Friday night’s varsity football home opener against the St. Elizabeth Mustangs was a tale of two games.
A first half of offensive dominance, particularly through the air, and a stifling defense helped the Cougars jump out to at 27-6 lead.
Constant penalties, a fight, player ejections and a floundering offense marred the second half of play.
Fortunately, the defense remained tough throughout, sealing the first win of the 2011 football season, 33-6.
“It was a great way to start. Our hard work in the summer seemed to pay off,” commented senior quarterback Kyle Tannahill.
Tannahill threw four touchdown passes in the first half, including tosses of 15 yards to senior Sebastian Lefour and a 28-yarder to junior Jarin Panigbatan.
Tannahill hit senior Isiah Smith next, who streaked 57 yards through the Mustang defense for six points. Tannahill’s aerial assault ended with a 16-yard TD strike to senior Alex Rynhoud.
Kyle Moore also made a significant contribution to the game at running back. The senior ran for 102 yards in only 12 attempts including a three-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter.
Junior Quinn Miyashiro led a solid defensive effort that thwarted any substantive Mustang offense. Miyashiro, who had 10 tackles, constantly made defensive stops, including breaking up a St. Liz punt at the end of the first half.
“I actually hoped the person picked it up so I could hit them,” said Quinn regarding the punt recovery.
The Cougar’s future success will depend in part on their ability to put together two good halves of football.
In the second half, the Cougar offense started with three consecutive penalties, marching backwards some 30 yards.
After an excellent defensive stop, a fight broke out between the teams. Junior fullback and linebacker Michael Rabin, and Jarin Panigbatan came off the bench to join the fight and were ejected. NCS rules stipulate that an ejection results in an automatic suspension for the next game. So, Rabin and Panigbatan will miss the Vallejo High School contest on Friday.
“I was very upset with the outcome, it was just instinct to aid a teammate on the field,” Rabin said.
The lone St. Liz score came on an 80-yard kick-off return following Kyle Moore’s touchdown run.
The Cougar season continues this week at home against Vallejo (0-1) team at 5:30.
