A mixture of thunder and lightning and another strong performance from their defense is the reason why the Coconut Creek Cougars will be playing in their first regional final in school history.The Cougars shutout visiting Fort Pierce Central 21-0 in a regional semifinal game Friday night at Coconut Creek High.Coconut Creek(11-1) will play at St. Thomas(10-1) next Friday for the right to go to the Class 5A state semifinals.
Creek running backs Shawn Williams (lightning) and Terence Covin (thunder) combined for 211 yards rushing and accounted for all three touchdowns. Williams finished with 118 yards on 23 carries, and Covin rushed 23 times for 93 yards. “We really gathered ourselves the second half and put the game away,” said Williams.“This is the first time ever making it this far, but hopefully we will be ready for St. Thomas.We are not nervous about playing them.We all know how to play football.”
Williams got Creek on the board midway through the second quarter with an 8-yard scoring run.It wasn’t until the fourth quarter that the Cougars put the game away.Fort Pierce Central(6-6) turned the ball over four times in the second half including three times in final frame..
The Cougars again showed why they have the best defense in the county holding their opponent to 60 total yards and not allowing the Cobras to gain a first down in the entire second half.Brothers Brian and Derek Anglin each had an interception that led to two Creek scores.Linebacker Jonathan Freeny also recovered a fumble to add to the Cobras demise.
The game was put away with a minute remaining on Shawn Williams’ second touchdown run of the night.Coconut Creek has won 10 games in a row since a 14-13 loss against Deerfield Beach back in the second week of the season.The Cougars are also ranked 7th in the state, also tops in school history.
Coconut Creek has come up big with their strong defense the entire season, Friday night was no exception as the Cougars defeated Hollywood Hills 15-9 in a Regional Quarterfinal matchup at Coconut Creek High. The win was Coconut Creek's first playoff victory since 1991. Creek will try to extend their dream season when they host Fort Pierce Central in the Regional Semifinals next Friday night.
The game did not start out well for the Cougars as their first drive ended with a three and out and with the Spartans' Daniel Lewis blocking a punt that set up Chris Anderson's score from 3 yards out. The extra point failed.
Creek running back Shawn Williams got his team right back into it on the very next drive when he broke loose for a 56-yard touchdown run to put Coconut Creek(10-1) up 7-6. Williams won the battle of the 1,000-yard rushers over Chris Anderson finishing with 112 yards on 20 carries. Anderson was held in check with 74 yards rushing. "The whole thing was to not let Chris get to his second gear," Creek coach Dan Marguriet said.
Hollywood Hills(7-4) regained the lead 9-7 when Christian Herrera connected on a 27-yard field goal early in the second quarter. That lead was short lived when Shawn Williams was forced out of bounds at the 1-yard line on a run, then Terence Covin finished the drive with a touchdown run right before the half to give the Cougars the lead. Creek was successful on their two-point conversion when Covin caught a pass from quarterback Alex Krivjanic to increase the lead to 15-9.
Both teams displayed strong defensive stands as neither team scored in the second half. This was just fine for Creek with the score and the clock on their side.
The Spartans mounted one last drive in the final 3 minutes as they crept down the field into Cougar territory. The drive, however, was stalled when Gordi Metezier picked off Hills quarterback James McCandless for the second time in the game to seal the win.
The dynamic duo of Shawn Williams and Terrance Covin was the difference Friday night as Coconut Creek defeated the Coral Glades 28-8 to spoil the Jaguars’ first game on their new field.The win gave the Cougars a season sweep of district play, going 5-0.
Shawn Williams rushed for 144 yards on 19 carries, and Terrance Covin ran for 50 yards and also caught a 68-yard touchdown pass to propel Creek.Covin finished the night with two touchdowns.“We executed very well and we’re just preparing ourselves for next week and the playoffs”, Covin said.
The game was filled with penalties by both teams.Coconut Creek coach Dan Marguriet was quick to point out the lack of discipline from his team.“Anytime you let your emotions run away from you, you let your opponent get an edge.” “This is something I have to address.”
Coral Glades had lots of trouble running the ball against the Cougars’ tough defense.They were held to minus-6 yards rushing in the 1st half and only 35 yards in second half.Penalties were also a problem for the Jaguars, something that head coach Rex Nottage commented on.“We have to be more focused mentally during the game and it cost us.”
Coconut Creek(8-1, 5-0) will close out their regular season against Douglas, a game that they do not want to overlook before their first playoff game.Coral Glades(3-6, 1-4) will visit cross town rival Coral Springs(1-8, 0-3).
The Coconut Creek Cougars have won their first district title since 1998 with a 28-6 Homecoming win over Stranahan Friday night at Coconut Creek High.With the victory, the Cougars move to 7-1 overall and 4-0 in their district.A Creek win over Coral Glades next week will complete a season sweep in district play for the first time since 1991 when they went 4-0.
The Cougars looked as sluggish as their torn up field in the first half as they managed to lead only 7-6 at the break.Terence Covin got Creek on the board 3 minutes into the game with a 3-yard touchdown run, but then the Cougars got sloppy when they snapped the ball over the punter's head and gave Stranahan a first and goal at the 5-yard line.The Dragons cashed in with a touchdown run from Brandon Williams to cut the score to 7-6—the extra point was missed.
Coconut Creek turned it on in the second half with their “thunder and lightning” dynamic duo of Terence Covin and Shawn Williams.The junior running backs combined for 208 yards rushing and three touchdowns.Williams finished with 128 yards on 23 carries, and Covin had 80 yards on 13 carries.A 65-yard touchdown score by Williams was called back on a Creek penalty.
Creek’s smothering defense also did Stranahan in.The Dragons(0-8, 0-4) were held to 26 total yards and three first downs.In the second half alone, Stranahan turned the ball over twice and was stymied with minus-20 yards and no first downs.Going into next week the Cougars are now 2nd in total defense, just 3 yards behind Everglades.
Winning the district was very special to head coach Dan Marguriet and his kids.“This is the goal we set back in January,” coach Marguriet said. "The kids worked hard and bought into it even though we were picked to finish third or fourth.”The fact is that Coconut Creek was picked to finished fourth by local newspapers, but have brushed all of that off to be the biggest surprise of Broward County.
Coconut Creek has two games remaining, next Friday they will travel to Coral Glades(3-5, 1-3) where they will complete their district schedule before playing at Douglas the week after.The Cougars do not want to overlook these next two weeks before they host Hollywood Hills in their Regional Quarterfinal game.Hollywood defeated South Broward 27-19 to earn the runner-up spot behind St. Thomas in district 16-5A and a playoff berth.Stranahan will travel to play Ely(6-2, 3-1) to wrap up their district schedule.
Coconut Creek kicker Raul Renta has been looking for a big break through his injury-plagued season--he finally got one when he was given a second opportunity to win the game for his team in the dying seconds. After having his kicked blocked by the Hurricane defense, a penalty flag was thrown on Northeast for roughing the kicker. This gave Renta a second chance to be the hero and he made no mistake about it as his second kick from 21 yards out sailed through the uprights with 5 seconds remaining and gave Coconut Creek a 22-20 district win over Northeast Friday night at Coconut Creek High. The win puts Creek in command with a 6-1 overall record and most importantly, a 3-0 district record. The loss for Northeast, their third in a row, drops them to 4-3 overall and 1-2 in the district.
As the pressure mounted in this locally televised game, along with the nagging pain in Renta's left knee, the Cougars kicker had all of the confidence he could have in his line that they would provide the protection for him to win it in a back and forth game that saw four lead changes. It was for sure the biggest kick in the senior's high school career thus far.
The first half was uneventful for the most part as the teams battled for field position. The Northeast defense held Creek to a field goal on a series where the Cougars had a first and goal inside the 10-yard line. That was all of the scoring in the first half.
The third quarter saw Coconut Creek build a 13-0 lead with a 25-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Alex Krivjanic to running back/receiver Shawn Williams, and a 30-yard field goal by Renta. Williams went on to lead the Cougars with 138 yards rushing on 23 carries and 3 catches for 55 yards.
Northeast woke up after that with a come back of their own. A 15-yard run by Darian Williams cut the lead to 13-7. After Creek turned the ball over on a fumble, Williams again cashed in with a 37-yard touchdown pass from Andy Goins to give the Hurricanes a 14-13 lead and fire up their team. Darian Williams finished with 82 yards on 2 catches.
The Cougars would not quit as they marched down the field and regained the lead on a 22-yard touchdown run by Shawn Williams as he dove into the pilon for the score to put Creek up 19-14 as the two-point conversion failed.
The see-saw battle would continue as the Hurricanes captured the lead again, this time on a 37-yard touchdown run by their star running back Bo Williams, who had been contained for most of the game. Williams, who had hurt his ankle a few weeks ago, showed no signs of pain as he went from one sideline to another and plunged in for the score to give Northeast a 20-19 lead with 3:59 left in the game. The two-point try was unsuccessful.
With one last chance to win it for the home crowd, Coconut Creek started their final possession on their own 27-yard line. Alex Krivjanic drove his team down to the Hurricane 7-yard line, highlighted by a 21-yard reception by Shawn Williams and an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty by Northeast. This set up the game-winning field goal for Renta and his squad.
Coconut Creek, 9th in State Class 5A, will try to lock up the district title when they host winless Stranahan(0-7, 0-3) Friday night at Coconut Creek High. Northeast will host Coral Glades(3-4, 1-2) in another district battle on Friday as well.
Terence Covin had a huge night on Friday--well, a half of a night some could say. Covin rushed for 190 yards on only 5 carries and had 4 touchdowns, one on the receiving end, as Coconut Creek pounded Coral Springs 50-6 in a non-district matchup at Coral Springs High.
Covin, who did not play in the second half, did all of his damage in the first by rushing for scores of 76, 7 and 85 yards. The first scoring run happened to be the first offensive play for the Cougars.
With a 37-0 halftime lead, head coach Dan Marguriet rested most of his starters in the second half. Creek did not need their starters as they dominated the game from start to finish with 370 yards of total offense. It wasn't until 5 minutes remaining in the game that Coconut Creek first punted. Coral Springs finally got on the board as time expired with a 1-yard scoring run.
Marguriet stated that he has the best backs in the county, but without the guys up front they aren't going anywhere. Another thing that Creek has is the best defense in Broward, and after tonight's performance that should be safely in tact going into next week's action.
With 2 huge district wins already under their belt, the Cougars(5-1, 2-0) will host Northeast(4-2, 1-1) in a big district game Friday night at 7pm. With a win, Coconut Creek will be in the drivers seat for the district title--their first since 1998. Coral Springs(1-5) will meet Douglas(2-4) at Coral Springs High, also on Friday night.
Coconut Creek is without a doubt showing the rest of the county that they are a force to be wreckin with. The Cougars held Dillard to 47 yards in a dominant 30-0 district win Friday night at Coconut Creek High. With the victory and a Northeast loss, Coconut Creek sits atop District 15-5A at 2-0 and are 4-1 overall. The Cougars wasted no time in making a statement as they scored two touchdowns in the opening quarter. The first came on a 41-yard run by junior running back Terence Covin to give Creek a 7-0 lead. After Dillard pinned Creek back on their own 18-yard line, another junior running back, Shawn Williams, broke loose for an 82-yard run all the way down to the 5-yard line. Two plays later, Covin plunged in from the 1. Williams and Covin had nights to remember as the duo combined for 285 yards and 4 touchdowns. Dillard(2-3, 1-1) could not muster any offense against Coconut Creek's stonewall defense. The Cougars forced Panthers quarterback Terrell Robinson out of the pocket on many occasions forcing him into 3 for 16 passing for 30 yards. To make matters worse for Dillard, the Cougars consumed the first 7:08 of the 3rd quarter on an 80-yard 13-play drive that ended with a 15-yard flea flicker touchdown pass to Shawn Williams to put Creek up 24-0 and the game away. Coconut Creek(4-1, 2-0) welcomed back kicker Raul Renta. Renta, who suffered a knee injury after week 1, kicked 3 extra points and also a 20-yard field goal late in the second quarter. The two victories against Ely and Dillard marks the first time since 1998 that Coconut Creek has beaten these rivals in the same season. That year is also the last time that Creek has won their district. Coconut Creek will travel to Coral Springs(2-4) next Friday, which will be televised on Becon TV. Dillard will visit Glades Central(3-2).
