Cougars survive Fort

FORT DEFIANCE — If Stuarts Draft wanted to make a run at the playoffs it needed to take Fort Defiance down on Friday night — it did.

The Cougars won 40-20 and improved their record to 4-5 and kept their season alive. The win also gave the team a chance for a tie for second place, if it can defeat Rockbridge County next week.

The Indians and the Cougars were knotted at 14 going into the second half, but the dice rolled in Drafts favor.

In third quarter a fumble recovery by Draft paved the way for a Travis Shifflett touchdown. Draft continued its offensive surge when D.J. Hines ran for a 46-yard touchdown for a 26-14 lead. The Indians did not in a district contest this season.

Cole Beyeler intercepted the ball at 6:03. Draft controlled the ball and scored another touchdown to end the long quarter. The Cougars led 33-20.

“We started off slow,” Shifflett said. “Then we got a motivational speech at half time. We were playing bad and if we wanted to make the playoffs we had to step it up.”

Whatever speech the coaches gave behind the scenes after the second quarter, the proof was on the field.

“We were told if we wanted it bad enough, we need to show it,” Shifflett said. “In the second half we did.”

Shifflett had three touchdowns in the contest.

The Indians (Fort Defiance 1-8, 0-4 Southern Valley) started to celebrate its Senior Night after Daniel Wright threw a pass from Chris Huffman that ignited excitement from the bench in the fourth quarter. But the roar died down shortly after Draft’s defense recovered another fumble at the 2:22 mark.

“The turnovers were exactly what we needed to spark us and get up on those guys,” Shifflett said.

Cougars coach Rod Bowers said his team was not playing as a team lately.

“I am proud of these guys tonight,” Bowers said. “Wins and losses are for the fans and the press and everybody else. We judge our success on if we are giving everything we got to God. If we have, we’ve accomplished our mission.”