Cowboys cage the ‘Dogs in first district game

    The Edna Cowboys opened district play with a huge win Friday as they hosted the Hitchcock Bulldogs, 36-34.
    #9 senior running back Braveon Terrell said, "I feel it was very important to get this first district win." He added, "I think if we just keep practicing hard, executing like we have been, get rid of the little mistakes, and we will be alright."
    #18 junior quarterback Landon O'Connor said, "I feel that our offense is clicking and rolling smoothly now." He added, "I feel there are less mistakes now and everyone is giving effort, but there is always room for improvement."
    Hitchcock won the coin toss and elected to defer to the second half. The Cowboy offense took the field first and put together a ball control ground attack drive capped off by a touchdown run by #9 Terrell with 7:06 left in the first. The extra point was good by #11 junior Cade Orsak, Edna 7, Hitchcock 0.
    Cowboy’s defense started the game strong as they forced a punt on the Bulldogs opening offensive possession. Edna's offense continued their ground assault lead by their physical offensive line to close out the first quarter of play. Score remained 7-0, Cowboys on top.
    With just five seconds off of the clock into the second quarter, the Cowboys found the end zone for the second time. #9 Terrell ran in for his second touchdown of the night. #11 Orsak tacked on the extra point making the score Edna 14, Hitchcock 0.
    The Bulldogs answered back with a touchdown. After a failed two-point conversion try, the score was Cowboys 14, Bulldogs 6. The Cowboy offense took over and put together another grinding ground drive that led to a touchdown by #18 O'Connor. The extra point was good by #11 Orsak, and Edna extended their lead to 21-6. Hitchcock responded again with another touchdown run. This time the two-point conversion try was good, making the score Cowboys 21, Bulldogs 14.
    Edna's offense took the field again and put together another determining drive that led to #9 Terrell's third touchdown of the game. #11 Orsak added the extra point and the Cowboys increased their lead to 28-14. The Bulldogs again before the first half was over, but after a failed two-point conversion the halftime score was Edna 28, Hitchcock 20.
    The Bulldogs received the second half kickoff and scored a touchdown with 7:30 left in the third. The two-point conversion try was good and they tied up the game at 28-28. The Cowboy’s offense answered back quickly with a touchdown run by #9 Terrell with 6:33 left in the third. #9 Terrell also converted two points and gave his team a 36-28 lead.
    Before the third quarter came to a close, the Bulldogs found the end zone once more. After another failed two-point conversion try, the score remained Edna 36, Hitchcock 34 with 2:08 left in the third quarter of play. The fourth quarter proved to be a defensive battle. The Cowboy defense came up huge and forced a Hitchcock fumble with just under three minutes left in the game. #44 Senior AJ Garcia jumped on the loose ball and sealed the deal as the Edna Cowboys gets their first district win, 36-34.
    #44 Senior AJ Garcia said, "I feel our defense is becoming more and more successful each game, and we are starting to get better as a whole with everyone doing their jobs." He added, "I feel the turnover at the end of the game was super important because we were able to get the ball back, take control of the game, and keep their offense off the field which was one of our primary goals throughout the game."
    #4 Senior Jordan Norman said, "I think it was great to beat a top ranked team in district like Hitchcock. Coach told us the plan and we did our jobs and fought hard together and came out victorious." He added, "We need to be sharp on defense and keep the ball moving down the field offense on the ground and more through the air."
    The Edna Cowboys will host the Rice Raiders this Friday, Oct. 16. Kickoff is set for 7:30.
    Offensive Line Coach Josh Lovelady said, "Hitchcock is on a roll. They had the number one offense and defense going into the game Friday night. Getting this first district win sets the tone for our guys to go out there and win a district championship. It sure feels good to get the win against a team that many people were saying was the best team in our district." Lovelady added, "For us to stay on track and beat Rice, we need to continue to play smart football. Our guys always play hard. We need to hold on to the ball and do our jobs and we will win."