Football team wins state championships
BY ISAAC NUTTER
SKYE WHEELER
SKYE WHEELER
It was an unseasonably sunny and warm Saturday in mid-November as the Scots football team headed to Fitzpatrick Stadium in Portland looking to take home the biggest win of the year.
Backed by a defense that produced three turnovers and four sacks in the second half, Bonny Eagle fought for a 34-14 win over Portland in front of a crowd of at least 5,000. The Scots went 11-0 and won the state championship for the sixth time in the past 13 years.
Portland scored first against the Scots, who might have been nervous playing on the Bulldogs’ home field (where all the championship games are played). But the second half was all Bonny Eagle.
“We made some pretty uncharacteristic mistakes early,” Coach Kevin Cooper told the Lakes Region Weekly after the game. “Then we kind of settled down and started making plays, and every time we’d make a play, we’d feel a little more confident, and then eventually we were just able to take control of the second half.”
“We all just came out, we made adjustments, our linemen made adjustments, our running backs were able to get through the holes,” added quarterback Cam Day. “We just kept driving down the field; it was great … Our defense started playing really hard, second-half, and after that it was over.”
Team captain, senior Parker Gammon, said the win was even more satisfying because the Scots had lost a chance to play in the title game in the past two consecutive years.
School support was also important to this team. Lukkas Pierce, a senior fan who is not on the team, noted that the seniors were happy to win over Portland since the Bulldogs had beaten the Scots to end their playoff hopes in the eighth grade.
“So coming from that and ending on a good note is a good feeling,” Lukkas said.
Cam Day said what helped the team go undefeated was the preseason football camp where the team really bonded together. Another thing was when the team messed up on something they would go back and fix it.
Cam gave most of the credit to the coaches who kept the team focused through the long hard season, especially Head Coach Cooper, who has coached the Scots to all six of their state championships.
“Coach Cooper is very focused and challenges the team to about the breaking point,” said Cam. “It’s an unbelievable season that I’ll never forget.”
Backed by a defense that produced three turnovers and four sacks in the second half, Bonny Eagle fought for a 34-14 win over Portland in front of a crowd of at least 5,000. The Scots went 11-0 and won the state championship for the sixth time in the past 13 years.
Portland scored first against the Scots, who might have been nervous playing on the Bulldogs’ home field (where all the championship games are played). But the second half was all Bonny Eagle.
“We made some pretty uncharacteristic mistakes early,” Coach Kevin Cooper told the Lakes Region Weekly after the game. “Then we kind of settled down and started making plays, and every time we’d make a play, we’d feel a little more confident, and then eventually we were just able to take control of the second half.”
“We all just came out, we made adjustments, our linemen made adjustments, our running backs were able to get through the holes,” added quarterback Cam Day. “We just kept driving down the field; it was great … Our defense started playing really hard, second-half, and after that it was over.”
Team captain, senior Parker Gammon, said the win was even more satisfying because the Scots had lost a chance to play in the title game in the past two consecutive years.
School support was also important to this team. Lukkas Pierce, a senior fan who is not on the team, noted that the seniors were happy to win over Portland since the Bulldogs had beaten the Scots to end their playoff hopes in the eighth grade.
“So coming from that and ending on a good note is a good feeling,” Lukkas said.
Cam Day said what helped the team go undefeated was the preseason football camp where the team really bonded together. Another thing was when the team messed up on something they would go back and fix it.
Cam gave most of the credit to the coaches who kept the team focused through the long hard season, especially Head Coach Cooper, who has coached the Scots to all six of their state championships.
“Coach Cooper is very focused and challenges the team to about the breaking point,” said Cam. “It’s an unbelievable season that I’ll never forget.”