Colts preparing to finish season on a high note
The Colts started hot, but couldn’t hold on in the anticipated return of the team in action on Friday Night Rivals! on The CW Chattanooga, falling to the North Murray Mountaineers 40-15. Even with the result not being what the Colts wanted, they fought harder than the score shows according to Coach Carter. “I was proud of the way we fought, and we made some plays, just not enough of them.”
The game started with a bang, as Waelyn Baliles hit Tyler Douglas on a 72 yard bomb on the game’s opening play, and the Colts followed with Jackson Lowery hauling in a 2-point conversion off of a fake PAT; putting them up 8-0 just moments into the game. “It energized us,” Carter exclaimed, “it was higher [the energy] than it had been all season.”
The game’s opening quarter and a half seesawed back-and-forth, with both teams trading scores. North Murray trailed behind Coahulla Creek 15-13 until midway through the second quarter when the Mountaineers took the lead for good, going into halftime with a 27-15 lead.
Waelyn Baliles went 8/17 in the game and passed for 163 yards. He also was the game’s leading rusher with 33 yards. Douglas scored both a TD through the air and on the ground for the Colts, adding 11 yards rushing to his 72 yards receiving. Kobe King also had 3 catches for 50 yards receiving.
“Leaps and bounds offensively,” Carter reports on the improvements he’s seen, “ you know we’re making plays and putting drives together.” Even though the points were not high enough against the ‘Neers, the offense has shown great improvement overall through the season.
Chevy Joyce and Tyler Douglas tied for leading tackles with 6 each. North Murray’s old-school offense was hard to stop, but the front 7 was able to apply pressure at times, led by Jackson Lowery and others. “We’re in the right spots, it’s now just guys making really good plays and making us miss,” Carter claims.
One guy that has stood out on the defense has been LB Chris Ewart. Carter said he has become one of the “emotional leaders of the defense.” He tries to be verbal and “hype the team up” during practices and before games to keep morale up, and during games he gives 110% to be the “player he wants to be.”
Chris thinks the defense played as physical against the Mountaineers as they have all season, and were “solid” throughout the game despite a couple of good offensive plays from North Murray.
As the Colts near the end of the season, a goal Chris has is to achieve another win for the team and be “technically sound in everything.” This week will be the final week of practice to perfect any techniques to achieve victory against Ringgold as the final game.
Coahulla is beginning the “leave it all on this field” mentality to finish off strong. They all aspire for one more win this season, and plan to work and give it their all in hopes to achieve that.
“All we have left to play for is our pride,” Carter wishes to emphasize the phrase in the final days of the 2024 season, “it’s not hard to do for these boys.” The Colts play to represent the program and the team the “right way,” and continue to overcome the hardships they encountered this season.
Coahulla heads to Ringgold High School this Friday to kickoff for the last time this season. Come out to see the Colts play one last time! Kickoff @ 7:30!
Article written by Ava Howell