The dynamic duo of William Moffitt at QB and Quinn McCauley at RB, along with a clutch defensive stand ensured the Cougars their third PAL Bay division win Friday at Sacred Heart Prep 47-39. Things started out rough when SHP took a 9-0 lead in the opening minutes. A slip fielding the opening kick off put the ball on the 2 yard line, and on the first play Moffitt was tackled for a safety. After the resulting kick off from the 20 yard line, SHP scored quickly and the Cougars were in a hole. They would mount a comeback led by the duo with an offense that scored on almost every possession after the early miscues. McCauley was named Offensive player of the game after running 25 times for 176 yards and a TD, blocking effectively on run and pass plays and breaking tackles to wear out the Gators. Moffitt ran the ball 19 times for 159 yards utilizing the option, added 103 yards passing on just 4 receptions, and totaled 5 touchdowns on the night. One of those came when he rolled right, avoided two defenders, and kept his eyes downfield to throw a 30 yard TD strike to PJ Modena. He also had four rushing touchdowns and played defensive back in the fourth quarter. In addition to 18 yards rushing and 65 receiving, Modena made his biggest contributions on defense including 3 tackles for loss and a sack which earned him Defensive player of the game. Other key players included Julian "JJ" Jimenez, named Special Teams player of the game for his kicking and making a touchdown saving tackle on the kickoff team and Michael Hamor Jr for his disruptive play at defensive line in practice which earned him Scout player of the week. After building a ten point lead with under four minutes remaining, the Cougars seemed to have the victory secured but another strange sequence led to a tight finish. Jack Furr made a touchdown saving tackle on a 33 yard pass play which put SHP on the one foot line. That's when the defense rose up and stuffed the Gators on four plays in a row. Linebackers Sam Lowings and Modena combined to stop the first down run for no gain. Modena then drilled the SHP runner for a two yard loss on second down, defensive end William Lozano and Lowings tackled the runner at the one yard line on third down and then Lowings and McCauley stopped the fourth down play and the Cougars took over at the two yard line. The game now looked wrapped up but a penalty took away a first down and the Cougars had to punt from the back of their end zone. The punt was then blocked for a safety, making it an 8 point game. The kickoff went out of bounds and the Gators had life and momentum at the HMB 45 yard line with two timeouts remaining. The defense held again, only allowing the Gators to the 34 yard line. McCauley also was clutch on defense with two sacks and a tackle for loss in the closing minutes to snuff out SHP's last chance to tie the game. Moffitt took the kneel down to run out the clock and the Cougars took another step toward the CCS playoffs. The Skull Game against rival Terra Nova in Pacifica Friday night is already the biggest game of the regular season but it will also determine the final seeding for the playoffs so come out and root on the Cougars to retain the trophy !!