Cougars lose to ranked Stallions

BOILING SPRING LAKES—The South Brunswick Cougars managed to kept it close against South Columbus, but a costly Cougar turnover and some quick scores by the Stallions gave them a 21-7 victory.
South Columbus came into the game ranked eighth in one poll. South Brunswick did, however, keep the Stallions seven points fewer their season average of 28 and stayed within striking distance of the Stallions all night.
The Stallions scored on their first possession with a 70-yard run. A two-point conversion that gave them a 8-0 lead.
The Cougars’ defense then locked down and held the Stallions scoreless on a couple of possessions and managed to get on the board with eight minutes left to play in the second quarter when quarterback Blaine Tucker connected with Chris Gotwalt on a 25-yard touchdown pass.
The key play of the drive was a fourth down conversion when the Cougars were on the Stallions’ 35. Jahkhrii Smith picked up 11 yards when they needed 5 Gavin Dail’s PAT was good and the Cougars trailed 8-7.
On the Stallions’ next possession, the Cougars’ defensive-back Tommy Scheetz picked off a Stallions tipped ball with 7:13 left in the half. The momentum seemed to shift in South Brunswick’s favor, but the Stallions’ defense stuffed the Cougars and forced them to punt.
With four minutes left in the half, South Columbus managed to get into the end zone. They used a seven-play, 56-yard drive that was capped off with a 19-yard touchdown run. The PAT was good and it took a 15-7 lead with 1:37 in the half.
The third quarter started off with back-to-back stops by both defenses. On South Brunswick’s second possession, it made its first big offensive mistake by fumbling the football on its 42. South Columbus recovered the football and capitalized by traveling downfield in eight plays and converting on fourth-and-12 with a 32-yard touchdown pass. The PAT was blocked, but the Stallions led 21-7 lead with a minute left in the third quarter.
The Cougars had one last shot at edging close to the Stallions. They drove 55 yards in 14 plays to the South Columbus 25, but on fourth and 2 they were stopped by the Stallions’ defense and forced to turn over on downs.   
South Brunswick (2-5) will play a conference game next week at North Brunswick next week.