Cougars capture victory over Westville in finale

By CHRIS AUGERHOLE

TAHLEQUAH DAILY PRESS — In unseasonably warm weather, the Keys Cougars sent their seniors out with huge win over the Westville Yellowjackets.

On the team’s second possession of the game, the Cougars offense found a rhythm with senior running back Kylar Welch that they would rely on the rest of the night. Running the team’s version of the wildcat offense, Welch took a direct snap from center and scampered 35 yards to the Yellowjackets 23-yard line.

Three plays later, on a designed quarterback draw, Lane Trammel scored the Cougars first touchdown of the night from nine yards out. The missed extra point try had Keys up 6-0 early in the first quarter.

Westville did move the ball on their next drive, but it stalled after Taylor Swanson and Dillon Springwater tackled running back Cory Shewmaker for a 4-yard loss. Then on second and third downs, Christian Daugherty and Swanson sacked Westville’s Chandler Smith to give the ball back to Keys.

Early in the second quarter, the Cougars offense found momentum again, this time Trammel hit Cameron Parks for 21 yards on a short pass to the left that Parks broke for a run along the sidelines. Four plays later, Welch took a sweep toss to the left and ran 44-yards untouched for another Cougars touchdown.

“Lane is good quarterback and we didn’t ask him to do too much through the air tonight because of the wind, but he executed the things we did ask of him,” said head coach Gary Willis. “All year long Kylar has been the one making things happen on offense. I wish him and all our guys nothing but the best and I know they’ll be able to do whatever they so choose to do in life.”

Two possessions later, the Yellowjackets found themselves pinned deep in their own territory. On 2nd-and-19, Smith tried to hit a receiver over the middle but Welch undercut the route and walked into the end zone 14 yards later for his second touchdown of the quarter. Cody Cole pounded in the two point try to give Keys a 20-0 lead with 4:34 left before the half.

The defense again forced a three and out, letting Welch run wild again. The next drive took four plays with two incomplete passes by Trammel and a 16-yard run from Welch capped off with the two hooking up for a 25-yard touchdown catch. Welch was wide open down the left sideline on a wheel route that completely caught the Yellowjackets off guard. After the score, the Cougars were penalized for two unsportsmanlike penalties.

The penalties gave Westville their best starting field position of the night. With just under two minutes until the half, Smith hit Brett McVey for 16 yards followed by Smith connecting with Chip Collins for 29 more yards to the Cougars 1-yard line. Shewmaker tried a run up the middle but was denied by the entire Keys front seven. After a 2-yard scramble by Smith and another unsuccessful run from Shewmaker the time ran out on the Yellowjackets.

“I told the defense, ‘I put you in a bind now you have to cover my rear right here,’ and they stepped up and did it,” said Willis.

Westville took the momentum from their first successful drive and continued it coming out of halftime. Driving all the way to the Cougars 10-yard line, the Yellowjackets looked like they would put their first points on the board. However, after an intentional grounding call, a false start penalty and three incomplete passes Westville gave the ball over on downs.

Keys wasted no time capitalizing. Welch broke another big run, this time for 22 yards, followed by Trammel running a quarterback draw for 16. Facing a fourth and one from Westville’s 27-yard line, the Cougars ran Cody Cole off the right edge where he found plenty of room and eventually the end zone.

The Keys defense forced two more turnovers in the second half, the latter of which led to a Welch 7-yard touchdown run to put Keys up 38-0 where the game would end.

The win put Keys into contention for a playoff spot, but needed Kansas to defeat Adair. That did not happen as the Warriors defeated the Comets 25-22.

“We were that close to going to the playoffs but that’s what happens when you leave it up to someone else. We had chances in the year to take care of it ourselves but we didn’t,” said Willis.