BROWNSVILLE – Grayson County coach Ed Smart said football “is a pretty simple game. The team that forces the most turnovers usually wins.”

That was the case for his Cougars on Friday night when they turned three interceptions into three touchdowns and beat host Edmonson County 42-12 to reclaim the Tobacco Stick.

The first interception came six and a half minutes into the first quarter when a Grayson County lineman deflected a pass attempt by the Wildcats’ Jon Smith. Daryius McHenry caught the ball out of the air about three yards in the backfield and returned the pick 46 yards for the touchdown. Ryan Coates booted the extra point.

The Wildcats never led in the game, but they did rally after the first turnover.

Using swing passes, they drove the field and scored on a 12-yard touchdown pass from Smith to Brock Stethen with 2:09 to play in the first quarter. Edmonson went for a two-point conversion, but was stopped.

The Cougars answered with their own scoring drive capped by a 37-yard scoring pass from Noah Bullock to McHenry. Coates added another point-after kick with 19.3 seconds left in the opening period.

Edmonson moved into Grayson territory twice in the second quarter, but had both drives ended by turnovers. The Cougars held an 8-point lead at the break.

“We turned the ball over way too many times,” Edmonson coach Nathan Smith said. “In the first half I think we played as well as they did, maybe better. But we couldn’t get past the 30-yard line. I’m not sure what went wrong.”

“Our defensive front has to play well for us to win and they did tonight,” Smart said of his team. “That set a tone for us and when we returned the interception for a touchdown, that picked us up and they (Wildcats) may have gotten down.”

The second pick-6 came 1:30 into the third quarter. Andrew Haycraft picked off Smith’s pass near the Cougars’ 35-yard line then weaved his way through the Wildcats on a 65-yard INT return. Coates’ kick put Grayson up 21-6 with 10:30 left in the quarter.

Two possessions later, Logan Sailing intercepted a pass and set up the Cougars at the Wildcats’ 33. Grayson powered the ball downfield and McHenry finished the drive with a 1-yard touchdown run. Coates’ kick was good with 4:14 left in the third quarter.

The Cougars added two more scores in the final quarter, while the Wildcats added one.

Grayson County is 3-0 for the first time since 2010. Edmonson County dropped to 2-1.