October 25, 2002 – COVINGTON
The Covington Buccaneers came into tonight’s game against Anna with a chip on their shoulders. They were coming off of two straight games in which they didn’t perform up to the level they are accustom to. The Buccs also wanted to do something no other Buccaneer team in history has done, go 10-0 for a third straight year.

Anna brought some impressive credentials of their own to the table as well as some added motivation. They came into the game at 7-2 and needed a win to guarantee themselves a trip to the playoffs. They also brought with them a bag of tricks.

On the opening kickoff, Anna attempted an onside kick and recovered the ball at the Covington 46. Their trickery didn’t last long as the Buccs dominated throughout for a convincing 42-13 win that capped a season filled with frustrating injuries and adversity.

“Somebody asked me after the game if this 10-0 team was more special than the others, and you know, we’ve played through a lot of adversity this year,” commented coach Peacock. “Heck, we lost Boomer in the first half of the Arcanum game and then Brady in the Bradford game. Kids like Matt McCord and Ross Mohler come in and step up. Kevin Wright and Mike Varno step in on defense and perform well. Not that the other 10-0 seasons aren’t special, but this one may be a little more special because of the adversity we’ve faced and we’ve had kids we weren’t sure about that stepped up and played well.”

After their first drive stalled, Covington got the ball back and took the game over. Brady Reck connected with Jordan Shafer on a 32-yard pass to set the Buccs up at the Anna 1-yard line. Boomer Schmidt powered his way into the end zone on the next play to put the Buccs up 7-0.

On Anna’s next possession, Ross Mohler stepped in front of an Anna pass at the Rocket’s 25 and returned the ball to the 6. Schmidt scored his second touchdown of the night on the next play to put the Buccs up 14-0 with 3:28 left in the first quarter.

In the beginning of the second quarter, the Buccs recovered an Anna fumble at the Rocket’s 46. A few plays later, Schmidt scored his third touchdown of the first half from 23 yards out to give the Buccs a commanding 21-0 lead with 9:35 left in the half.

After Anna failed on fourth and two on their next possession, Brady Reck found Ross Mohler along the sideline from 13 yards out for another Buccaneer score. Matt Fulks nailed the extra point and the route was on with Covington holding a 28-0 lead.

“Brady really makes a difference,” complemented coach Peacock. “When we got him back this week in practice, we looked like our old selves.”

The Buccs scored once more before the half on a 39-yard touchdown run by Boomer Schmidt. Schmidt scored 4 touchdowns on the night with 133 yards on 17 carries, a total that put him over 1,000 yards for the season.

Covington’s final score of the night came midway through the third when Dan Morrow picked off a screen pass and returned the ball 38 yards for the touchdown. Matt Fulks kicked his fifth straight extra point to give the Buccs a 42-0 lead.

With the game well in hand, coach Peacock turned the game over to his second unit. Anna scored two late touchdowns to make the final score 42-13.

“I told the guys before the game that I wanted to approach this game like the Ansonia game,” said Peacock. “I wanted the kids to take it away from them right away. That’s exactly what they did. The kids came in and jumped on them early and Anna was reaching. We forced them into some mistakes and capitalized on every one of them.”

The Buccs finish the regular season 10-0 for the third straight year and capture the conference championship for the fourth straight year. The senior class finishes their regular season career with a 39-1 record and becomes the first in school history to earn a trip to the state playoffs for four straight years.

“39-1, that’s a heck of an accomplishment,” said coach Peacock. “You know, a lot of people talk about us and talk about the conference we play in, but they forget that we played a lot of playoff teams the past few years. You throw Cedarville in there, Ansonia, Bethel, Anna, Twin Valley South, we’ve played some pretty darn good football teams. For our kids to go in each week the past three years and not get beat, that’s a great accomplishment. We’ve got some special athletes and some special coaches, boosters and parents. The thank you list is endless. We must be doing something right.”

You are!

Scoring by Quarters:
Buccs: …..14……21……7……0 – 42
Rockets: …0……..0……0….13 – 13

Scoring Summary:
Covington – Boomer Schmidt 1-yard run (Matt Fulks Kick) – 7-0
Covington – Schmidt 6-yard run (Fulks Kick) – 14-0
Covington – Schmidt 23-yard run (Fulks Kick) – 21-0
Covington – Ross Mohler 13-yard pass from Brady Reck (Fulks Kick) – 28-0
Covington – Schmidt 39-yard run – (Fulks Kick) – 35-0
Covington – Dan Morrow 38-yard interception return (Fulks Kick) 42-0
Anna – Kurt Esser 23-yard run (DJ Heintz Kick) 42-7
Anna – Corey Kinsella 10-yard run (Kick failed) 42-13