Pioneers take down Tigers

— Jarod Cousins has waited for his opportunity to play quarterback at Gentry.

On Friday night, he showed he’s more than ready to do the job.

Cousins accounted for four touchdowns - three rushing and one passing - to lead the Pioneers to a 24-18 win over WestFork at Tiger Stadium.

“That first one is always important for the confidence,” Gentry football coach Brian Little said. “Especially for a young team.”

Gentry’s defense forced two West Fork turnovers on the Tigers’ first two possessions, and the Pioneers (1-0) turned them into points. Taking advantage of the mistakes helped the Pioneers getout in front and stay there.

“Our defense gave us the turnovers. They were huge, and we capitalized on them,” Little said. “And when you can do that, you have a good chance to win.”

The Pioneers’ spread offense was on display early as Gentry scored on four of its six possessionsin the first half. Cousins, who rushed for 193 yards on 28 attempts, accounted for all four Pioneers touchdowns.

“We would like to balance that out with about that many passing yards,” Little said, “but there is certainly no doubt that he makes us go.”

Cousins played wide receiver last year, but he quickly showed he’s ready to direct the offense,hitting Dustin Stoufflet streaking down the field for a 36-yard touchdown pass. Cousins followed it up with a nine-yard touchdown run to give the Pioneers a 12-0 lead with 2:16 left in the first quarter.

After two turnovers to start the game, the WestFork offense was looking for answers, and it turned to junior running back Wyatt Montgomery. The Tigers put together a scoring drive late in the first quarter, highlighted by a Montgomery 50-yard touchdown run with 38 seconds remaining.

Sports, Pages 9 on 09/05/2012