With their backs to the wall late against the Logan County Cougars, the McCracken County Mustangs would rally to earn their first win of the season in their home opener, pulling off a 44-43 OT victory.
Having erased a 36-21 deficit in the fourth quarter, the Mustangs would have to fight from behind one last time in overtime to earn their win, after the Cougars struck first. They’d do just that, as Cole Presswood found Brently Gregory on fourth down, with sophomore QB getting the push he needed from his O-line to secure the victory for McCracken on the two-point conversion.
“It feels incredible to get that win. These guys fought hard and worked hard all offseason, and they showed that tonight,” said McCracken County head coach Tyler Brooks, following the win. “This is exactly why we do what we do in the summer. We knew these guys were tested, because we pushed them harder than we ever have before, and this is a group that responded well to that. They never gave in tonight, we had guys step up in big spots, and I can’t be any more proud of them.
Prior to the late drama, the Mustangs had no problem staying ahead of the chains early on, striking quickly through a pair of similar drives. On either possession, big gains for Jude Lanier and Jakari Matchem would put the Mustangs right on the doorstep, where Presswood and Elijah Pullen would punch in the touchdowns for 15 first quarter points.
However, the Cougars would match them each step of the way, finding a response on either ensuing drive. Following a couple of key stops in the second, and a missed field goal for the Mustangs, a pick deep in McCracken territory would give the visitors the lift they needed ahead of halftime, finding the end zone to take a 22-15 lead back to the locker room.
While the Mustangs would set the tone in the second half, turning a muffed punt recovery into a 13-yard rushing touchdown for Matchem and a 22-21 deficit, the Cougars would flip the momentum right back in the blink of an eye. With a couple of costly turnovers from the Mustangs leading to a pair of Cougar touchdowns, Logan County seemed poised to run away with things down the stretch, opening a lead as wide as 36-21 early in the fourth.
However, if the Mustangs were looking for a miracle, they’d find it late in that fourth quarter. Having chipped away with touchdowns from Lanier and Matchem, a key third down stop would give the Mustangs a prime opportunity to regain the advantage, trailing two points. From there, he ball wouldn’t even need to touch Presswood’s hands to erase the lead, as a botched snap on the Cougars’ punt sent the ball careening into the end zone and downed for the safety, knotting things at 36-36.
“Up to that point, it was a little worrisome. We’d burnt a timeout, I was thinking of what to do in a two-minute drill, and then [the safety] happened,” Brooks said, recounting the Mustangs’ safety. “That’s just high school football. Nerves took over, bad snap, and it worked out pretty well for us. We didn’t get there after that in regulation, but we did in overtime.”
With an empty drive for the Mustangs and a knee taken by the Cougars, the game would head to OT, where the Mustangs persevered to put a notch in the win column, 44-43.
“Our guys did a great job of communicating when we were down, and pulling the rope as a team…The fight that these guys have in them came out again tonight,” Brooks said. “It goes back to last week, this is exactly the type of game we played. We ran out of gas in that one, but tonight, we came ready, stepped up and did a heck of a job to win this ballgame.”
Next up for the Mustangs, they’ll aim to keep things moving in the right direction, as they travel to Clarksville to take on the Northeast Eagles.
“We just have to keep stacking the momentum,” Brooks concluded. “This was a great win for them, but they know it’s not perfect, and that’s what we’re working towards every week. There’s plenty to improve on, we’ll get back to work on Sunday, but we’ll enjoy this tonight.”