Athens outlasts Cary

Cougars go 'up and down' to remain undefeated in holding off game Imps

CARY -- A week ago, Athens Drive coach Jeff Smouse said his team would be sick and tired of doing the hundreds of up-downs he planned to demand of them during the week of practice running up to Friday's game against Cary.

But at the end of Athens' 42-33 Tri-Eight slugfest with the Imps, the Jaguars were begging Smouse for 10 more.

"I love them," said Athens receiver T.J. Kornegay, who caught four passes for 143 yards and two touchdowns. "They're tiring [and] they hurt, but it pushes us even more. It paid off."

As the players threw themselves down to the turf and sprang back to their feet, it was a fitting conclusion for to an up-and-down night.

"I thought we gave a great effort, but we got beat by a little better team tonight," Cary coach Ben Kolstad said. "We were a couple plays short."

The Jaguars (6-0, 2-0 Tri-Eight) marched 89 yards on 16 plays on the game's first possession, with quarterback Nick DeMuro capping the drive on a 1-yard touchdown run on third-and-goal.

Cary (3-3, 1-1) responded with a long drive of its own. The Imps went 65 yards on 14 plays in 7:46. Cameron Castor caught an 11-yard TD pass from quarterback Kendall Smith, but the Imps missed the extra point.

Cary tried to keep Athens' high-powered offense, which entered the night averaging 39.6 points per game, off the field as much as possible. The Imps didn't break from their offensive huddle until 10 seconds remained on the play clock throughout most of the game. This translated into a seven-minute time of possession advantage for Cary, but not much else.

"If anything, it made us more hungry," said DeMuro, who passed for 346 yards, threw for two scores and ran for one more. "Every time we got out on the field, we knew we had to score."

That was certainly the case since the Jags did little to stop Cary tailback Denny Feracho. The 5-foot-8 senior rushed 31 times for 234 yards, with touchdown runs of 71, 15 and 8 yards, to keep the Imps alive.

While Cary relied heavily on its ground game, it stayed alive late thanks to Smith and Castor.

The QB-receiver duo hooked up for a second touchdown, this time from 24 yards out on third- and-7, to cut the Athens lead to 35-33 with 3:53 to play.

But like they'd done all night, the Jaguars had a resounding answer.

On the second play of the ensuing series, Kornegay sprinted by the Imps secondary and hauled in a game-clinching 44-yard touchdown pass.

A few minutes, later, Kornegay and his teammates were whooping for more up-downs and reveling in their unbeaten record at the season's midway point.