September 5, 2003 – COVINGTON
The Covington Buccaneer’s have had some great teams over the past few years, along with some great running backs. That’s why they’re riding a 37-game regular season winning streak and appear to be well on their way to another fine season.

After tonight’s 49-0 trouncing of Twin Valley South, the Buccs are 3-0 and have outscored their opponents 121-6. One of the main reasons is the running of senior, Matt McCord.

McCord ran wild for the Buccs as he racked up 243 yards on 25 carries and scored 4 times, one on a 32-yard run in the third quarter. His performance is even more impressive when you consider how he ran the ball. Rarely did McCord go down from the first hit. It normally took a group of South defenders to bring him down and not before he kept the chains moving on a regular basis.

“Matt McCord was a man possessed tonight,” complimented a delighted Covington coach Kevin Finfrock. “This kid really runs the football hard. He wanted the ball and we kept feeding it to him. It was clear by the sounds he was making as he took on defenders that he was giving everything he had. He’s such a great leader and I hope our younger kids will look at the example he is setting.”

As much as it appeared as though McCord was a one man show for the Buccs, he did receive some help from his teammates. The offensive line opened up huge holes and the wideouts placed key blocks to spring him loose in the South secondary.

“I’m really proud of our wideouts,” continued the coach. “They stuck to their blocks and allowed Matt to get out in the open where he could make something happen. Ross (Mohler) and Roadsie (Dusty Rhoades) did a nice job tonight blocking.”

Finfrock’s wide receivers not only blocked, they broke the game open early as well.

On the second play of the game Ross Mohler hauled in a perfect strike from Brady Reck for a 75-yard score. Reck’s pass split two defenders as Mohler caught the ball in stride and sprinted untouched to the end zone for a 7-0 Covington lead with only 50 seconds off of the clock.

On South’s first possession, Mohler stepped in front of a Panther pass to give the Buccs the ball inside South’s 50-yard line. A few plays later McCord plowed his way into the end zone from 2-yards out for his first score of the game. With 9:34 left in the first period Covington held a 14-0 lead.

The Covington offense struck again before the end of the quarter as Reck connected with Mohler for a second time. This time the connection was good from 55-yards out.

The second quarter was all Matt McCord as he reached the end zone twice more before halftime. After hitting pay dirt from 3 yards out, McCord broke loose for a 45-yard run to set up an 8-yard touchdown run. At the half McCord totaled 193 yards on the ground.

“We talked all week with the kids about execution,” said Finfrock. “Well, we executed tonight. The kids played physical and executed the game plan the way we wanted it. I’m still not totally pleased with the passing game, but we’re moving in the right direction.”

The second half opened with more of Matt McCord and the Buccaneer running game, which accumulated 357 yards on the night. With only 3:09 gone off of the clock, McCord scored his fourth touchdown of the night, this time on a 32-yard run through the heart of the South defense.

Leading 33-0, Covington rotated some of the younger players and never missed a beat. Freshman Gene Studebaker broke loose on a 40-yard scamper to set the Buccs up at the South’ 2-yard line. Studebaker finished what he started by diving into the end zone on the next play to put the Buccs up 39-0.

Matt Fulks finished the scoring in the fourth quarter with a 38-yard field goal, completing a dominating performance for the Buccs and their second shutout of the season.

“Our defense is playing very well right now,” mentioned coach Finfrock. “They are flying to the ball and getting pressure in the backfield. Mike Varno had a very nice game again for us. Jared Hague and Matt McCord really put pressure on South coming off of the corners. Our linebackers are pursuing to the ball and making some nice plays. Other than a few plays, our secondary played well. All around we had a nice defensive performance. Coach Swartz has done a very nice job with those guys and he has them playing well.”

With the win Covington improves to 3-0 on the season and 2-0 in the Cross County Conference. The Buccs travel to National Trail next Friday for another conference showdown. The Blazers improved to 2-1 overall and 1-1 in the conference with a 7-6 win over Bethel.

Scoring by Quarters:
Buccs: …….20…..12….14…….3 – 49
Panthers: …0…….0……0……..0 – 0

Scoring Summary:
Brady Reck 75yd pass to Mohler (Fulks kick)
Matt McCord 2yd run (pass failed)
Reck 55yd pass to Mohler (Fulks kick)
McCord 3yrd run (kick failed)
McCord 8yd run (Fulks kick)
McCord 32yd run (Fulks kick)
Studebaker 2yd run (Fulks kick)
Fulks 38 FG