Alexander went into the last game of the season with a 1-8 record as they defeated Columbus 43-7 on Nov. 2 for their first win of the 2012 season.

After a rough eight weeks plagued by injuries and inexperience, the Cougars were able to grab a victory before the season wrapped up.

“It felt good. Our players worked hard this season, to continuously come up short,” said head coach Matthew Combs.

His team didn’t come up short that night at all as they dominated from the very beginning, keeping the Blue Devils from scoring until the last four minutes of the game.

Combs said the victory was a total team effort as the defense and the offense came through on their assignments.

“Defensively, all 11 played together. The execution showed in the stats,” said Combs. “Offensively, the O-line was key. They did an awesome job on sticking to their assignments and sustaining their blocks.”

On the defensive end, Alexander held Columbus to only 60 total yards and they had minus-22 yards rushing and three turnovers on the night.

There were two big players for the Cougars that night — quarterback Evan Wood and running back Mikell Lands. Lands had 117 rushing yards and scored three of the Cougars’ touchdowns. Wood had 98 rushing yards, two touchdowns and a passing touchdown.

Going into the last game Friday against Fayette County, Combs said his team was feeling good, but the Tigers “run an offense that you must stay disciplined to stop.”

With the win, 49-46, the Cougars didn’t stop the Fayette County offense but they were able to get more points on the board in this close final game of the regular season. With this last victory, the Cougars wrap up the year with a 2-8 overall record and 1-2 in the region.

Now that the season is over for Alexander, the team will use the offseason to get a few things together and get prepared for the 2013 season, where Combs expects his team will be more of a contender.

“We will take some time off, then get back to work next year. We are a young team that will have a lot of returning starters. They understand that the future is bright for them. We need to maintain our composure, stay the course and we will see success in the future,” said Combs.