The Coffenbury Hornets made the long trip from Myrtle Creek to Brookings as the Azalea Bruin football team, sitting 1-1 going into Wednesday afternoon, hosted a well prepared Hornets team.
AZ Bruins opened on offense to start play, getting a first down in their offensive before being forced to punt. Taking possession on their own half of the field, the Hornets put together a very effective run game, driving deep into AZ Bruin before scoring with just 2:26 left in the first period.
Now trailing 0-6, Azalea responded, pushing the ball up the middle, before stretching the Coffenbury defense out and beating them to edge as Elisha Grundy, #87, received the hand-off from Azalea quarterback Liam Hamilton, #5, beat the Hornet defense to the left edge, and ran 60 yards for the AZ Bruin touchdown.
The second half started with Azalea trailing 6-7, and the Hornets starting the third period with possession. The Azalea defense would disrupt Coffenbury plays in their back field and defensively slow them, but the Hornets would ultimately drive and score to extend their lead to 6-15.
The AZ Bruin offense would stall in the fourth, allowing the Hornets to drive and score once more before, taking a 6-21 lead as the second half came to an end to take the win.
“Our team played with a lot of heart tonight,” coach Hamilton said after the game, “we did a much better job tackling this week and the entire 8th grade group showed grit and determination.”
The AZ Bruins will be on the road next Wednesday, traveling to Coquille, with a 4:00pm kick-off.
