Cougars beat Roundup/Melstone
In a high-scoring game that made Columbus the top seed in this weekend’s opening playoff game, the Cougars defeated the Roundup/Melstone Panthers 52-44 in a nail-biter in Roundup on Oct. 23.
“Friday’s game was a barn burner,” Columbus coach Blake Hoge. “We came back from a 22 point deficit in the third quarter – not a lot of teams can boast about that kind of comeback.”
The Panthers were up 36-22 at the half after racking up 22 points in the second quarter and breaking a 14-14 first-quarter tie, but the Cougars came back strong in the second half, scoring 30 more points and pulling off the one-score win.
Senior Cougar quarterback Tanner Osborne completed 20 out of 32 passes for 420 yards and five touchdowns. Senior Kiefer McKay led the Cougar receiving corps with 206 yards on nine receptions and one touchdown.
“The passing game really shined on Friday, with Tanner putting up some monster stats despite playing banged up,” Hoge said. “Chuck Miller made a couple huge catches for us down the stretch.”
The Cougars ground out 135 yards rushing. Junior Jack Gray contributed two touchdowns, and juniors Chuck Miller and Jace Aumueller and senior Karl Berg each had one.
“The unsung heroes in all of this would be our offensive line and Karl blocking from his running back spot,” Hoge said. “Without them doing their jobs, we couldn’t have had the offensive success we did.”
All told, the Cougars racked up 555 offensive yards, compared to 433 yards by Roundup, of which 379 yards was on the ground. The Panthers’ early scoring also posed a problem for the Cougar defense.
“Roundup had our number early, scoring touchdowns on almost every one of their first half possessions,” Hoge said. “We made a few adjustments and got some stops starting in the third quarter that turned the game around.”
Senior Jackson Booth led the Cougars in tackles with four solos and 10 assisted tackles, making him the first defensive line player to do that this year. Senior Chaz Krone was right behind, with three solo tackles and 10 assisted tackles. Osborne had the team’s only fumble recovery on defense.
The Cougars are now 4-1 in conference and 6-2 overall. Playoffs begin on Saturday, Oct. 31, with Columbus facing the Manhattan/Manhattan Christian Tigers, the second seed team from the 5B conference, at home starting at 1 p.m.
“I like how we responded in the face of adversity and I’m confident our resolve will pay dividends in the playoffs,” Hoge said. “There are only good teams left, and Manhattan is no exception.”
From gazprepsports
Columbus 52, Roundup 44
Columbus 14 8 14 16 - 52
Roundup 14 22 8 0 - 44
Columbus: Jack Gray 60 yard pass from Tanner Osborne (Chuck Miller pass from Osborne)
Columbus: Jace Aumueller 15 yard pass from Osborne (kick failed)
Roundup: Dalton Salthe 67 yard run (run failed)
Roundup: Abel Armitage 30 yard run (Salthe run)
Columbus: Kiefer McKay 68 yard pass from Osborne (kick failed)
Roundup: Brayden Crowley 13 yard run (Crowley 13 run)
Roundup: Salthe 52 yard run (Crowley run)
Roundup: Salthe 10 yard run (kick failed)
Columbus: Karl Berg 6 yard run (Osborne run)
Columbus: Gray 8 yard pass from Osborne (Berg run)
Roundup: Armitage 2 yard run (Salthe pass from Armitage)
Columbus: Miller 8 yard pass from Osborne (Berg run)
Columbus: Gray 18 yard run (Gray run)