COVINGTON – Playing control football, Coach Larrie Tisdale’s Covington Buccaneers scored a touchdown in the second quarter at Greenville last evening and the defense made it stand up for a 6 to 0 conquest of the Class AA Green Wave and Covington’s 10th straight victory.
The shutout, Covington’s fourth of the season, kept the defensive unit’s average to a touchdown per game, as the Buccaneers have allowed only 64 points scored against them in 10 outings, while the offense has tallied 316 points.
The unbeaten Mad River Valley League Champions possessed the pigskin for over nine minutes of the first period last night but couldn’t score, and lost 45 yards in penalties during the scoreless stanza.
The second quarter became a punter’s game as both squads were forced to boot the ball, and after the third exchange, Covington got on the scoreboard with only :18 remaining in the half.
Ed Shilt’s pass interception on the Wave 38 set up the Buccaneer touchdown with 2:09 on the clock. Brad Barker tossed to Shilt for four yards, and on the next play, Greenville was guilty of roughing the passer, and the ball moved to the 19.
During the next series, Herb Stevenson hauled in a Barker’s pass for a first down on the seven, Buddy Clark dug out a yard, Greenville’s blitz moved Barker back to the 10, and an incomplete pass put Covington in a fourth and 10 situation with 18 seconds.
Barker went to the air again and connected with Shilt in the endzone for the game’s only score. The run for conversion points failed, but Covington was up 6 to 0 at the midway mark.
Twice in the third period, the Green Wave blocked Covington punts, but Tisdale’s defensive unit took over and Greenville never seriously threatened to score.
The Buccaneers again dominated the game in the fourth quarter, fell inches short of a first down on the Wave 8-yard line in the opening minutes, gave up the football for nine plays, took possession again with 4:01 left in the final quarter, and were on the Greenville nine yard line when the gun sounded.
Thus ends another chapter in the modern era of Covington High School’s 21-year football history, as Coach Larrie Tisdale’s charges duplicated the feat of Paul Devine’s 1952 Thundering Herd and Blair Irvin’s 1960 state champs with unbeaten, untied records.
FROM THE PRESSBOX:
Covington tallied 14 first downs, Greenville 3. The Buccs completed 4 of 12 passes with one interception, while the Green Wave tossed one aerial and had it stolen. The Buccaneers did not fumble the ball and Greenville bobbled the ball twice, but retained possession. Covington was penalized 80 yards, the Green Wave 55. Unbeaten… would you have believed it ten weeks ago? Everybody pulled the same wagon.
