Cougars hit a Wall-strum in playoff quest
By Suzanne Werre, BHG News Service
Not that there is ever a good time to have injuries, but first round of the playoff is definitely not a good time. That’s exactly what befell the Central McLean Cougars as starting linebackers Dalton Hirschkorn and Landen Lelm found themselves watching the majority of Saturday’s playoff game with Surrey from the sidelines following injuries early in the game. The Mustangs, spurred on by the performance of powerhouse full back Tayler Wallstrum, held off the Cougars by the score of 28-26 to knock the Cougars out of further 9-man playoff contention. The 230-pound Wallstrum ran the ball 42 times, picking up 193 yards and scoring two touchdowns as the Mustangs’ line did its best to manhandle the Cougars. “They were all big,” said Cougar coach Kevin Dockter. “They had a 230-pound fullback running behind a 300-pound guard . . . and they were both good players.” Losing defensive back Lelm and inside linebacker Hirschkorn, who is also the team’s leading tackler, was huge, said Cougar coach Kevin Dockter. Hirschkorn has also been a key running back for the Cougars in their drive to the playoffs this season, and Lelm was his backup. “We had to move a lot of people around,” said Dockter, both on defense and offense. “We basically had one person at running back left.”
