by Malcolm Butler
It’s a mentality thing.
According to Cedar Creek head coach Jacob Angevine, it’s a mindset.
“Our mentality is we want to run it down people’s throats,” Angevine said Friday night following his team’s homecoming victory. “That’s got to be the identity of our football team.”
That is exactly what the Cougars did, rushing for almost 400 yards in a 42-12 win over Beekman Charter at Origin Bank Stadium.
Senior offensive lineman Kaden Williams echoed his coach’s sentiments after the game.
“Our motto on offense is run the ball, run the ball, run the ball,” Williams said. “And that’s obviously what you saw tonight. We were the most physically dominant team. We just wanted it more than them.”
That mentality has the Cougars off to a 3-0 start on the season.
And nowhere was it more evident than on the opening possession of the second half.
Leading just 14-6 after a penalty-plagued opening two quarters, Cedar Creek took the second-half kickoff at its own 19-yard line and proceeded to impose its will on the Beekman defense.
The Cougars marched 81 yards on 13 plays, with 11 of those snaps coming on the ground. Payton Harris ripped off runs of 21 and 16 yards during the drive, while quarterback Brett Bell and fullback Liam Durrett continued to pound away between the tackles.
Bell capped the march with a 1-yard touchdown run, and Campbell Woodard’s extra point gave Cedar Creek a 21-6 advantage.
For Angevine, the drive was a product of some halftime adjustments after Beekman’s defensive front created problems during the opening two quarters.
“Their offensive and defensive lines are massive. They’re strong, they’re fast, they slant in all kinds of ways,” Angevine said. “It gave us a lot of problems early on, and we were able to make some adjustments at half. … It shows how mature our offensive line is, being able to say, ‘Hey, this is what we have, this is what we have.’”
Cedar Creek’s offensive line took over from there.
The Cougars finished with 389 yards rushing on 47 attempts, averaging 8.3 yards per carry. They recorded 20 of their 23 first downs on the ground and finished with a 445-175 advantage in total offense. Cedar Creek also converted 7 of 9 third downs and possessed the football for 36 minutes.
“Man, it was awesome,” Angevine said of his offensive line. “Obviously, in the first half, we had a couple miscues, people getting through and not picking up blocks. But we were able to make some adjustments at halftime.
“I think we have a lot of really good skill guys that we need to utilize on the outside, but we’ve got to set up a run game first. And when we do that and you’ve got to be able to defend both aspects of that, it makes us pretty dangerous.”
Harris was the biggest beneficiary.
The sophomore running back rushed 25 times for 294 yards and three touchdowns, averaging 11.8 yards per carry. Bell added 67 yards and two scores on 11 carries, while Durrett contributed 30 yards on seven attempts.
The Cougars weren’t finished after their opening third-quarter statement.
After forcing a Beekman punt, Cedar Creek put together another sustained scoring drive that carried into the fourth quarter. Harris eventually finished it with a 2-yard touchdown run to extend the lead to 28-6.
Then the big plays came.
Following Bell’s interception on defense, Harris took the next offensive snap 52 yards for a touchdown and a 35-6 advantage. Later in the quarter, Harris broke loose for an 81-yard touchdown on Cedar Creek’s first play of another possession, pushing the lead to 42-6.
The Cougars were just as effective on the other side of the football, limiting Beekman to 175 yards of total offense, including only 36 through the air.
Micah Taylor came up with one of the biggest defensive plays of the first half. With Cedar Creek leading 6-0 and Beekman threatening, Taylor intercepted a pass in the end zone to end the drive and preserve the Cougars’ lead.
Hayden Durrett and Gunner Fontenot recorded seven tackles apiece, Noah Smith added six and Taylor finished with five. Bell also recorded an interception, while Campbell Woodard added a sack.
For Williams, the success up front has been forged through a season in which the Cougars have dealt with injuries along the offensive line and asked players to move from other positions to fill holes.
“We’ve had a lot of injuries up front,” Williams said. “We’ve had guys move in from skill positions to play offensive line. Every single day, we’re hitting each other. We’re getting nasty and gritty down there.
“We’re physically hurting each other every single day, but all for the common goal of blowing teams out on Friday nights.”
Cedar Creek also showed balance when it needed it. Bell completed 5 of 7 passes for 56 yards, including a 29-yard touchdown pass to Cohen Pottharst that helped give the Cougars their 14-6 halftime advantage.
But Friday wasn’t about throwing the football.
It was about a Cedar Creek offensive front clearing the way for a backfield that Angevine believes gives opponents plenty to worry about.
“When you’ve got an O-line that’s working like they are, that are really staying true to their assignments, you’ve got a fullback that’s hitting it hard every single play, and you’ve got two really good guys that are able to make plays in the open field with Brett and Payton, man, it makes for a special trio in the backfield,” Angevine said.
Williams sees it much the same way.
“This probably is one of the best backfields I’ve had in my four years here,” Williams said. “I think as a team, as an offense as a whole, we just support each other. There isn’t just one guy going out there and having a day and everybody else doing bad. Nobody on our team is selfish.”
Harris has carried the momentum from an impressive freshman campaign into his sophomore season, rushing for 677 yards and 10 touchdowns through the Cougars’ first three games. He is averaging 225.7 yards per game and 10.9 yards per carry, one of the biggest beneficiaries of an offensive mentality that has become Cedar Creek’s identity.
On Friday night, there was plenty of credit to go around, but it all started up front.
Run the ball. Run the ball. Run the ball.
The Cougars did.
