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EIGHTH GRADE...
Brandon Magee runs for a first down against Tri-County North. |
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SEVENTH GRADE...
Deron White races for a touchdown in a victory over Tri-County North. |
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COVINGTON 30, ANSONIA 8 (8TH & 7TH)
OCTOBER 18, 2011 - COVINGTON
The Covington junior high football team closed out the season with an impressive 30-8 victory over Ansonia to finish 7-1 on the season and claim a share of the Cross County Conference championship with Arcanum - a team the Buccs never had the opportunity to play.
"This was fun," said Covington coach Lee Donnan of the season. "It was a lot of work, but it was so much fun getting those kids to play like they did this season."
There were some bumps along the road for Covington, including a loss to Miami East, but the kids hung together as a team and overcame the adversity as a unit.
"All of the seventh and eighth graders were instrumental in this," said Donnan. "To see how they had practiced against each other and pushed each other all season long is gratifying. And we've been doing this since August the second and had camps even before that. But the kids came in every day and worked hard."
And so did the coaches.
"That's why the coaching staff we have here is so important," Donnan continued. "Those guys (the coaches) made it happen. All the hours teaching these kids and keeping them interested and focused on what we are trying to accomplish is very rewarding."
It was a long season, but it flew by in a blink of an eye - coming to a conclusion on Tuesday against Ansonia, a team that brought 14 or 15 kids who came to play some hard-nosed football.
"I'd like to give credit to the Ansonia kids because they came in here and took it to us," Donnan praised. "I know they didn't have a lot of numbers, but what they did have came to play and they played hard. That's the type of kids they have over there at Ansonia - kids who come to play."
And Covington found itself on the short end of an 8-6 score at the end of the first quarter as Ansonia recorded a safety and then a touchdown pass.
But like the Buccs have done all season, they responded with a long touchdown run by Brandon Magee to take a 14-8 lead at the break.
Another Magee touchdown and one by Jared Williams followed in the second half to make the score more lopsided than the way the contest was played.
"It was a tough game and you wouldn't want it any other way," said Donnan. "I'm so proud of these kids everything they've accomplished. It's hard to believe the season is over."
A season that concluded with plenty of rewards.
COVINGTON 16, MECHANICSBURG 28 (7TH)
OCTOBER 17, 2011 - MECHANICSBURG
It wasn't the way the Covington seventh graders wanted their season to end after dominating the previous five games of the season only to put forth a lackluster effort in the season finale at Mechanicsburg on Monday.
"This wasn't the same football team that played all season long," said Covington coach Lee Donnan after a frustrating 28-16 defeat. "It wasn't the same team that rallied together to keep (Fort) Loramie from scoring. It wasn't the same team that played with passion against Miami East. We didn't come to play and that's the last thing I thought I would ever say about this group of kids."
That's because the seventh grade class has always showed heart and a passion for the game - way back to their experience in pee wee football.
But that passion and desire was nowhere to be found until Mechanicsburg had built a 20-0 lead early in the third quarter - primarily running the football against a Covington defense that has surrendered just eight points in the previous five games.
"For some reason the kids weren't physical like they normally are," Donnan said. "I don't know if it was the long bus ride or the fact that they haven't played a game in three weeks. For some reason we didn't come to play football. It's a tough one to swallow, not because we lost, but because of the way we played."
Midway through the third quarter the Buccaneers suddenly came to life. It led to a pair of touchdown passes - both set up by the offensive execution of the triple option.
"Once the kids started to play we did some nice things," Donnan explained. "The kids didn't quit and that's the positive thing. Unfortunately, we waited too long to start playing football."
With the defeat, the seventh graders end their season with a 5-1 record and a year to think about it.
COVINGTON 44, NAT. TRAIL 12 (8TH & 7TH)
OCTOBER 11, 2011 - NEW PARIS
Rarely this season has the seventh and eighth grade football teams had the opportunity to play together. After all, the seventh grade has it's own schedule, as does the eighth graders.
But Tuesday evening the opportunity presented itself for the entire junior high team to see the field throughout a 44-12 win over National Trail.
"It's nice to get all of the kids in the game," said Covington coach Lee Donnan. "It's tough to do, but we were able to get it done."
Covington scored first on a short touchdown run by Brandon Magee, but National Trail stormed back to tie the score 6-6 on a touchdown run of its own.
"They have a nice fullback who ran hard," Donnan said of the Blazers. "We hit him all night, but he kept coming. That score by them was a wake-up call for us."
And Covington responded by scoring twice more before the half to take a 20-6 lead and then put 24 points on the board in the second half.
"Once we got rolling, they had a hard time stopping us," Donnan explained. "Our numbers and conditioning took over in the second half. We wore them down."
The victory improves the Buccs' eight grade record to 6-1 with the season finale next Tuesday at home against Ansonia. A win will give Covington at least a share of the CCC title.
The seventh graders conclude their schedule next Monday at Mechanicsburg, a game that has recently been scheduled. An unbeaten season is on the line for the Buccaneer seventh graders.
COVINGTON 12, TV SOUTH 7 (8TH & 7TH)
OCTOBER 4, 2011 - COVINGTON
You'll never find out about a football team's character when things go well. Character is discovered when things are going against your team and your kids respond in a big way.
Covington junior high coach Lee Donnan and his staff found out what kind of character their group of seventh and eighth graders had Tuesday evening in a 12-7 victory over Twin Valley South.
"The kids started to figure out that as long as they are ready to fight, it will happen," said Donnan. "There were kids who were hurting, but they kept playing. I'm so proud of these kids."
First, rewind one week to the 20-0 defeat at Miami East. The Buccaneers didn't respond well to adversity and didn't play to the expectations of a Covington football team.
Second, for one half of football against Twin Valley South, the Buccs let one big play by the Panthers get into their heads - a 70-yard touchdown pass on third-and-long, when it appeared as though Covington had the play stopped in the backfield.
Third, the Buccs were facing an offense (the spread offense) they haven't seen. Being that its junior high ball and there isn't much film study to prepare for each opponent, the Buccs were behind the curve in regards to defending the spread. Sure, they could practice defending the spread, but couldn't work on identifying tendencies and formations.
"All we did was get ready for a passing team," Donnan explained. "Other than that, we just worked on the fundamentals. That's what we focused on (defensively)."
Fourth, Covington moved the ball deep into Twin Valley South's territory on a well executed drive and actually reach the end zone - only to have the touchdown waved off due to a penalty.
Needless to say, things looked very bleak for Covington at the half, trailing 7-0 and self destructing along the way.
"All we talked about (at the half) was just keep going," said Donnan. "We were moving the ball. We just had to finish."
The kids showed what kind of character they have as a unit in the second half.
First, quarterback Jared Williams lifted Covington out of the shadows with an amazing run - dodging and weaving his way 65 yards on a touchdown run. But adversity struck again as Covington was stopped inches short of the two-point conversion - leaving the score 7-6 in favor of the visiting Panthers.
After stopping the Panthers on the next possession, Covington put together its most impressive drive of the game - moving the ball inside the Twin Valley South ten.
Unfortunately the drive stalled - this time with a ten-yard loss on a pitchout on fourth-and-goal with under 5:00 to go.
Knowing the Panthers were going to continue to attack through the air, the Buccaneer defensive line put pressure on the Twin Valley South backfield and eventually forced a punt with just over 3:00 left in the contest. The punt went out of bounds at the Panther 49, giving Covington one last shot at claiming victory.
And the Buccs put all of the bad plays and adversity behind them, driving 49 yards for the score as Williams squeezed his way in from a yard out with 1:10 left in the game. The two-point conversion attempt fell short once again, leaving the score 12-7 in favor of the Buccs.
"At the end there the kids realized they couldn't be stopped if they just go," explained Donnan. "That drive was some good stuff."
The final 1:10 of the game lasted an eternity as South moved the ball near midfield with one pass.
But Covington's defensive line stepped up to the challenge and stuffed the Panthers on two straight plays. The Panthers then killed the clock with 36 second left to make it fourth down.
Facing fourth-and-sixteen, South found an open receiver in the middle of the field and the Covington defense swarmed to the ball - stopping the Panther receiver a foot from the first down.
"How much a few inches mean," Donnan said. "It was close. But the thing is, we had kids who sucked it up - some eighth graders and seventh graders."
Covington then kneeled on the final play to preserve the 12-7 victory over a very determined Panther squad.
"This was a total team win," Donnan said. "The eight graders, the seventh graders, they all got it done."
They got it done with adversity staring them through their face masks - adversity that at times was self inflicted.
"It wasn't a consistent effort, which is what the kids need to figure out," concluded Donnan. "When these kids figure it out, watch out. There's a good group of kids going to be moving up to the high school level next year as freshman."
The Buccs improve to 5-1 and travel to National Trail next week.
COVINGTON 14, MIAMI EAST 0 (7TH)
SEPTEMBER 27, 2011 - CASSTOWN
It wasn't the type of performance the Buccaneer seventh grade football team is accustom too, but the youngsters managed to do just enough to capture a 14-0 win over Miami East to finish the season undefeated at 5-0.
"The seventh grade didn't play with the fire they had a week ago, but they found a way to win," said Covington junior high coach Lee Donnan. "An undefeated season, giving up just one touchdown in five games - that's pretty good stuff."
The Buccs opened the contest by executing a drive deep into Viking territory, but the drive stalled inside the ten on a failed fourth-and-goal attempt.
Two plays later the Vikings fumbled and Covington's Adam Lefeld recovered the ball in the end zone for a touchdown. Nathan Blei then ran for the two-point conversion to give the Buccs an 8-0 lead.
"Things started kind of rough for us," said Donnan. "We had the long drive and couldn't punch it in, but the kids never got down on themselves. They put it behind them and played defense."
Neither team could get much offense going in muddy field conditions over the next two quarters, although Covington had a golden opportunity to score late in the third quarter after a critical third down reception by Tristin Sowers gained 25 yards. The Buccs turned the ball over on downs a few plays later.
"Things didn't always go right for us," Donnan said. "But the kids found a way."
And that way came in the final minute of the fourth quarter when the Buccs sealed the game with a seven-yard touchdown run by Branden Robinson.
"I'm pleased with the seventh graders because they don't know any other way than playing to win," Donnan explained. "Sure, they didn't play as well as we would have liked, or they would have liked for that matter. But they played to win and did what they had to do to win."
Unless another seventh grade game can be scheduled with another team, the Buccs end their season at 5-0 and outscoring their opponents 102-8 and recording four straight shutouts along the way.
"I'm not into building up kids because they are still learning and growing, but this is a special group of kids," Donnan summarized. "The best things about them is they are coachable."
COVINGTON 0, MIAMI EAST 20 (8TH)
SEPTEMBER 27, 2011 - CASSTOWN
The Covington eighth grade entered Tuesday's game at Miami East with a defense that hasn't allowed a touchdown in the previous four games. The eight points scored by Bradford came against the seventh grade and the eight points allowed to Tri-County North was from an interception return for a score.
But the Buccs' defense couldn't maintain its stellar play against Miami East as the Vikings scored three times to hand Covington its first defeat of the season, 20-0.
"That's a very good (Miami) East team," praised Covington coach Lee Donnan. "I feel we are better than we showed, but you have to give them credit for being a good football team."
The tone of the game was set on two plays early in the game as Covington was called for a late hit on a third down quarterback sack and Miami East responded with a 60-yard touchdown run on the very next play.
"When that penalty went against us, the kids didn't respond," Donnan explained. "Instead of putting it behind us and moving on, we played on our heals and they took advantage (with the long run)."
Things got worse for Covington as Miami East recovered a mishandled pitch and then scored again to make the score 14-0 at the break.
"The fumbles killed us," Donnan said. "We had way too many fumbles on pitches and that's something we practice all the time."
And it was another fumbled pitch that added to Covington's demise in the fourth quarter. Once again Miami East capitalized with a short touchdown pass to take a 20-0 lead.
"We didn't respond to adversity very well," said Donnan. "When things went wrong, our kids never were able to get over it."
Miami East had one more chance to score late in the game, but a holding penalty ended the threat as the final second ticked off with the score 20-0.
"We have to regroup and focus on what mistakes we need to correct before next week," Donnan stated. "We have one loss, as does Miami East and Tri-County North. If we can regroup and win out, we'll be right there at the top."
Covington hosts Twin Valley South next Tuesday.
COVINGTON 14, TRI-COUNTY NORTH 8 (8TH)
SEPTEMBER 20, 2011 - COVINGTON
It was a classic matchup between two very good junior high football teams on Tuesday as the Covington Buccaneers hosted Tri-County North in a battle between two unbeaten teams.
And the game was all that and more - a hard-fought contest to the end - with Covington coming out on to 14-8.
"Tonight was a real good test for us," said Covington coach Lee Donnan. "That's a very good football team Tri-County North has and we had to work for everything we got."
And the work started in the opening possession of the game as Covington used up the entire first quarter and one minute of the second quarter to reach pay dirt for a 6-0 lead as the two-point conversion fell short.
"A nine-minute drive, wow," said Donnan. "It was fun seeing those kids just go. I can't wait to see that on film."
The Panthers put together a nice drive on its opening possession, but it stalled in Covington territory - where the Buccs took over the ball inside their own twenty.
Facing a third-and-ten with under 2:00 left in the half, Covington's pass was picked off and returned to the end zone to tie the score. The two-point conversion attempt by North was successful, putting the Buccs behind 8-6 at the half.
"That was a nice play by them," Donnan praised. "We went into halftime focused on putting that one behind us and worrying about what we had to do in the second half."
Which was executing, something the Buccs did on the game-winning drive early in the fourth quarter.
"We were looking to get some back-side options and Jared (Williams) used it for a nice run there to set up the score," said Donnan.
Which came on a short run by Brandon Magee, followed by a two-point conversion run to put Covington on top 14-8.
Covington's defense stuffed North on its next possession, shutting down a fourth down attempt a midfield. But Covington couldn't do anything with the short field and the punt was blocked, giving the Panthers one last shot at the game-winner with just over 2:00 to go.
The Covington defense stiffened one last time as Ian Fries stuffed two plays in the backfield and Noah Thomas ended the threat with an interception.
"Ian (Fries) played a whale of a game," Donnan praised. "Our entire defense played well. When you have all eleven guys swarming to the ball, good things happen."
And Covington needed that defensive effort because North had some kids on offense that make life difficult.
"That number seven for them is a player," said Donnan. "He's not the only one either, but you can tell he makes things go. He's an all-around good football player."
The celebration of beating a very good football team will be short lived for the Buccs as a trip to Miami East is slated for next Tuesday.
"East will be tough," said Donnan. "We'll have to be ready to play because they know us very well and we know them very well. It's going to be fun."
The eight graders will tee it up immediately after the seventh grade game, which begins at 4:30pm.
COVINGTON 42, TRI-COUNTY NORTH 0 (7TH)
SEPTEMBER 20, 2011 - COVINGTON
The Buccaneer seventh graders put together an impressive outing against Tri-County North, improving to 4-0 with a 42-0 victory.
"Our seventh graders are tenacious and football smart," said a pleased Covington coach Lee Donnan. "I don't want to build them up too much because they are still learning and do have a lot to work on, but this was a dominating, team effort."
The Buccs took command early, scoring on their first possession and then two more times before the half for a 20-0 lead.
Covington then followed up the second half with three more touchdowns to cap an impressive offensive evening.
"We don't pass a lot, especially with our seventh graders, but when we had a nice lead late in the game we tride some pass plays," Donnan said. "We scored a touchdown there at the end with a pass play, but it was just something where we were trying to see how our kids would execute the passing game."
But it was the defensive effort that stood out most as North managed just one first down.
"Every week the kids get better," Donnan said. "We had kids swarming to the ball and hitting hard. They like to hit."
The fact that the Buccs were able to get a seventh grade game against Tri-County North was something Donnan was very pleased with.
"They (Tri-County North) have a nice number of kids, which shows that program is a strong one," said Donnan. "It's good to get a seventh grade game and an eighth grade game on the same night. Hopefully we both can keep our numbers up and continue this. We like playing them because the are hard-nosed kids over there."
The seventh graders will take on Miami East next Tuesday at 4:30pm in what will be another double-header with the eighth graders playing the headliner.
COVINGTON 16, FORT LORAMIE 0 (7TH)
SEPTEMBER 15, 2011 - FORT LORAMIE
Every coach needs to find what kind of competitive drive and desire his kids have and what better way to find that out than when his team has their backs against their own goal line?
That's the situation Covington junior high coach Lee Donnan saw his seventh grade football team in at Fort Loramie on Thursday.
Leading 16-0 in the waning moments, Fort Loramie used a double pass and a run up the middle to move the ball to the Covington two-yard line. Sure, the outcome wasn't in doubt because a score by Fort Loramie wouldn't be enough to catch Covington on the scoreboard - but Donnan wanted to see how these youngsters would respond with their backs against the wall.
And the kids responded in a big way, playing all out to stop Fort Loramie short of the goal line on four straight plays as the clock ran out.
"I can't say enough about these kids," said a very pleased Covington coach. "We've been trying to get these kids to play with emotion and they played with it tonight. They don't want to get scored on, not just one or two of them, the entire group is like that. The kids learned a lot about themselves on that defensive stand at the end of the game."
The emotion and passion the kids played with for four quarters resembles the same emotion and passion this group played with last season as sixth graders in the championship game at Bethel. That emotion and passion has been missing since, but it returned in a big way tonight.
"I saw that game (against Bethel last season) and this is the first time I've seen that kind of intensity and drive from the kids since then," Donnan said. "I think they are starting to figure it out."
Covington fumbled on its first offensive snap and then twice more while driving inside Fort Loramie territory. But each time the kids put the mistakes behind them and kept playing hard.
"We made a mistake right off the bat and gave them a short field," Donnan said. "But these kids responded. Everything isn't always going to go your way, but you have to keep playing and that's what the kids did - they kept playing."
The effort eventually paid off for the Buccs as the offense broke through with two touchdown runs in the contest - both followed by two-point conversions for a 16-0 advantage.
But it wasn't the touchdowns that showed the character of this group of kids.
It was how they responded with their backs against the wall.
COVINGTON 34, BRADFORD 6 (8TH & 7TH)
SEPTEMBER 13, 2011 - COVINGTON
The Covington junior high football team led rival Bradford 20-0 at the half, but there were no smiling faces in the Buccaneer locker room.
"We (the coaches) were not happy with the eight graders at halftime," said Covington Junior High coach Lee Donnan. "We didn't have any emotion or fire. This (Bradford) is our biggest rival and we come out sitting on our hands. Are you kidding me?"
The score didn't mean anything to Donnan, and it shouldn't. Kids who want to be prepared for high school must learn how to go all out on every play and play with passion and desire. It's the only way successful teams play the game and the eighth graders who played for three quarters tonight have a short time to learn it.
"Our line wasn't firing off the ball and we were basically going through the motions," said of the first half. "We'll look at the film and point out every kid that stood straight up."
In spite of the ho-hum effort, the Buccs still managed to score on a halfback pass from Jordan Machino to Coleman Ryan and a pair of touchdown runs by Brandon Magee.
Donnan and the other coaches did their best to get the kids "UP" for the second half and the result was a little better.
"We played a little better in the second half," Donnan said. "There was a little more emotion, but it could be better."
Jared Williams scored on a 48-yard touchdown and then followed with a three-yard score to push the Covington lead to 34-0 at the end of the third quarter.
Which is when the seventh graders took the field.
"Now the seventh graders came to play some football," said Donnan. "We couldn't play any of them until the fourth quarter because they have a full seventh grade game on Thursday at Fort Loramie. But these guys came to play."
Bradford was in the midst of a drive to start the fourth quarter, holding the ball at midfield when the seventh graders entered the game.
And it took the Railroaders six minutes to move 50 yards and reach pay dirt to make the score 34-6.
"That says something about our seventh graders, to hold them for so long," Donnan said. "We nearly had them stopped a couple of times, but we were rotating a lot of kids in and out trying to get as many kids in as we could with not a whole lot of time. And the seventh graders made them work for that touchdown."
Covington got the ball back with just 2:00 left on the clock and took just three plays to move the ball inside the Bradford ten.
But time ran out on the seventh graders as the score remained 34-6.
"It didn't matter that the seventh grade didn't score," said Donnan. "We had all three of our timeouts and in a regular situation we would have used them. There was no need to do that because we saw what we wanted from those kids."
The seventh grade travels to Fort Loramie on Thursday and both squads will be in uniform next Tuesday as Tri-County North comes to town.
COVINGTON 48, BETHEL 0 (8TH)
SEPTEMBER 6, 2011 - BRANDT
Covington junior high football coach Lee Donnan couldn't have been more happy with the "Team Effort" of his eighth grade football squad in a 48-0 victory over Bethel, Tuesday.
"Good team football," said Donnan, without hesitation. "It was a complete team effort by everyone. Every kid on the team contributed to this."
Covington showcased a potent offense, jumping out to a 16-0 lead in the first quarter and extending the margin to 30-0 at the break.
Three more touchdowns went on the board in the second half in an impressive showing by the Buccs.
"Our backs ran hard and our linemen did a nice job sustaining their blocks," Donnan explained. "We executed better than last week, which is what you want to see from one game to the next - improvement."
As well as the offense played, it was the play of the Buccaneer defense and special teams that pleased Donnan the most.
"We got after it on defense and in special teams," he stated. "We held them without a first down and didn't give up any points. We also blocked four punts tonight. Our line was dominant."
Even though Covington has outscored its opponents 84-0 in the first two games, there is plenty of room for improvement.
"We're playing well, but we can't think we're all that," Donnan said. "We can improve in every phase of the game and it starts with our effort in practice. Every team we play is gunning for us and we have to continue to work to get better."
The next team gunning for the Buccs is rival Bradford, who visits Covington next Tuesday.
COVINGTON 8, MIAMI EAST 0 (7TH)
SEPTEMBER 5, 2011 - COVINGTON
With last week's practices being adjusted because of the extreme heat and a long holiday weekend, it was tough to get the seventh grade team fully prepared for Miami East on Monday.
But somehow the coaches managed to take advantage of the limited time they had with the kids and the kids put forth more intensity than the season opener a week ago.
And the result was a hard-fought 8-0 victory over the Vikings.
"The kids did a nice job today playing with more intensity than we saw last week," said Covington junior high coach Lee Donnan. "We wasn't sure what we would get from them with the long weekend and such, but the boys came ready to play."
The first possession for the Buccs couldn't have gone any worse as they turned the ball over at their own 20 on a poor snap on a punting attempt. Fortunately the defense forced a Viking fumble on the first snap of the ensuing possession and the Buccs took over at the same spot of the previous possession.
The Buccs then drove the ball to the Viking ten before a third down fumble ended the threat.
"We have to get the fumbles under control," said Donnan.
The Buccaneers held Miami East on its next drive and moved methodically down the field and scored on a 30-yard pass from Branden Robinson to Tristin Sowers. Nathan Blei ran in the two-point conversion to make the score 8-0.
The score would stand the rest of they way as Covington failed to capitalize on two more scoring opportunities in the second half.
"We didn't run the option very well," Donnan said. "Our slot backs ran pretty well, but we have some things we need to work on."
With the seventh graders not playing until next Thursday at Fort Loramie, they'll have more time to work on the things that need shored up.
COVINGTON 36, MISSISSINAWA 0 (8TH)
AUGUST 30, 2011 - COVINGTON
The entire eighth grade roster contributed in an impressive 36-0 victory over Mississinawa Valley in the season opener on Tuesday as five different kids found the end zone.
After turning the ball over via fumble on the first offensive play, the Buccs regrouped in a hurry. Jordan Machino started the scoring with a touchdown run in the first quarter and then Jared Williams followed with another score to put the Buccs up 14-0 at the half.
The lead could have been more if it wasn't for a clipping penalty that negated a Shane Straw jaunt into the end zone and a holding penalty that pushed the Buccs back with first-and-goal inside the five.
Still, Covington continued its dominance in the second half as fullback Brandon Magee powered his way up the middle for the score and then Zack Barnes scooped up a fumble and raced 40 yards for another Buccaneer touchdown.
Leading 28-0 into the fourth quarter, Covington gave every back a chance to run the ball and Coleman Ryan took advantage of his opportunity by scooting his way into the end zone from ten yards out.
Noah Thomas put the final two points on the board with a conversion run to make the final 36-0.
The Covington eighth grade takes to the road next Tuesday at Bethel.
COVINGTON 22, FORT LORAMIE 8 (7TH)
AUGUST 29, 2011 - COVINGTON
The Covington seventh grade football team got off to a fast start on Monday in a 22-8 victory over Fort Loramie on the home field.
And it was the first play of the game that set the tone.
"That first play our line blew them off the ball," said Covington junior high coach Lee Donnan. "This was a good start by the seventh graders."
Covington built a 16-0 lead at the break on two touchdown runs by quarterback Nathan Blei, a two point conversion by Daren White and a safety by Tristin Sowers.
But it could have been more if it weren't for a clipping penalty and a failed fourth-and-goal attempt in the waning moments of the half.
"Once we got a lead our offensive line started to play complacent," Donnan explained. "That's something the kids need to work on, playing hard all the time."
The complacency carried over to the defensive unit in the second half as Fort Loramie scored on a long pass play and converted the two-point conversion to cut the margin to 16-8.
"We need to start reading our keys a little better," Donnan explained. "We also didn't get enough pressure on the quarterback."
But Covington responded on the first play of the ensuing possession with a 65-yard touchdown run by Nathan Blei, his third of the contest to make the final score 22-8.
"Overall, the kids played pretty well and they are learning," Donnan said. "They're still learning and that's the good thing. They are coachable kids and it showed tonight because they were able to take their passing game away once the kids got a feel for it."
The seventh graders host Miami East next Monday, September 5th.
MILTON SCRIMMAGE...
August 23, 2011 - Covington
Covington junior high football coach Lee Donnan couldn't have been more pleased with his seventh grade and eighth grade squads after impressive performances against Milton-Union in a scrimmage on Tuesday.
That's because the eighth grade team dominated for seven touchdowns to zero in the ten-play portion of the scrimmage and a one touchdown to zero in the down and distance part of the scrimmage.
The seventh graders were equally impressive, winning the ten-play sequence two touchdowns to zero and the down and distance portion one to zero. Another touchdown was called back due to a clipping penalty on an interception return.
"The kids played well," said an animated Covington coach. "The biggest thing was, both teams ran the option well, better than you'd expect for our first scrimmage."
The eighth graders, many who played up last year, played inspired football throughout the scrimmage - frustrating Milton in the trenches and breaking long runs for touchdowns.
"A lot of the eighth graders had to play up last year and they saw a lot of playing time against kids older than them," Donnan said. "Now they are showing the progress from that experience."
The seventh grade class, which won a pee wee title last year as sixth graders, picked up where they left off. They played with the same "Team Unity" that led to success a year ago.
"That's a tight group of kids who are motivated to do well," Donnan said of the seventh graders. "The thing about them is they are very coachable. They do what we we teach them and it showed today."
Even as well as both teams played, there are things that need to be improved upon before the season opener next week.
"The eighth grade sort of tailed off in the down and distance part and the seventh graders had a lull in the middle of their scrimmage - not playing with emotion," Donnan explained. "There were also some issues with the snaps and those are things we'll work on. Other than that, there's not too much to complain about."
The seventh graders open their season at home on Monday against Fort Loramie, while the eighth graders host Mississinawa Valley on Tuesday.
