Cougs fall to Pats in playoffs

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By Catelin Owens

Seniors Kainoa Granstrom and Travis Boman console each other after the 33-27 loss to Liberty on Nov. 14. (Photo by Mia Fortunato)
Seniors Kainoa Granstrom and Travis Boman console each other after the 33-27 playoff loss to Liberty on Nov. 14. (Photo by Mia Fortunato)

 

With a close score of 33-27, the Cougars fell to the Patriots in the Sunrise Semi Finals on Friday, Nov. 14.

In the first quarter, the Cougars were off to a good start with senior quarterback Spencer Cofer’s pass to Tanner Gorski, senior, resulting in a first down for the Cougars.

Senior Nick Trejo ran in the first touchdown, making it a 6-0 lead for the Cougars. With a false start penalty on the Patriots, Liberty punted from the 30 yard line, giving possession of the ball to Coronado senior Koy Harris.

In the second quarter, Liberty immediately scored another touchdown, taking the lead at 13-6. Liberty got the ball back and Justin Belnap, junior, intercepted the ball and gave it to Jordan Patterson, junior, who then scored another touchdown for the Cougars.

“I’m really glad that I was able to score a touchdown before the season ended,” Patterson said.

During the third quarter, the Cougars received a 15 yard penalty for a personal foul. With the ball on the 14 yard line, Liberty scored another touchdown, extending their lead to 20-13.

Liberty broke up the throw from Cofer gaining possession back. They carried it all the way to the end zone making the score 26-13.

In the fourth quarter, Liberty kicked a field goal extending their lead to 27-13. From the 15 yard line, Michael Simpson, senior, scored a touchdown with five minutes left in the game making the score 27-19; but even with Cofer’s extra point, the score was 27-20 Liberty.

With less than two minutes left on the clock, Liberty and Coronado each scored another touchdown making the final score 33-27.

“Even though we lost, I couldn’t have asked for a better team to play with this season. We put our hearts out on the field and gave it our all,” Tanner Gorski, senior, said.

The Cougs finished the season at  7-4 and are ranked number eight in Nevada.

(Editor’s note: special thanks to Dalton Simpson for helping with this article.)