Draft falls to TA

BRIDGEWATER —Stuarts Draft was never able to get anything going offensively on Friday as it lost 28-7 to Turner Ashby.

Draft won the toss and took the opening kickoff to the 31-yard line. On second down the Knights’ Preston Campbell roared into the backfield stripping Draft quarterback Ryan Moore and the Knights came out of the pile with the ball.

The Knights didn’t waste any time and on second down quarterback Kyle Linn ran it himself to the left side and dove into the corner of the end zone fore 13-yard touchdown.

On the next possession, Draft drove the ball to the TA 38-yard line but a fumble by D.J. Hines gave the ball back to the Knights.

After a long pass from Linn to Ryan Short the ball was put on the 11-yard line and on the next play Cole Hart powered his way through the middle giving the Knights a 14-0 lead.

In the second quarter the Knights chewed up the first five minutes and finished off the drive on a 17-yard touchdown pass from Linn to Chase Miller.

Draft continued to run the ball with Hines and Travis Shifflett but the Knights’ defense sniffed out the run stopping the Cougars’ run offense. Draft punted the ball deep putting TA inside their own 15-yard line.

The Cougars’ defense stopped TA and was able to get the ball back inside the Knights’ 40-yard line.

The offense went to work for the Cougars as they pushed the ball down the field. With the ball on the 20-yard line Darius Woodsen ran to the left side for a 16-yard gain.

On the next play Moore faked the handoff to Shifflett and gave it to Hines as he ran up the middle for the Cougars’ first touchdown of the night cutting the TA lead to 21-7.

The Knight’s took the ball down the field late in the quarter trying to put up more points before halftime but the Cougars’ Tyler Knicely intercepted Linn’s pass. The Cougars ran out the clock as they went into the half down 21-7.

The Cougars came out in the second half with some momentum from their late score. The Cougars’ defense came up big as they recovered a fumble on their own 45-yard line.

The offense was unable to move the ball down the field as they were forced to punt.

With TA pinned deep in their own zone the Cougar’s defense stopped Hart on multiple plays to force a punt.

The Cougars gave the ball on the next possession to Shifflett who busted off a 23-yard run putting the ball on the TA 36-yard line. The Cougars were unable capitalize as Moore was hit as he threw a pass that was intercepted by the Knights’ Dustin Harris.

Neither teams’ offense was able to get any decent drives going in the third quarter and the score remained 21-7 going into the fourth.

TA used the fourth quarter to run out the clock as they drove down the field running off four minutes, and seven seconds before a 10-yard touchdown run by Linn to give the Knight’s a commanding 28-7 lead with less than eight minutes to play.

The Cougars’ continued to give the ball to their backs late in an attempt to put up some points. Shifflett took the ball 33 yards down the field putting the Cougars’ in the red zone.

The Cougars fumbled the ball in the backfield as the Knights recovered to put the game on ice.

Draft Coach Rod Bowers was pleased with every aspect of his team’s performance.

“I am so proud of these guys right now,” said Bowers. “They grew up tonight as a football team.”

Bowers was impressed with how the defense played in the second half allowing only seven points to the Knights.

“It’s one of those things you like for as a coach. Our young guys were enthusiastic and they played hard,” he said.