October 18, 2002 – LEWISBURG
Boomer Schmidt came back from missing three games with an injury and sparked the Buccs to a 21-7 win over a tough Tri-County North team tonight. Boomer pounded his way for 215 yards on 32 carries and reached the end zone once.

After both teams failed to move the ball on their first possessions, Covington put together a 77-yard drive. Jared Hague set the Buccs up at the Tri-County North 15-yard line with a critical third down catch over the middle. Boomer finished the drive with a 15-yard touchdown run to put the Buccs up 7-0 with 4:52 remaining in the quarter.

North’s next possession began at their own 34. After a 3-yard run up the middle, Brett Landis found Eric Wright behind the Buccaneer defense for a 63-yard touchdown pass to tie the score at seven.

“We put Kevin (Wright) in there and this was his first start,” mentioned coach Peacock. “We worked with him all week, but you can’t teach a kid in practice what he will be facing as far as game speed.”

With the momentum they gained, Tri-County North played like a team that believed they could win. Their defense contained Covington’s high powered offense and prevented them from reaching the end zone until midway through the second quarter.

Starting at their own 23-yard line, Covington again put together another scoring drive. Boomer Schmidt broke loose for a 31-yard gain to put the Buccs at the Panther’s 47. A few plays later, Jordan Shafer out jumped a North defender in the back of the end zone for a 15-yard touchdown reception from Ross Mohler. Matt Fulks was good on his second straight attempt and the Buccs held a 14-7 lead which stood at the half.

Both teams failed to put points on the board in the third as the defenses took over.

Covington went three-and-out on their opening possession of the fourth quarter. Tri-County took over at their own 39 and began to move the ball toward midfield. Jared Hague stepped in front of a Panther pass and returned the ball to the North 15. Jesse Hitt scored a few plays later from 7 yards away to give the Buccs a 14 point cushion with 7:32 left in the game.

“Jared Hague’s interception was a big play,” described coach Peacock. “That gave us the ball with a short field and we capitalized.”

Tri-County North tried to get back into the game through the air, but Ross Mohler picked off another Panther pass which ended any threat of a comeback.

“I think Tri-County North really had a great game plan,” said coach Peacock. “Frank Horvath did a great job getting his kids ready to play. They pulled out all of the stops. They called some great plays that we were not prepared for. They called some unbalanced plays and got us outmanned on the corners before we were able to make the adjustments. Actually, to tell you the truth, this was the first game we’ve played where I was really concerned defensively. We were able to make some good plays when we had to though.”

The Buccs extend their regular season winning streak to 32 games and improve to 9-0 on the season. They hope to complete their third straight 10-0 season next week when they host Anna.

Scoring by Quarters:
Buccs: …….7……7……0……7 – 21
Panthers: ..7…….0……0…..0 – 7

Scoring Summary:
Covington – Boomer Schmidt 15-yard run (Matt Fulks kick)
Tri-County North – Eric Wright 63-yard pass to Brett Landis (Hartman kick)
Covington – Ross Mohler 15-yard pass to Jordan Shafer (Fulks kick)
Covington – Jesse Hitt 7-yard run (Fulks kick)