CLINTON, La. —  The Brookhaven Academy Cougars wanted to kick off their 2012 campaign and make a statement about their place in this year’s MAIS Cass AA contender talk.  Coach Tripp McCarty and the Cougars did it in the heart of East Feliciana Parish by defeating  the Silliman Institute Wildcats 20-14.

     The Cougars wasted no time answering that question  by taking the opening kickoff and methodically driving it right at the Silliman defense behind the hard running of junior tailback Landon Nettles.  When Silliman adjusted to the run,   McCarty called on  senior quarterback Gage Posey who hit a tightly covered Ross Foreman in the back left corner of the end zone at the 8:05 mark of the first quarter.

        “Ross did a great job tonight and made some tough catches in crucial situations,: said McCarty.”

       Kevin Nettles added the PAT to give the Cougars a 7-0 lead.

      It was time for the BA defense to make their debut and they did not disappoint.  Holding the Wildcats to three-and-outs on their first two possessions, they set the stage for dramatics from the Cougar punt return team.  Senior punt returner Seth Rushing fielded a Silliman punt at his own 32 yard line and slid through the first line of defenders, tight roped the sideline right in front of the Silliman bench, cut across the grain behind some great lead blocks and finished off a 68 yard touchdown punt return.

     Nettles added the PAT for a 14- 0 lead with 1:22 to play in the first quarter.       The Cougars ran out of time on a late drive that ended at the Silliman 1-yard line.

     Regrouping and  gaining some momentum from their end of half goal line stand, the  Wildcats came out clawing in the third quarter pushing the ball down to the Cougar 10- yard line where the BA defense stood tall on fourth down and stopped the drive..  After taking over on downs, the Cougars mounted a drive of their own and faced a third down and seven yards to go at the Silliman 34 yard line,

     Posey hit Foreman who made an acrobatic catch for a 31-yard gain down to the Wildcat 3-yard line.  Posey called his own number   on a keeper off right tackle for the touchdown.  The PAT bounced off the left upright and the Cougars settled for the 20- 0 lead at 2:16 mark of the third quarter.

      Silliman answered with a drive and 9- yard TD strike from athletic quarterback Cobb Kelly to wide receiver Caleb Jackson.  The PAT was added and the score stood at 20-7 with just under 11 minutes to play in the game. 

     Possessions changed hands as the minutes ticked down but there was still some fight left in Silliman.  A drive mixed with run and pass saw the Wildcats pushing deep into Cougar territory. Kelly  connected with receiver Hunter Lockhart on a tipped ball from 16 yards out and a touchdown to pull them within 6 points after the PAT with  47 seconds remaining on the clock.       Coach McCarty called on his hands team to ready themselves for the ensuing on-sides kick that was secured by  Foreman and the Cougars easily ran out the clock.

      “I am proud of our team’s effort, especially on the defensive side of the ball,”  said McCarty.

     BA held Silliman to just 29 yards and a one first down in the first half of play.  The defense was led by senior linebacker Preston Rawls who recorded 9 tackles in his first starting assignment for the Cougars.  Colby Culbertson and Travis Thornton added 6 tackles each for BA.

      “Our defense played solid and showed great effort,” said McCarty.  Preston (Rawls) stepped in and played really well.”

       On the offensive side of the ball the Cougars were led by   Posey’s 144 yards passing with 1 touchdown through the air as well as 42 yards rushing and a TD on the ground. 

     Nettles, the work horse, carried the ball 28 times for 138 yards and also had 19 yards receiving. Foreman led all receivers with 5 catches for 99 yards and a touchdown.

       McCarty said he saw a lot of things he really liked from his squad. “We flew around the ball on defense and were real physical from the first snap. We stayed calm throughout the game and didn’t panic when Silliman made their run at the end.”

      The Cougars face Copiah Academy for their home opener Friday night. Kickoff is 7 p.m. on Red Stuard Field.