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Cougars
Exorcise Blue Demons The lightning from the storm that delayed the start of the game by 15 minutes was soon replaced by Cougar lightning on the field. PC easily demolished Christiansburg for the second straight year. The Cougars won the toss, and deferred. After the Blue Demons began at their own 39 following an 18-yard kickoff return, they gained only 8 yards in 3 plays. Punter Anthony Boyd fumbled the snap, and the Cougars recovered at the CB 32. A mere 5 plays later, the Cougars were in the endzone. Frank Cobbs had 2 runs for 19 yards, and Josh Calfee 3 runs for 13 yards, including his 1-yard TD. John Hedge added the PAT. PC 7-0 with 8:06 left in the 1st Quarter. Jarius Kirby took Hedge’s kickoff from the CB 18 to the 32. After gaining a first down, the Blue Demons faced 4th-and-6 from the CB 49. Alan Wheeling took the ensuing punt from the 10 to the 31. A late hit on the play gave PC the ball at its own 46. It took only 3 plays for the Cougars to score this time. Frank Cobbs gained 23 yards on the fullback dive, then 2 yards running left. Calfee ran left, then cutback right and hit paydirt from 29 yards out. Hedge’s PAT made it 14-0 Cougars with 3:23 showing on the clock. An 11-yard kickoff return by Kirby gave CB a 1st-and-10 at its own 25. Three plays gained only 5 yards, and the Blue Demons punted. The ball was downed at the PC 27. It took longer this time, but PC scored once again. Wheeling kept for 15 on 2nd-and-8 from the Cougar 29. On 2nd-and-7 from the PC 47, G. Cobbs gained 18 yards on the criss-cross right. Calfee ran for 10 yards and a first down on 3rd-and-2 from the CB 27. On the next play, Wheeling passed to Jeff King for 15, making it 1st-and-goal at the 2. F. Cobbs went in on the next play. Hedge’s PAT made it 21-0 PC with still 9:41 to go in the half. It took the Cougars only 10 seconds to score again. Frank Cobbs laid a devastating hit on Kirby, who had returned the kickoff from the 1 to the 20. Kirby fumbled, and Cobbs reaped the rewards, scooping up the ball at the 17, and cruising in. A penalty on the PAT lost PC a point, as the second attempt was blocked. 27-0 Cougars. “It wasn’t a read hard hit, I just hit him in the right spot,” Cobbs said. “The ball fell right in front of me.” Christiansburg took possession at the 35 after the kickoff went into the endzone, and PC was called for a personal foul. However, a run for no gain sandwiched in-between two incomplete passes left the Blue Demons in a 4th-and-10. Wheeling took the punt at the PC 30, and returned it for 4 yards. After a first down, Wheeling’s 1st-and-10 pass from the CB 48 was picked off by Boyd, and returned 19 yards to the PC 40. Three plays netted only two yards for the Blue Demons. Coach Mike Cole decided he had nothing to lose, and went for the first down. QB Mike Woodyard rolled left, and passed downfield. Adam Roop picked off the pass at the 12, where he was tackled. He should have just knocked down the 4th down pass, which would have saved the Cougars 26 yards. On 2nd-and-7 from the 15, Greg Cobbs carried the criss-cross right for 36 yards. His brother Frank gained 16 yards on the option pitch left on 2nd-and-5. PC was now at the CB 28. Here the drive stalled, the Cougars losing 4 yards on a 4th-and-13 screen pass. Christiansburg could not take advantage, gaining only 4 yards in 3 plays. Boyd’s punt was downed at the PC 35. On 3rd-and-3 from the Cougar 42, Calfee took a quick pitch right for a gain of 28. Greg Cobbs took the criss-cross right for 11 yards on the next play. On 1st-and-10 from the CB 19, F. Cobbs gained 9 yards running left. The Cougars took a timeout, stopping the clock with 49.3 seconds left in the half. Calfee then took the pitch right for 10 yards and a score. Hedge converted the PAT. 34-0 Cougars. After the kickoff, the Blue Demons ran two plays before time ran out. PC went into the locker room with a quite comfortable margin. The second half was much like the first. After PC punt, the Blue Demons faced 4th-and-12 at their own 47. The snap went way over Boyd’s head. He fell on the ball at the 15. It took the Cougars only one play to make the Blue Demons pay for that mistake. Wheeling rolled left and threw to King inside the 5. King made it to the corner of the endzone. The PAT increased the lead to 41. Christiansburg got one first down before once again having to punt. Boyd’s kick rolled out-of-bounds at the CB 43. Joey Radcliffe was now in at QB for the Cougars. His first play was a handoff to David Hale, who went left. He then cutback right, went to the sideline, and streaked into the endzone. Hedge converted the PAT, and it was 48-0 with 5:46 still left in the 3rd quarter. The Blue Demons went 3 plays and out. Boyd’s punt was fair caught by F. Cobbs at the Cougar 47. PC also ran only 3 plays before punting. Brandon Hamblin’s punt from the 50 went out-of-bounds at the 19. Christiansburg got two first downs before Jonathan Anderson tipped a 3rd-and-6 Woodyard pass, and Josh Bowling dove to intercept the ball at the PC 19. Antione Meadows carried for 20 yards, then Radcliffe was sacked for a 9-yard loss. The play of the night occurred next. Jeremy Porter took the pitch right, almost losing the handle. He evaded a tackle in the backfield with a nice spin move. He continued right, almost losing his balance at one point. He spun once again to escape a tackler, evaded and bounced off of others, found his way to the sideline, and the race was on. Porter breezed past the Blue Demon secondary for an electrifying 70-yard score. The missed PAT left it 54-0 with 8:59 left. "At the beginning of the play, I thought I was going to get killed," said Porter about his TD. "I don't remember anything after that." There were about 5 guys around him in the backfield. Friday Football Extra compared this play to a Michael Vick imitation. The Blue Demons could not amount a scoring threat with their final two drives, and time ran out on the slaughter. Assistant Coach Dan Newell said, “Our corners had a tough time covering White, but (Woodyard) never really had time to throw.” “I don’t feel like I outcoached Mike Cole. We just had Christiansburg outmanned,” said Coach Joel Hicks. “Everybody works real hard in the preseason. It’s good to see everybody get in the game. It doesn’t matter that our first game wasn’t that tough. Our scrimmage games have been tough, so we know what it’s all about.” When asked if the Blue Demons had any standout athletes, Mike Alderman said, “It was like playing our second team.” Frank Cobbs had his first game at safety, and said he that likes his new position. He is looking forward to next weeks game against E.C.Glass, and says he expects “a lot of speed and athletes.” Commenting on the problems Hamblin had punting tonight, Hicks said, "I think it was just nerves. He punts well in practice." “It was a rollout pass. There was a lot of pressure. Then I got knocked down, so I didn’t see whether or not the pass was good. He usually catches that in practice. We’ll hook up later this season.” - Alan Wheeling, about a dropped pass by Rusty Lane. Greg Cobbs had some trouble with his hamstring. He was iced down, and should be just fine. Dan Callahan commented that the next month will be extremely tough, with games against Glass, Salem, Bluefield and Danville. "We'll take them one at a time. We'll dissect our film, and get to work,” said Hicks. Newell looked ahead to next week’s contest with E.C. Glass. “Glass played a great scrimmage against Salem, and may come at us with multiple sets and passing, or could run the ball straight at us.” “If we practice hard, we can play with them (Glass) talent-wise.” Matt Roan said. "We're in for the fight of our life next week against Glass," said Hicks.
Interviews by Jeff Wolfe |
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