HAGERSTOWN, Md. (WDVM) – The Jefferson Cougars improved to 5-0 this season with a 56-13 win over North Hagerstown Friday night.
“The things that we’ve been through the past couple of years…it feels great to be 5-0 right now,” said Jefferson head coach Craig Hunter.
Hunter said that he doesn’t think that the program has gone 5-0 since the 2014 season when they had star receiver Christian Johnson on the team who caught 65 passes that season and had over 1,400 receiving yards and 26 touchdowns.
The Cougars don’t have one standout player putting up those “Christian Johnson” type numbers this season, but they do have something, in fact a lot of things, working for them this season that they haven’t had in recent years.
“Experience. We have more experience,” said Hunter. “Playing together, the offseason, the commitment to guys in May to wanting to be excellent – that’s the difference between the last couple of years and now.”
“I feel like just our chemistry overall is awesome and everybody’s really meshing together,” said Cougars quarterback Sammy Roberts. “It all started in the summertime. We all stuck together as a team and we worked very hard so it’s showing on the field.”
“We still got a lot of work to do…a lot of season left…we just got to keep pushing,” said an out-of-breath Hunter who ran a few yards himself Friday night trying to avoid a Gatorade shower from his team after the game.
“[But with] all of the adversity that we’ve been through the last couple of years…the success that we’re having right now is great.”