With a playoff game on the line, the Velma-Alma Comets rose to the challenge on Friday. They secured a 58-52 W over Covington-Douglas. Winning may never get old, but Velma-Alma sure are getting used to it with their sixth in a row.
Velma-Alma found their leader in underclassman Slade Strickland, who rushed for 119 yards and two touchdowns, and also threw for 232 yards and four touchdowns while completing 72.7% of his passes. The team also got some help courtesy of Langsten Walker, who picked up 98 receiving yards and two touchdowns.
When it comes to explaining why Covington-Douglas lost, one person who can't be blamed is Ford Smith. Despite the final result, he rushed for 273 yards and three touchdowns while picking up 10.5 yards per carry, and also threw for 137 yards and two touchdowns. Smith was no stranger to the big play, taking off on a dash that went for 50 yards.
Velma-Alma has yet to lose a matchup at home this season, leaving them with a 10-1 record. That said, the team wasn't facing the toughest opposition over that stretch, as it included 3-8 Alex and 3-7 Waurika (their opponents had an average overall winning percentage of 42% over those games). As for Covington-Douglas, their defeat dropped their record down to 8-3.
Velma-Alma will take on Garber at TBD on Friday. Garber knows how to get points on the board -- the team has finished with flashy point totals in its past three matches -- so hopefully Velma-Alma likes a good challenge. Covington-Douglas does not have any more games scheduled as of now.
