From The Bleachers 2000:
Week Seven
by Ardent Cougar

Friday, October 6 - Franklin County Eagles (Away):

Series:  PC leads 22-4. 
Last Meeting: 1999 at PC.  The Cougars lead 28-6 at halftime, and it looked like another rout of the Eagles.  Franklin County came storming back, getting to within 8 by the end of the 3rd quarter.  Two Eagle drives late in the game were stopped by failed 4th-down conversions, one a run that came up just short, and the other a pass interception by Jon Anderson.  Josh Calfee sealed the 35-20 victory with a determined 26-yard scoring run.

The Cougars take to I-81 once again, traveling to Rocky Mount for their first district game of the season.  PC has owned this series, winning 12 in a row, and 20 of the last 21 meetings.  The Eagles (2-4) are mired in a 4-game losing streak, getting blown away 37-13 by Cave Spring last week in a game that was not as close as the final score.  Head Coach Billy Miles, a former assistant at Salem, took over for Jerry Little at the beginning of the season.

One of the best indicators of how well your passing game is doing is average yards per attempt.  The averages for this season are 8.71 yards per attempt, and 15.25 yards per completion.  While this is hardly a passing team, when Wheeling does put the ball in the air, it is effective.  Alan is completing 57% of his passes, with 5 TDs and only 2 INTs.  He is a threat to run as well (having 2 TDs to his credit), giving opposing defenses another headache in addition to worrying about our pair of star running backs.

Official Northwest Region VHSL Power Ratings:  No. 2 (tie) in Division 5
AP State Poll (10/04):  No. 4 in AAA, No. 2 in Division 5.
Gilliam's Ratings:  No. 6 overall, No. 5 in AAA, No. 2 in Division 5.  Rating: 88.24   (Franklin County is 168th overall, with a rating of 46.08)

Average game:  43-13.
Average score before the opponent scores:  22-0.

This final RVD season is shaping up to be a spectacular one.  Patrick Henry and Cave Spring, who meet in the 8th week, are also 6-0.  The teams will be well rested for that matchup, as both squads have this week off.  Knowing that, don't be surprised to see their coaches (and perhaps some players) watching our game this week.

All three teams are in the AAA Top 14 in the AP Poll.  We end the season with games against these two rivals.  This could be the the most exciting RVD race in the 25-year history of the district.

Week Six Review - Halifax County Blue Comets (Away):

The Cougars crushed Halifax 45-7, extending their best start (6-0) since the nationally-ranked 1993 season.  The game was surprisingly close early, as the Blue Comets were able to move the ball. PC trailed by a point at the end of the 1st quarter, the first time the Cougars have been behind this season.  In the 2nd half, the defense really tightened up, and the offense scored on all 4 possessions to win going away.

The team came up a mere yard short of 450 offensive yards for the game, getting 432 on the ground.    Frank Cobbs ran for 3 scores, and Josh Calfee and Adam Roop ran in one apiece.  Alan Wheeling tossed his 5th TD pass of the season, this one going to Jeff King.  At this pace, Wheeling might tie or break the record for TD passes by a Cougar QB in a season, held by Terry Finley with 9 in 1983.  That would not be so surprising this year, since offensive records are falling left and right!  Alan also had an interception and batted away several pass attempts while playing CB.   Wheeling sees duty as the punt returner as well.

Cobbs set a goal before the season to rush for 1000 yards.  He made it in grand style last Friday night, with 4 games to spare.  His 252 yards on 19 carries (over 13.25 yards per rush) gave him 1087 yards for the season, and 1885 for his career, moving him up to 7th on the Cougar Career Rushing Yards list.  Cobbs now owns the two best individual game rushing marks in Cougar history, having blown away the old record with his stunning 295-yard performance against Salem early in the season.  He is also challenging the record for most rushing TDs in a season, held by Craig Hodge in 1996.  Craig ran for 26 scores that season; Frank is on a pace for 25.

Calfee also made waves.  Although he fell short of 100 yards for the first time this season, he did get 94 yards on 17 carries, giving him 751 for the season, and 2533 for his career, moving him past Kwasi Scott up to No. 2 on the Cougar Career Rushing Yards list.

At their respective paces, Cobbs would end up with about 1810 yards on the season (smashing the current record), and Calfee should have around 1250 yards (about equaling his current team record from last season).  No Cougar team has ever had a pair of 1000-yard rushers.  Calfee will most likely pass Doug Hendricks to become the all-time rushing leader (with a year still left to add to the record!), and Cobbs should end his regular season career 3rd on the list.

Cobbs is currently 2nd behind Eric Webb in average yards per carry (Webb averaged 9.08).  For his career, Frank is currently rushing for 8.93 yards every time he gets the ball, and Josh 6.98 yards.  This season, Cobbs is averaging 9.21 yards per rush and 181 yards per game, and Calfee 7.29 yards per rush and 125 yards per game.