TRURO - Forget all that talk about defence winning championships.
For the Cobequid Cougars, it's simpley keeping their playoff hopes alive.
The Orange Crush defence made a pair of interceptions and returned them for touchdowns to power Cobequid to a 28-8 victory over the Lockview Dragons Sunday in their Nova Scotia School Athletic Federation Football League tilt in front of 500 fans at James Macpherson Stadium.
The victory was a huge one for the Cougars (2-2) lifting them into a tie for the fourth and final Tier 1 playoff spot in the Nova Division with the C.P. Allen Cheetahs (2-2). Cobequid has two games remaining in the regular season.
"So we needed this one," said senior Cougars linebacker Calder Saunders.
After Cobequid built a 14-0 lead at half time, the Dragons (1-4) put the Cougars on their heels to open the third quarter and scored to make it a one-touchdown game. But after Cobequid flushed Lockview quarterback Daniel Mader from the pocket, Aidan Roy intercepted Mader's pass and ran 50 yards up the sideline to inject the Cougars with a healthy dose of energy and a 20-8 lead.
"That was the turning point," Saunders said. "That got us so fired up. It made it a different game."
Then the Cougars went on cruise control. The Cobequid defence never allowed the Dragons another meaningful drive and defensive back Andrew Murphy sealed the victory with a 40-yard interception return to make it 27-8. Lockview also conceded a point on a Cobequid punt through the endzone.
Running back Ben Petrie ran for 112 yards and scored a touchdown in the first half, while quarterback Gab Bagnell went on a 50-yard run for a major.
"Turnovers were real big," Cougars head coach Scott Annand said. "When you look at the two interceptions for touchdowns, that's certainly a positive."
But until Roy's interception, Sunday's game - and possibly Cobequid's postseason aspirations - was very much in doubt. The Dragons seemed to have the Cougars reeling as they connected through the air and found holes to run through on the ground.
"We just weren't settling down," Saunders said. "We were just rushing things. But Aiden's interception got us settled down and let us do things the way we know how to do them."
Defensive back Nick Simpson made nine tackles while Saunders added six, including a sack. Defensive end Drew Erskine also made a sack to go along with seven tackles.
The Cougars are back in action Friday when they travel to Burnside to take on the Cheetahs before meeting the Sir John A. Macdonald Flames Oct. 30 in a make-up contest.
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