After a tough week in the wake of the loss of beloved NCS student Grant Zeinert, the Cougars bounced back to completely throttle the Panthers. Many players dedicated their efforts to his memory and played with symbols of reminder on their uniform.
The Panthers came in with the game plan of controlling the ball and succeeded, keeping the ball for 63% of the game. However, they never got inside the Cougars 19 yard line and were limited to short gains the entire night, finishing with 172 yards and 7 first downs. Garrett Van Dyke broke the single game tackle points record for the third time this year, notching 32 points on 11 unassisted tackles (including 3 for loss) and 10 assists. Scott Milbourn raised his game to an even higher level, tying the previous school record with 27 points, including 4 tackles for loss. Hunter Heldt also played his best game of the year, adding 19 points on 4 unassisteds and 11 assists.
What was most noticeable from the stands, though, was the unveiling of Jeff Abt, running quarterback. He more than doubled his SEASON rushing totals by rushing 8 times for 119 yards and 2 TD's. He also completed 12 of 18 passes for 117 yards and 2 more TD's. Consistently improving his game week after week also is RB Stuart Trahan, who had 12 carries for 110 yards and a 79 touchdown that was called back.
The Cougars will now face Houston Christian for the Regional Championship on Saturday November 25th.
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