CLINTON, La. The Brookhaven Academy Cougars knew full well the going into Friday night’s matchup with the Silliman Institute Wildcats it was going to be an old-fashioned catfight.

Coach Tripp McCarty challenged his team all week to play more physical and with a tougher mindset. He commented prior to the contest with Silliman, “They’re a playoff team and it’s time for us to start playing like I know we can to be competitive.” He continued, “Silliman has two of the best linemen that we will face and a lot of speed at the skill positions, we’ve got to be ready to play.”

True to prediction, this one was a fight to the end with the BA Cougars dominating the statistics but the Silliman Wildcats winning the scoreboard battle 23-20 in a game that went down to the final buzzer.

Silliman would get the first break of the game when a pass from BA quarterback Heath Hickman pass was intercepted by Wildcat cornerback Caleb Jackson on BA’s first snap from scrimmage and returned to the Cougar 11-yard line.

Silliman would convert the turnover to points on a Zach Kelly two-yard run and PAT by Daniel Myers that had the Wildcats leading 7-0 with 9:50 showing in the first quarter.

BA took their next possession at their own 32-yard line and marched straight at the highly touted “Gang Green” Silliman defense converting crucial fourth down plays to keep their drive alive.

Senior tailback Landon Nettles would find the end zone on a three-yard run to cap the 68-yard drive and score. Parker Myrick add the point after and evened the score at 7-7 with 2:32 to play in the first quarter.

After holding Silliman on downs, BA would take over pinned back at their own 10-yard line. Coach Tripp McCarty wanted to stick to what was working and continued to pound the running game right at the Wildcats.

Again converting on crucial possession short yardage plays behind the running of Nettles, Hickman and tailback Connor Dorman, the Cougars pushed deeper into Wildcat territory.

At the 3:25 mark of the second quarter, Dorman split the defense and sprinted 17 yards into the end zone for the Cougar’s second score of the night. The PAT was blocked but carried the Cougars to the locker room at half leading 13-7.

Silliman would take possession at the start of the third quarter at their own 40-yard line needing to answer BA and put points on the board. Sticking to the running game themselves, the Wildcats grinded out a 60-yard touchdown drive with running back Todd Micah Bourgeois finishing the job with an 11-yard run to the end zone.

On the point after, Landon Nettles broke through and blocked the extra point kick, knotting the score at 13-all with 7:28 to play in the third quarter number.

On the ensuing kickoff, the Wildcats recovered a Steven Williams fumble at the BA 29-yard line, giving them a great opportunity to put more points on the board. The Cougar defense held solid, as they did all night, and forced the Wildcats to attempt a 42-yard field goal. Senior kicker Daniel Myers was up to the task and split the uprights with his kick and gave Silliman a three-point lead at 16-13.

After a trade of possessions, BA would take over with 11:10 to play in the game at the Silliman 50 yard line. A 25-yard Hickman to Caleb Brown pass play put the Cougars in position to take the lead back from the Wildcats. Following a tough goal line stand by Silliman, Nettles would find paydirt on a one-yard run on fourth down. Myrick added the PAT to put the Cougars back on top at 20-16 with just over five minutes to play.

Silliman would need to answer quickly and seemed to be headed in that direction but after a 12-yard run, BA defender Ethan Harris hit Kelly from behind, jarring the ball loose. It was recovered by Steven Williams, giving the Cougars the opportunity to ice the game with a few first-down conversions.

Only able to move the chains one time, the Cougars were forced to punt back to the Wildcats with 1:31 left in the contest. A 39-yard punt over the receiver’s head that seemingly left him with nowhere to run quickly turned into 40-yard return down to the Cougar 17-yard line.

Silliman QB Zach Kelly would put the Wildcats back on top 23-20 with a five-yard TD run and a Myers kick, giving a mere :50 for the Cougars to work with.

Taking the kick back to the 35-yard line, the Cougars faced a tough task to possibly tie with a field goal or win the game with a touchdown. Things looked even tougher after a third down sack by Silliman that left the Cougars facing a fourth down and 23 yards to go as seconds ticked away.

Hickman then found Brown in the middle of the field, and he turned and sprinted up the Cougar sideline for a 60-yard pass and run only to be caught by the last Wildcat defender at the Silliman 22-yard line.

After a short pass play, the Cougars decided to take a shot at a 36-yard field goal attempt with :02 left to play. The kick was subsequently blocked by the interior of the Silliman defensive line, sealing the victory for the Wildcats 23-20.

Knowing his team played their hearts out and more than well enough to get the victory, McCarty commented after the game, “I hurt for these young men. They have such great attitudes, they’ve stuck together and no doubt played well enough to win this ballgame.”

He continued, “Our offensive line controlled the game from start to finish against a team that has several kids that will play at the next level.

“This one hurts but we have to put it behind us and get ready for Copiah next week.”

Statistically the Cougars had 284 total offensive yards vs. Silliman’s 148 yards for the game.

BA was led by Landon Nettles, who rushed for 70 yards and two touchdowns. Connor Dorman had 68 yards and one score and Heath Hickman added to the total with 49 yards on the ground. Hickman also passed for 97 yards on seven attempts. Caleb Brown hauled in three grabs for 91 yards on the evening.

Silliman was led by quarterback Kelly’s two touchdown runs and tailback Todd Micah Bourgeois, who had 63 yards rushing and a touchdown.

Defensively, the Cougars were led by Michael Fiorella with six tackles on the night. Landon Nettles and Travis Thornton added five and a half and four stops, respectively.

The Cougars are back on the road next week, traveling due north to Gallman to face the Copiah Academy Colonels. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.