Carson Cooney, Oswego ‘D’ dominant once again against Neuqua Valley

OSWEGO – Carson Cooney and the Oswego defense announced its arrival as an elite unit last year with a season-opening shutout of Neuqua Valley. The Panthers went on to allow just 70 points over the entire regular season.

Can they be better?

“I 100% think we can be better,” said Cooney, a senior linebacker, third-year varsity player and Iowa recruit. “We’re a lot older, experienced, mostly all seniors. We’ll be a lot better this year.”

Cooney would get no arguments from Neuqua.

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The Panthers shut out the Wildcats until the last minute of the third quarter, making it almost seven quarters without a point allowed against Neuqua. Oswego forced three turnovers, and senior quarterback Brett Connolly threw two touchdowns and ran for a score in a 30-7 nonconference win.

“I saw this coming,” Cooney said. We worked hard for this all offseason. We were waiting for this moment and it came. Can’t say enough about how we played.”

Cooney was a terror defensively Friday, particularly in the second half. He drilled a Neuqua ballcarrier shortly out of halftime, dropped a running back for a loss and twice pressured Neuqua quarterback Kiet Truong.

The second time, with Oswego leading 21-7 early in the fourth quarter, allowed Panthers’ defensive end Trent Wollwert-Angle to tackle the Neuqua receiver for a safety. A play after the free kick, Connolly connected with Jeremiah Cain for a 37-yard TD to put the game away.

“Their offensive linemen couldn’t pick up the blitzes as well as we thought, so we just kept bringing the blitz and it kept working, kept getting pressure on the quarterback,” said Cooney, who had seven tackles, three for loss, and six quarterback hurries. “It’s a great feeling to get a play like that.”

Cain, a senior and Northern Iowa recruit, showcased his athleticism on both sides of the field.

He made a leaping interception of a Truong heave in the first half, his 50-yard return for a TD called back on a hold on the return. His deep catch late in the second quarter, one of his four receptions for 80 yards, set up Ayden Villa’s 2-yard TD.

Finally, Cain cashed in with his score late.

“I was craving that all game, I wanted it so bad,” Cain said. “When they called my name on that play, and said it was my time, I had to deliver.”

Cain, like Cooney a third-year varsity player, had the utmost confidence in how good this defense can be.

“We can be unstoppable,” he said. “There’s not one team that can move the ball on our defense.”

Oswego capitalized on a Neuqua miscue for the game’s first score. Devin Mata pounced on a muffed punt return, and it turned into Connolly’s 1-yard QB sneak with 8:24 left in the first quarter. Villa’s TD made it 14-0, and Connolly connected with Teddy Manikas for an 11-yard TD and 21-0 lead with 28.9 seconds left in the half.

Connolly, another senior and returning starter, was 11-for-14 for 148 yards and ran for 28 more.

“He can do both, we got both in the game plan,” Oswego coach Brian Cooney said. “Obviously being a quarterback we’re cautious with how much we do with him. But the kid is up for anything – run, pass, hand the ball off, it doesn’t matter. Great teammate. Teammates love him.”

Neuqua, meanwhile, was its own worst enemy in the first half. The Wildcats had the muffed punt that led to Oswego’s score. Their best possession in the first half ended with a dropped pass in the end zone on third down, and subsequently a missed 20-yard field goal.

Truong, 17-for-33 for 203 yards, finally got Neuqua on the board with a TD pass to Benjamin Stefanski with 1:09 left in the the third quarter.

The Wildcats, though, had to lean too heavily on Truong, managing just 21 rushing yards against Oswego’s stout defense. Neuqua returned just one starter on its offensive line.

“I felt our kids battled hard; I didn’t think we executed well in the first half,” Neuqua coach Bill Ellinghaus said. “When you do that, when you get down against a team like that with a stout defense, it’s tough. It was difficult to run against them. They’re a really good team, they have really good linebackers, their defensive line was good. We’re young up front. We’ll get better.”