Lions defeat Cougars
By ROWENA PLETT
Staff writer
The Centre Cougars were geared up Friday for a win at Hope, but it was not to be. They put up a strong defense, but two disastrous fumbles near Centre's end zone allowed the Lions to have the upper hand and win the low-scoring game by four points, 10-6.
"It was a hard-hitting physical game," Coach Kelly Steiner said. "They had good team speed, which made it hard to move the ball."
The two teams fought a scoreless game for most of the first half. With 1:37 remaining, Bryant Brunner broke up a Hope pass near the goal line, but the Lions scored on a short run with 36 seconds remaining in the half. A two-point conversion put Hope up, 8-0.
Centre's first big error came in the third quarter when Thieen Antoszyk fumbled a reception on a Hope punt, and Hope recovered the ball on Centre's 10 yard line.
However, the Cougars' strong defense held the Lions off at the one-yard line, and they got the ball back.
Then, another fumble with 5:19 on the clock allowed a Hope player to pounce on the ball in Centre's end zone for a safety and a 10-0 lead.
The Cougars finally found the end zone in the fourth quarter. After a sustained drive and a 17-yard pass from Antoszyk to Weber, they reached the 10-yard line of the Lions.
A few plays later, Lance Diepenbrock ran for two yards to score. The PAT failed, and the score was 10-6.
Centre recovered a Hope fumble with about three minutes to go, but was not able to capitalize on the opportunity. The game ended with a disappointing four-point loss for the Cougars.
Hope completed 13 firstdowns compared to Centre's eight. Hope compiled 50 carries for 151 yards, and Centre, 28 carries for 76 yards. Hope also led in the air with 10 receptions for 80 yards, compared to Centre's eight receptions for 72 yards.
Antoszyk was Centre's leading rusher, 14 for 54. Jirak had 8 for 8, and Diepenbrock 6 for 14.
Antosyzk was 7 of 11 in passing for 47 yards. Jirak was 1 of 1 for 25 yards.
Brunner was leading receiver, 2 for 27. Other receivers were: Diepenbrock, 1 for 6; Jirak, 2 for 6; Kevin Mueller, 2 for 16, and Weber, one for 17.
The Cougars play Claflin Friday on the road.
