Cats answer coach’s challenge, shut out Owls 35-0

Take a walk through the Livingston Academy dressing room after any practice, any game, any event, and ask any or all of the players the one thing they believe the most about head coach Bruce Lamb and more often than not they will confess that when the coach says anything, “We believe him.”

Such was the case last week in Monday’s practice after the Wildcats had beaten Stone Memorial 28-6. Despite the fact the game was a win for Livingston, the coach was not a “happy camper” with the performance and made his team a promise: “If you let Smith County score this week, we’ll run around this field at practice ‘til the grass is all gone.”

Take that same walk through the dressing room after Friday’s 35-0 whipping of Smith County, ask the same question, and the answer will be unanimous: “I believed him,” or “I never doubted him.”

“There was never a doubt in my mind we’d run around that field ‘til all the grass was gone,” lineman Dexter Wright declared after the game. “In my four years here, I learned early that when coach Lamb tells you something, he means it.”

“You won’t get an argument from me on that,” Austin Reeder chimed in.

“Or me either, Carson Smith added.

Ethan Rumancik was in total agreement.

And apparently, there was no doubt anywhere that if the Owls scored a point, the grass around Tom Davis Memorial Stadium would be flat.

So with that on their minds, the Wildcat defense completely smothered the visiting Owls, allowing only 16 yards on the ground, 48 through the air, and zero points on the scoreboard.

A day after Lamb made his “promise”, the coach fell ill with pneumonia and spent much of the week in Vanderbilt hospital, but was released soon enough to walk the sidelines Friday night, but had nothing but high praise for his coaching staff.

“They get all the credit for this one,” Lamb said after the game. “Every one of them (coaches Steve Mosley, Wade Eldridge, Matthan Houser, Tyler Livingston, Dylan Hayes, Duel Johnson, and Noah King) stepped right in, did what they always do, a great job, and we just rolled on down the road.”

And the players on the field made it look just that easy.

“I really felt confident from the first snap,” sophomore quarterback Nathan Cowgill was quick to point out. “Each game, it gets more routine, and when you get blocking like we got tonight, it gets a lot easier. They (Smith County) tried to throw some different looks at us early and they kinda stopped Kaleb (Robinson), so we just threw the ball and that changed things. It was a fun game out there, and this team just stepped up and did a great job on offense and on defense.”

To be sure he got in on both sides of that statement, not only did Cowgill throw for a touchdown, he also intercepted one from his defensive back position and returned it 37 yards for a touchdown.

Robinson did have some trouble running early in the game, collecting only 47 yards on 11 carries in the first half. On the first three plays of the third quarter, Robinson got 48.

“They had looked at the game films and figured they could stop us if they could stop our running game,” the senior back explained. “Nate (Cowgill) then started throwing and that messed up their plans in a hurry. They (Smith County) were big and did a lot of gang tackling, but we had an answer for everything they tried to do.”

After stopping Robinson early, the Wildcats went to the air. On their second possession, Cowgill found Raven Carpenter for 18 yards, then Robinson for 2, and Bryer Mosley for 7. That set up a perfect 27-yard pass right over the middle to Mosley for the night’s first score. Mitchell Watson added the first of five PAT attempts and LA led 7-0.

That lead lasted only three plays. Smith County took to the air on its next possession and Cowgill picked off the pass and rambled 38 yards for the night’s second touchdown.

Livingston scored once again in the half with only 22 seconds remaining when, behind some outstanding blocking from Wright and Noah Sliger on the right side of the line, Robinson plowed in from the 1.

Livingston led 21-0 at the half.

“We made a few adjustments at the half and I reminded them of my promise,” Lamb managed to smile after the game. “These kids really know how to get it done. How many yards did they (Smith County) get?”

While the LA defense was having a great night, Cowgill and the offense continued rolling, and halfway through the third quarter, the quarterback teamed up a 28-yard beauty with Carpenter right over the middle with no defenders in sight for the fourth TD of the game.

Then, on a busted play with 9:23 remaining in the game, Robinson picked the ball up, headed to the left side of the field, dodged several tacklers, then outraced any Owl left on his feet for 56 yards and the score. Watson’s point-after made it 35-0 and the continuous clock went into effect.

At that point, Lamb cleared his bench with young players.

Robinson ended the night with 156 yards on 19 carries. Carpenter and Mosley both scored on pass plays. The offensive line never faulted and the defense took the coach at his word and didn’t allow the visitors even close to scoring.

Wright led the defense with 12 tackles with Xander Cantrell second with 6, Carson Smith with 5, Reeder with 4, and Cody Garrett and Nate Carwile with 2 each. Clay McDonald, Brodey Coffee, Carpenter, Mosley, Cowgill, Caston Bowers, Daniel Hill, and Robinson all had 1 each.

With a 5-1 overall record as the season nears the mid-point, Livingston Academy will travel to DeKalb County this week in a game that could produce a home field advantage in the playoffs.

The Yardstick

LA SC

12 1st downs 5

156 Yds. Rushing 16

150 Yds. Passing 48

306 Total Yards 64

18/10 Pass Att/comp. 12/5

2 Passes INT by 0

0 Fumbles lost 0

3/39 Punts /Avg. 6/35

100 Yds. Pent. 85

Score by quarters:

LA – 14 7 7 7 – 28

SC – 0 0 0 0 – 0

Other Area Scores

Jackson County 16, East Robertson 6

Upperman 48, Cannon County 6

Macon County 48, Cumberland County 7

Monterey 47, Pickett County 12

Smith County 7, York Institute 0