Cougars gash, flash, behind Fishburne’s four TD passes
- Updated: November 14, 2015
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Pierre Alexander awaits the arrival of a deflected pass for a touchdown during the second quarter Friday night. / photo by Ramon Scott
By Bill Dickens
© EastCountySports.com
RANCHO SAN DIEGO (11-14-15 — Known primarily for its steady ground game and strong arm defense, the Steele Canyon Cougars went to the long ball Friday night (Nov. 13) to eliminate Vista 31-20 in the first round of the San Diego CIF Division I playoffs.
Quarterback THOMAS FISHBURNE hurled scoring passes of 83 yards to NY JOHNSON, 74 yards to SEAN TODD and 24 and 7-yard scoring strikes to PIERRE ALEXANDER to turn a battle of ground forces into the Cougars’ 7th win in 11 decisions.
Fishburne finished with 8 completions in 12 throws for 236 yards.
“Teamwork makes the dream work,” said sophomore fullback AMIR HARRIS, who logged 3 tackles in the Cougars’ conquest. “They came at us so we just had to come out and make plays.”
Alexander, a 5-foot-8, 180-pound senior running back, rushed for 71 yards on 10 carries and caught 3 passes for 35 yards and 2 scores.
“Pierre wants to give a shout-out to Pierre,” said Alexander, who has a habit of speaking in the third person. “They already knew what we were going to do but they couldn’t stop us.”
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Malcom Anders carries on his featured drive during the third quarter Friday night. / photo by Ramon Scott
His sidekick, MALCOLM ANDERS, contributed 46 yards on 10 carries.
There are a couple of monikers that fit the Cougars backfield duo: Anders is “Thunder” and Alexander is “Lightning” – also known as “Gash and Flash.”
Anders, also known as “Drive Face” due to his hard-nosed running, said: “The bottom line is I like to drive between the tackles.”
Outside linebacker MIKEL OLIVER blocked a punt that flew 15 feet into the air and his teammate Harris made the recovery to set up the Cougars go-ahead touchdown scored by Alexander in the second quarter, giving Steele Canyon a 17-10 advantage.
“We have a lot of playmakers and this was just one time when we all came together,” said Oliver, who logged 5 tackles. “I came from the outside to block the punt – I was barely touched by the blocker.”
Outside linebacker WAYNE BARELA, who notched 6 tackles, noted: “We play all around good defense. My role was to stop the run. They run the dive and option and we were looking for it.”
XAVIER LEASAU recovered a fumble for the Cougars, as did AUGUST MANSHEIM.