Box Score Oct. 30, 2010 - A 28-point second quarter helped the Concordia Cougars overcome a slow start and put them in control en route to a 49-21 win over the host Crusaders of Maranatha Baptist Bible College this afternoon.
The Cougars were stopped on their two possessions, coming up short on a fourth-and-one at the Crusaders' 12 on the second drive. However, Concordia took advantage of good starting field position at the 50 and capitalized on their third possession. A fourth down completion from Mike Marotta (Brookfield, IL/Riverside-Brookfield) to Jamal Thomas (Weirsdale, FL/Lake Weir) gave Concordia a new set of downs at the 34. Two plays later, Khyree Copeland (Jacksonville, FL/Potter's House Academy) weaved his way through traffic to the left sideline and completed a 34-yard run for the game's opening score. Andrew Shine (Carol Stream, IL/Glenbard North) added the extra point for a 7-0 lead.
It took just two plays for the Cougars to score on their next drive. A screen pass to Thomas moved the ball to the Cougars' 30. Another screen pass followed, this one to Copeland in the middle of the field. Copeland read the lanes well and did not stop until he reached the end zone 70 yards later. Concordia led 14-0 after one quarter of play.
Maranatha got on the board early in the second quarter. A 57-yard pass down the right sideline from Phil Littrell to Logan Beer gave the Crusaders a first down at the 11. Two plays later, the same combination hooked up as Beer eluded a couple of tackles and raced to the end zone to cut Concordia's lead in half.
Concordia caught a break on the ensuing kickoff when the return was fumbled. Maranatha was initially ruled to have recovered the ball, but the call was overturned seconds later. The Cougars capitalized behind the running of Justin Peacock (Elmhurst, IL/York Community) to score their third touchdown. Peacock converted a third-and-two down to the nine-yard line, and the senior back took a hand-off on the next play and bulled his way to the end zone for a 28-7 lead.The Cougars continued to gather momentum on their next series. A Marotta-to-Mike Egebrecht (Wheeling, IL/Buffalo Grove) pass was the key play in the drive, taking the ball to the 23. A holding penalty on the next play wiped out a Copeland touchdown run, but the Cougars got it right back as Marotta found Thomas on a crossing pattern in the middle for a 30-yard strike and a 28-point lead.
A bad snap on a Maranatha punt gave the Cougars a prime scoring opportunity moments later, and they made good on it. A 10-yard pass to Thomas gave Concordia a first-and-goal at the three, and Copeland would take it from there for his third touchdown of the game.
Concordia put the final points of the half on the board just six seconds before the break. The Cougars took possession after David Sodetz (Chicago, IL/Kennedy) recorded his third interception in the last two games. Copeland would record the points on a 10-yard reception on Marotta's screen to give Concordia a 49-7 halftime lead.
Head coach Lonnie Pries used the big lead to utilize many of his reserves in the second half, and Copeland sat down midway through the third after going over the 100-yard mark for the seventh time in eight games this season (19 carries, 105 yards). There was no scoring in the third quarter, but Chris Thompson (St. Louis, MO/Lutheran North) prevented a Maranatha score when he intercepted Littrell's pass at the goal line.
Concordia's final touchdown came early in the fourth quarter as freshman quarterback Josh Tylski (Jacksonville, FL/Mandarin) hit Mike Mentz (Collinsville, IL/Metro-East Lutheran) for a first down at the three. Peacock then carried the final three yards for his second touchdown of the day, wrapping up a nine-carry, 76-yard game. The Cougars had their biggest lead at 49-7.Maranatha put two final scores on the board against Concordia's reserves in the late going. The combination of Littrell and Beer were responsible, connecting for touchdown passes of 15 and five yards.
The Cougars finished with 497 yards of offense on 151 rushing and 346 passing. Marotta went 22 of 40 with the three touchdown passes and one interception. His primary targets were Egebrecht with six catches for 63 yards and Thomas with five for 66 yards. The Crusaders accumulated 292 yards of offense but had a net minus-six yards rushing.
Defensively, Concordia was led by Curtis Underwood (Fort Lauderdale, FL/Pope John Paul II) with eight tackles (6-2) including 2.5 for minus yards.
Concordia (6-2, 4-1 NAC) will travel to Mequon next Saturday to take on archrival Concordia Wisconsin.
