Cougars battle in loss to St. Frederick

Cedar Creek gave St. Frederick all it could handle but couldn’t come up with a game-swinging play over the final quarter to pull off a win, falling 30-14 to St. Frederick to close out the regular season Thursday.

The Cougars (4-5, 1-2 district) trailed 16-0 after the first quarter – tied for the team’s biggest deficit after the opening frame all season – with the Warriors scoring on their first three possessions, including a touchdown on their first drive on a 50/50 ball that Creek senior Ladd Thompson came down with, but officials ruled a touchdown.

With an early call going against them and on-field conditions turning frigid quickly, it would have been understandable to see the Cougars coast through and worry about the upcoming postseason.

But that’s not what happened.

Instead, Creek’s defense rose to the occasion and shut out the Warriors in the second and third quarter, sacking St. Fred quarterback Montrell Connor multiple times to force key punts. The stops gave the Cougar offense chances to strike back, as Lawson Lillo punched in a 5-yard touchdown to cut the deficit to 16-6 with 10:36 left in the first half.

And then out of the half, the Cougars stepped on the throat of St. Fred and went on a 16-play drive that took 9:54 off the third quarter clock, capping off the statement drive with a 3-yard touchdown from Gray Worthey, along with a two-point conversion from Ladd Thompson, to make it a 16-14 ballgame.

Thompson finished his night with 19 carries for 90 yards, while Worthey added 17 rushes for 94 yards.

Creek head coach William Parkerson was proud of his team’s response after a quiet first quarter but said the Cougars couldn’t make the extra play necessary to end the regular season with a winning feeling.

“We had our opportunity, and we didn’t capitalize when we got the ball back with a chance to go take the lead,” Parkerson said postgame. “Just kind of ran out of gas and unfortunately didn’t have enough to finish.”

Creek had all the momentum after the run-heavy drive and would get the ball back with over 10 minutes left in the fourth quarter to have a chance to drive and take the lead. However, the Cougars offense stalled and punted on its three drives in the fourth, while St. Fred running back M.J. Dade scampered across the open field for two rushing touchdowns to blow the final score open.

“He’s a good player and as we got tired, they started busting more of those,” Parkerson said.

Among the bright spots in the loss was the play of the defensive front of Creek, with the pass rush disrupting multiple drives for the Warriors with untouched pressure and tackles for loss on early downs.

Lillo led the team with 13 tackles and 1 TFL, while Alex Simpson, Blake Robinson, and Conner Rolen each finished with a sack. Gray Worthey and Robinson each had 11 total tackles.

“They did really well,” Parkerson said of his defense. “Wish we could have made one or two more plays but credit them, they’re a good football team. They made more winning plays than we did and we gotta regroup and get ready for whoever we play in the playoffs.”

Cedar Creek will await its playoff destination Sunday when the LHSAA announces the Division IV select playoff pairings.