yard score and a Green Devil 14-9 edge. Malik Wilson would cap the scoring with a 3 yard TD and a 21-9 final.

The garnet and gold FINALLY get to taste home field as they will home for 5 of the next 7 games to wrap up the season beginning next Friday as district play begins vs. archrival Dunedin Falcons. After that, the Tarpon Springs Spongers come into C'Side, followed by another district tilt vs. PHU on the road, and the homecoming game the following week vs. Boca Ciega. Times for all ballgames are 7:30. Come out and support our team as they look to get back into the post-season, and all the fun and festivities will begin prior to kick-off on the 26th. GO COUGARS!!!!!!!!