The Locker Room
Rebounding for
the Post Season With season rushing leader and team captain
Frank Cobbs in a sweatsuit on the sideline, the Cougars were led by Josh Calfee, defeating
Patrick Henry 30-13 for the last ever matchup between RVD teams. Fullback Antoine
Meadows and halfback Jeremy Porter showed that Cobbs and Calfee aren't the only 'Batman
and Robin' act on the depth chart. Jon Anderson extended for two field goal blocks
in his 'Plastic Man' role. Alan Wheeling even 'disappeared' at one point.
Full Story and Interviews by Jeff Wolfe Antoine Meadows scored first for the Cougars with a 85 yard run 1:35 into the second quarter. The conventional wisdom on Meadows has been that he is a tough runner that didn't have the break-away speed of Frank Cobbs, and couldn't take one the length of the field to 'the house'. He shattered that illusion tonight. Hedge added the PAT for the 7-0 lead. PH had a chance to cut the lead on field goal attempt that was blocked by Anderson. However, the ball was downed at the PC 2 after the block, keeping the Cougars backed up deep in their own territory. The Patriots won a back-and-forth punting battle late in the second quarter. This allowed them to drive only 54 yards to tie the game before halftime. Their score came on a fade pattern to the corner from QB Robinson to receiver Johnson. Hedge regained the lead with a field goal with 8:30 left in the the third quarter. On third-and-5 from the PC 39, Robinson's pass fell incomplete. Wheeling defended on the play and was injured. After a delay, he had to be helped off the field. PH lined up to go for it on fourth down, but called timeout when Robinson's effort to draw the Cougars offside failed. David Hale returned the ensuing punt to the PC 12 yard line. Joey Radcliffe came in at quarterback for Wheeling. On third-and-7 from the PC 25, Radcliffe threw a high and deep ball to Greg Cobbs, but it hung in the air too long, and was knocked away at the last moment. The Cougar defense held the Patriots to 3 plays and a punt. Wheeling returned to QB and put together a scoring drive to push the score out of reach. Porter scored on a 26 yard touchdown run, that included several broken tackles and a spin move. The Hedge PAT put PC up 17-7. PH drove to the PC 27 but again had to settle for a field goal attempt. Anderson's second kick block came with 6:51 remaining in the game. Wheeling added a score on a 2 yard QB sneak. Hedge's PAT extended the lead to 24-7. Adam Roop had an interception at the PH 39. Meadows' 33 yard touchdown and Hedge's PAT increased the margin, making the score 30-7. PH would score, but a two point conversion failed, making the final margin 30-13. PH finished their strong season, 9-2, with both loses occurring at Kenneth J. Dobson stadium at the hands of the Cougars. Jeremy Porter started as a freshman in Kansas last year, but hasn't seen much action this year, since he backs up Cougar career rushing record holder Calfee. He put on a show tonight on his touchdown run, spinning and breaking tackles on the way to paydirt. "I saw Sartin, and cut off him, I took a good hit and got light headed, but still carried it in," said Porter. Antoine Meadows knew he had some big shoes to fill on offense, those of injured fullback Frank Cobbs. "I was nervous. When I got the ball, I wanted to score, but I started the game with a fumble," said Meadows. "My teammates told me to keep my head up. They said that I would get a long run, and that gave me confidence that I could do it. Also, Josh Malcolm game me a four leaf clover this week, and I played tonight with it in the bottom of my right shoe." This is a team, and every player found his own way to contribute. Malcolm shared the details of the 'Lucky Charm' with this writer. "I found it in the front yard of the school this week. Frank was injured, so I wanted to help Antoine step it up." Alan Wheeling pulled his Houdini imitation in the third quarter, right on the track in front of the home stands. However, he used an ambulance, instead of a milk can. He went to the sideline after being injured while defending a pass as cornerback. After sitting on the bench for a few minutes the ambulance drove by to pick him up. A few minutes later the rescue squad backed down the track, but not before Alan could make his escape. The crowd and the coaches were fooled completely. When Wheeling trotted back on the field, to the amazement of everyone present, a coach, that must remain unnamed, approached Dr. Dixon Williams to comment on Wheeling. "That kid is tough, isn't he?!" Dr. Williams didn't have the heart to tell the coach the truth. Alan wasn't injured that bad. He had suffered a groin injury Tuesday in practice. "We needed to re-tape him and all he had on was his underwear. It was too far to walk him to the locker room. Then my 'Brain Storm' came. I had never heard of it being done before, the idea of using the ambulance just came to me," Dr. Williams said. After the game when he addressed his team, one had to wonder if Coach Hicks had Saturday's heavyweight championship bout between champion Lennox Lewis and challenger David Tua on the brain. "It's like a boxing match. You have two guys who are real tough, but it takes until the 13th round until someone gets a knockout. You really wore them down tonight. Hang up your hand warmers up in your locker to let them dry out, because you will be using them again next week." Pulaski County will travel to play Culpeper next week as the Division 5 VHSL playoffs continue. Click on a picture to view a larger version
Game Pictures by Steven Marcus
|
