by Malcolm Butler
Cedar Creek head coach Jacob Angevine had seen enough.
After Rayville scored two touchdowns on its first five offensive plays, Angevine tightened the screws with his defensive unit.
His Cougars responded, holding the visiting Hornets scoreless for the remainder of the game.
Just as the Cougar defense stiffened, the offense came alive, in a 26-14 win at Origin Bank Stadium on Friday night.
Twenty-six consecutive points, including 20 of those points coming on three consecutive possessions in the second quarter, propelled the 10th-ranked Cougars past the larger, deeper Rayville squad.
Payton Harris and Brett Bell both recorded scoring runs before Bell connected with Noah Smith for a 17-yard touchdown to give Cedar Creek its first lead. Bell later connected with Cohen Pottharst for a 31-yard fourth-quarter touchdown to provide the final points.
The victory improved Cedar Creek to 4-0 on the season.
Early on, however, things looked much different.
Rayville struck only 11 seconds into the game on a 63-yard touchdown pass. A successful conversion run gave the Hornets an 8-0 lead.
The Hornets struck again with 7:15 remaining in the opening quarter, breaking loose for a 26-yard touchdown run. The conversion failed, but Rayville had stunned the Cougars by jumping out to a 14-0 advantage.
From there, Cedar Creek’s defense took control.
The Cougars finally got on the scoreboard with 9:30 remaining in the second quarter when Harris capped a 10-play, 70-yard drive with a 7-yard touchdown run. The extra-point attempt was no good, leaving Rayville with a 14-6 lead.
It didn’t stay that way for long.
Cedar Creek got the ball back, and Bell finished off the Cougars’ next possession with an 8-yard touchdown run, capping a 5-play, 30 yard drive. Harris powered his way into the end zone on the conversion attempt, tying the game at 14-14 with 7:34 remaining in the first half.
The Cougars weren’t finished.
Bell went to the air on Cedar Creek’s next possession, finding Smith for a 17-yard touchdown with 2:16 remaining in the second quarter. The conversion attempt failed, but Cedar Creek had turned a 14-point deficit into a 20-14 halftime lead.
Cedar Creek’s defense continued to keep the Hornets bottled up, giving its offense a chance to eventually provide some breathing room.
That came with 5:46 remaining in the game when Bell connected with Pottharst for a 31-yard touchdown pass. The conversion run failed, but the Cougars had stretched their lead to 26-14.
The Cedar Creek defense made sure it stood.
After surrendering Rayville’s two quick scores, the Cougars shut out the Hornets over the final 43-plus minutes.
Cedar Creek finished with 228 yards of total offense, including 173 on the ground, while its defense held Rayville to 108 total yards. The Cougars also recorded six sacks and intercepted two passes, both by Bell.
Harris carried the load on the ground, rushing 29 times for 124 yards and a touchdown while also scoring on a 2-point conversion. Liam Durrett added 32 yards on eight carries.
Bell accounted for three of Cedar Creek’s four touchdowns. The senior quarterback completed 3 of 4 passes for 55 yards and two touchdowns while rushing 11 times for 28 yards and another score.
Pottharst caught two passes for 38 yards, including his 31-yard fourth-quarter touchdown, while Smith’s lone reception was the 17-yard touchdown that gave Cedar Creek the lead.
Defensively, Hayden Durrett recorded a team-high eight tackles, while Trigger Woodard finished with seven tackles and was credited with three sacks.
Cedar Creek will travel to North Webster next week.
