BREMEN – If you are a defensive-minded person, the first half of Friday night’s Cold Springs game was for you. The Eagles found their stride in the third, eking out the win, 13-7.
Berry got the ball to began the game, quickly going three-and-out due to a fired-up Eagle defense, but the Cold Springs offense didn’t fare any better going three-and-out on its first possession. The two teams continued the offensive struggle, going, you guessed it, three-and-out the entire first quarter.
To open the second, the Eagle offense got into field goal range, but missed an opportunity to put points on the board as the field goal fell short. The Berry offense put together a promising 16-play drive, but it eventually stalled after an incomplete pass on fourth down. The Cold Springs offense continued its woes going three-and-out once again. Late in the first half, Berry's Jeremiah Gann scored on a 61-yard run with four seconds left to put the Wildcats on top 7-0 going into the locker room.
Cold Springs received the ball to begin the second half, with no luck. Berry once again put together an impressive drive, but once they got inside the 30, turned over the football.
The Eagle offense then found its stride and marched down the field, scoring on a Caleb Roden 2-yard run to tie the game at 7 apiece with 41 seconds remaining in the third.
Berry and Cold Springs continued to play outstanding defense. Once the Eagles got the ball back they started to chew the clock and move the ball on the ground. The hero of the night ended up being Austin Lively, scoring on a 16-yard run to give the Eagles a 13-7 lead with 1:50 left in the game. Thanks to a timely sack to put Berry behind the chains, the Eagle defense forced an incomplete pass on fourth down. With the ball back in the hands of the offense, the Eagles took three kneels to run out the clock and claim victory in a hard-fought game.
“The kids played hard tonight and I sure am proud of them; the reason you play is for moments like that,” said Coach Rod Elliot about the heart and resiliency of his team. He added, “The only way for something good to happen is to keep playing.”
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