Capitals keep Bearcats winless
By Michael Orr

Photo by Morgen Young Columbia's Chris Payne (#4) leads running back Cedric Jeffcoat down field. Jeffcoat ran for three touchdowns against Brookland- Cayce. He has 10 touchdowns in five games to go with 571 yards rushing.On defense, Payne has 60 tackles.

On a rain- soaked night, in a game slowed by lightening delays and injuries, Columbia High School used its rushing superiority to overtake Brookland- Cayce, September 14. Cedric Jeffcoat scored three touchdowns and Justin Payne threw for one touchdown and ran for another giving Columbia a 5- 0 record heading into their bye week.
Brookland- Cayce 6
Columbia 28

Skies were friendly as the game kicked off, though early success was not to be found by either team. Both defenses shut down their opponents in the first minutes as they traded punts and possession. Midway through the quarter, however, the rain began. What already looked to be a game featuring mostly rushing was confirmed as passing the ball became a near impossibility as the torrents fell. The Capitals managed to trudge down the field and with a minute left in the quarter, Jeffcoat crashed into the end zone. The extra point fell short and left the score 6- 0.

The second quarter featured a strong rushing attack by Columbia as the rain continued, but penalties derailed the Capitals drive after several minutes. Just as a muffed punt by the Bearcats gave Columbia new life at the BC 18- yard line, the sky lit up with nearby lightening and a violent crash of thunder left the officials no choice but to send the players and coaches off the field. The rain briefly stopped but the lightening continued for nearly an hour, causing an hour and a half delay. When it was finally deemed safe enough for the players to return to the field, hardly 100 fans were left in the bleachers. Columbia immediately took the initiative, undeterred by the time off, scoring on an 18- yard Jeffcoat carry with 7:33 left in the extended first half. A Justin Payne pass to Curtis Dunbar gave the Capitals a two- point conversion and a 14- 0 lead.

BC's defense stepped up late in the half with a big hit by Pedro Vargas. Forcing a fumble and several punts. The Bearcats were very much in the game, despite their offensive woes, but a fumble with 20 seconds left in the half gave Columbia the ball on the BC 17- yard line. Jeffcoat caught a screen pass to the right side but changed directions, made several Bearcats miss and found his way into the left corner of the end zone, crushing the Brookland- Cayce spirit with 6.4 seconds left in the first half. Tacking on the extra point gave Columbia a 21- 0 halftime lead.

Jeffcoat opened the second half with an electric kickoff return of 45 yards. Two Justin Payne passes to Dunbar gained another 40 yards for the Capitals, but a fumble on the Bearcats' three- yard line stalled the drive. Corey Robinson, running in place of injured leading rusher Demetrius Jackson, gave Brookland- Cayce some hope with strong runs midway through the third quarter, but ultimately the Bearcats punted, giving the vaunted Capitals offense more chances to score. A quarterback sweep by Justin Payne, a bruising run by Chris Payne brought Columbia into the red zone where Justin Payne again called his own number to the tune of a 15- yard keep and a 28- 0 lead.

As the third quarter came to a close, the scariest moment of any game occurred as Brookland- Cayce linebacker Cody Cooper crashed into his own teammate and lay motionless on the field for nearly 20 minutes. Cooper was removed from the field on a stretcher and taken to a local hospital via ambulance. The good news coming from the hospital was Cooper had sustained a concussion but was feeling much better, a sigh of relief to the Bearcats team and fans.

The fourth quarter showed the grit of Brookland- Cayce as they continued to play hard despite being down four touchdowns. Robinson carved through the Capitals' defense and quarterback Kenyatta Castleberry found his rhythm with wide receiver Hassan Williams on several passes, the culmination of which was a 30- yard touchdown pass with 4:16 remaining in the game.

After a successful onside kick, the Bearcats attempted to keep their strong fourth quarter showing, but were intercepted by Columbia's James Wagner with 2:10 left in the game. The Capitals ran out the clock to complete their 28- 6 victory.

Columbia will rest this week, having started the season a week early and will travel to Region 4- 2A foe Gilbert on September 28. Brookland- Cayce will complete its non- region schedule by hosting White Knoll September 21.