MTCS Cougars
MURFREESBORO — MTCS relied on a stingy defense, turnovers and clutch field-goal kicking by Asfaw Putty to keep its playoff hopes alive with a much-needed 13-12 win against a determined Gordonsville team at Throneberry Field Friday night.
Putty converted two crucial field goals, 35 and 24 yards, to give MTCS six needed points on a night where scoring was difficult to come by.
MTCS’s defense forced five turnovers, four fumbles and one interception while holding Gordonsville to only 208 yards of total offense.
MTCS senior linebacker Brayden Melton recorded 12 tackles on the night, eight solo, and recovered a fumble.
Cougar quarterback Joseph Peck, rushed for 102 yards on 18 carries and threw for 78 yards on 14 attempts with five completions, one for a touchdown to Trey Hickey.
Hickey also picked off a Gordonsville pass on the first play of the second quarter at the 9- yard line to halt a Gordonsville scoring threat.
Neither team scored in the first quarter. The teams traded turnovers but were unable to capitalize.
Peck put the Cougars (5-2 overall, 4-2 Region 5-2A) on the scoreboard first when he connected on a 35-yard touchdown pass to a wide-open Hickey down the right sidelines to give MTCS a 7-0 lead.
Gordonsville’s Jessee Meadows intercepted a Peck pass at the 50-yard line and returned it to the MTCS 14-yard line. Two plays later quarterback Damian Davis connected on a slant route to Dylan Askew to pull within one. MTCS blocked the extra point.
MTCS returned the ensuing kickoff past mid-field and drove to the Gordonsville 17-yard line. With five seconds left in the half, Putty connected on a 34-yard field goal to give MTCS a four-point lead at the half.
Melton gave MTCS some momentum in the third quarter when he recovered a Gordonsville fumble at the 48-yard line. A few plays later Peck darted 45 yards to the 7-yard line. The Cougars would settle for a 23-yard Putty field goal to go ahead 13-6.
Gordonsville stormed back when Meadows scampered 58 yards for a touchdown, but the two-point conversion failed and MTCS held a 13-12 lead.
Neither team scored in the fourth quarter as each defense would bend, but not break.
Gordonsville mounted one final drive late in the fourth quarter, but Melton deflected a fourth-down pass from the MTCS 40, and Gordonsville never got the ball back.