The Izard County Cougars overcame a six-point deficit with two late touchdowns, defeating the Rose Bud Ramblers 28-20 in a 2A 8-Man West Conference game on Friday night in Rose Bud.
Trailing 20-14 with less than four minutes remaining, the Cougars (4-1, 1-0) leaned on their defense and a combination of clutch offensive plays to secure the comeback win. The defensive unit stopped the Ramblers twice on fourth down in the final moments, setting the stage for two critical scoring drives.
The Cougars tied the game 20-20 with just four minutes left when quarterback Kane Johnson connected with James Down on an 11-yard touchdown pass on fourth-and-goal. After forcing Rose Bud to turn the ball over at midfield, Izard County’s offense struck again. Johnson hit Down with a 44-yard completion down to the 1-yard line with 20 seconds left. On the next play, Landon Aultman rushed into the end zone from one yard out to push the Cougars ahead, 26-20.
Johnson sealed the victory with a two-point conversion run on the final play, setting the score at 28-20.
The thrilling victory marks Izard County's first conference win of the season as they improve to 4-1 overall. Rose Bud’s performance, highlighted by a strong effort through much of the contest, ultimately came up short against the Cougars' late-game heroics.