C98_Courtland

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Lee ground game buries Cougars, 26-14
by Mike Brown, The Connection, September 17-23, 1998
.    The Lee Lancers put their triple-option offense into high gear and steamrolled to a 26 - 14 non-conference road win over the Courtland Cougars ar Robert P. Woods Field Friday night.
.   Senior running backs Yonathan Moges and Omar Philmore proved too much for the Cougars as each ran for more than 100 yards. Moges and Philmore accounted for all of Lee's touchdowns, and each collected an interception on defense.
.   Lee improved to 2-0 on the season. Head coach Joe Muskett was happy with the win, but concerned about missed opportunities -- especially considering the Lancers' Liberty District schedule starts at home this Friday against the Marshall Statesmen.
.   "We're relieved to get out of this one with a victory," Muskett said. "With as many mistakes and turnovers as we had, we're fortunate because Courtland moved the ball very well. They had a new quarterback and we weren't ready for the option they ran. We had to make some adjustments to shut them down."
.   "We had three drives stall inside the 25 and we lost hthree or four fumbles," Musket said. "That's seven scoring opportunities we blew. We're got to correct that because against [Liberty District] teams like Madison, Langley, and Fairfax, you can't do that."
.   The Lancers scored first, but Courtland came right back and tied the score 7 - 7 with 9 minutes left in the first quarter. That's when Lee's running backs took over and led the Lancers to a 19 - 6 halftime lead.
.   "Their defense was pretty good and their line was penetrating and making things hard for us." Moges said. "Then our line took over and we started to move the ball. Once we got going, they couldn't stop us. Once we got going, they couldn't stop us. We committed too many penalties, so we'll have to correct that."
.   Philmore scored three touchdowns on 18 carries for 139 yards.
.   "It felt real good to get 100 yards and it all started with our offense line," he said. "Our defense stepped up, but we weren't very intense early. As long as our line doeswell we'll be good, but we can't take Marshall lightly next week. We're got to focus."
.   Courtland head coach Steve Havens kept a positive outlook after the loss.
    "I was pleased with our effort, but we needed to take advantage of their mistakes," he said. "We're a young team and we're got a number of kids who never played football before. We started well offensively, but Coach Muskett opened his offensive line splits and we weren't ready. We slowed them down at first, but then those two burners [Moges and Philmore] gave them instant offense."
.   Lee drew first blood when Philmore scored on a 5-yard run with 10:49 left in the first quarter. Rob Collier kicked the extra point for a 7 - 0 lead.
.   Less than two minutes later, Cougars quarterback Cortez Thompson tried o run for the two-point conversion but Lee stopped them to preserve a 7 - 6 lead.
.   Moges scored on a 4-yards run with 6 minutes left in the first quarter. The two-point conversion try failed and Lee led 13 - 6.
.   With 2:10 left in the first half, Philmore intercepted a Thompson pass and returned it 20-yards to the Courtland 18. Philmore look a handoff from quarterback Sean Dunn on the next day and scored. Dunn's pass failed on the two-point conversion try and Lee had a 19 - 6 lead.
.   Lee's first possession of the second half stalled at the 15-yard line and Collier missed a 34-yard field goal.
.   Courtland's next drive went no-where and Nathan Broughton dropped back to punt to Philmore. Philmore gathered in the punt and ran 57-yards for a score, but a clipping penalty brought the ball back to the Lancer 45-yard line.
.     Five plays later, Philmore scored from 9-yards out. Collier's kick made the score 26 - 6.
.   Courtland's Jawarren Cowles scored on a 57-yard run with 2:10 left in the game.
.   Thompson threw to Cowles for the two-point conversion for a 26 - 16 deficit

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