The Cole Cougars had already won two in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 15.5 points), and they went ahead and made it three on Friday. They had just enough and edged Randolph out 35-32. The victory was all the more spectacular given Cole's disadvantage in MaxPreps' Texas football rankings (they are ranked 761st, while Randolph is ranked 318th).
Cole got their win on the backs of several key players, but it was Zachary Blue out in front who rushed for 62 yards and two touchdowns on only eight carries. Another big playmaker for Cole was Taiwo Atunrase, who returned a punt for a touchdown.
Randolph's defeat came despite a true team effort from the offense, with many players turning in solid performance. Perhaps the best among them was Lee Mcmooain iii, who picked up 93 receiving yards and two touchdowns. Another player making a difference was Collin Stucki, who threw for 280 yards and four touchdowns while picking up 10.8 yards per attempt.
Cole's victory bumped their record up to 5-3. As for Randolph, their loss ended a five-game streak of away wins dating back to last season and brought them to 8-1.
Cole will head out on the road to face off against Marion at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Hopefully Marion focused on turnovers this week since the team gave up four on Friday. As for Randolph, they will be playing in front of their home fans against Luling at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Luling is coming into the contest on a five-game losing streak.
