November 11, 2009 > Cougars capitalize on mistakes Cougars capitalize on mistakes By David J. Nicolas Photos By William Mancebo Chris Flexen threw two touchdowns passes and running back Anthony Jackson found the end zone twice in Newark Memorial High School's 37-20 victory against Irvington High School (1-4-0 Mission Valley Athletic League, 2-7-0 overall) in MVAL football action. The Cougar defense kept pressure on Irvington's offensive team, forcing two fumbles that resulted in two touchdowns. Irvington could not stop Jackson and junior Nick Pohndorf in the first quarter. The backs' successful drives set up Flexen's throw to Kendall Andrews, giving the Cougars a 6-0 lead with five minutes left. The Vikings' special team worked hard to minimize Newark's lead the entire game. It finished with three blocked field goals. Irvington almost scored when returning Newark's punt but was stopped at the one-yard line. Junior running back Charles Stewart broke through the Cougar defensive line to even the score at 6-6. Jackson led the Cougar charge in the beginning of the second quarter with three carries that put Newark into Irvington's end zone. He later finished the drive with a touchdown, giving the Cougars a 12-6 lead. Newark Memorial took advantage of a bad snap in the third quarter, which gave them Irvington's six-yard line. Flexen found Andrews open in the end zone again and earned his second touchdown pass. After Anothony Benevente's extra point, Newark increased its lead to 19-6. The Vikings roared back with their running game. Three different backs combined for over 50 running yards to answer Newark's third touchdown. Irvington finished the drive with a touchdown pass to junior Roman Lee, cutting the deficit to 19-13. It was a back-and-fourth game for most of the four quarters, but Newark Memorial held the lead after costly Viking fumbles. This was Newark's second win in a row. The team improves to 3-2-0 in the MVAL and is 5-4-0 overall. Irvington will take on Washington High School (4-1-0 MVAL, 6-3-0) on Friday, Nov. 13. The Cougars play Mission San Jose (0-5-0 MVAL, 0-9-0) on Saturday, Nov. 14.