Head Coach Joel Hicks won his 200th game as the ‘Man with the Plan’ at Pulaski County High School.  Lord Botetourt receiver Jared White became the VHSL career catch leader.  Josh Calfee pushed over the 4000 yard rushing mark in his Cougar career.  He was also crowned homecoming King.  Oh, and throw in his first Friday Football Extra Player of the Week for his performance last week.

Game Pictures by Steven Marcus

View From The Stands by Ardent Cougar

Fan Fotos by Jeff Wolfe

Pulaski County won the coin toss and deferred, as usual.  The Run-and-Shoot offense shot and missed, three times.  Then punting was in order.  The Cougars started a six-play drive from the Cavalier 48, culminating in a 34-yard quarterback keeper for a touchdown by Alan Wheeling.  Hedge added the PAT.

Hedge followed with a touchback.  Three plays later Lucas Nester intercepted Eric Driscoll and returned the ball to the Cavalier 14.  Josh Calfee scored two plays later on a 13-yard carry.  Hedge contributed his PAT.

Chalk up another touchback for Hedge, then put the ball on the 20.  A run play netted 5.  The next pass was blocked at the line of scrimmage.  Wheeling was covering White tight, and picked off the pass, but White hustled to knock the ball away, incomplete.  White bobbled the punt and Lucas Nester recovered the ball in the endzone for a touchdown.  Hedge kicked his one point in.

The Cavaliers had one pass completion, and were behind 21-0, not quite half way through the first quarter.

Lord Botetourt ran again for a yard, threw incomplete then gained 11 yards and a first down on a swing pass right from Driscoll to Brandon Evans.

A dive play netted a yard, and an option play gained another.  Then Driscoll completed his first pass of the night to White for five yards, but he would have to punt anyway.

Wheeling called for a fair catch at the PC 29.  Two plays later Jeremy Porter zoomed by the defenders down the left sideline for a 70-yard touchdown.  Hedge made the score 28-0.

White caught his second pass from Driscoll.  Three plays later it looked like Lord Botetourt was going to try to convert a 4th and one.  However, from the shotgun position Driscoll pulled the old quick kick. 

Three plays later Calfee carried for a 68-yard TD.  It can be so easy to run out of ways to write that Hedge added the PAT.  The clock expired for the first quarter, Cougars 35-0.

There were so many scores, this writer lost track.

The Cavaliers put together a 9-play drive to score.  Fittingly, the touchdown came on a 6-yard slant pass from Driscoll to White.  It was his VHSL record-setting 196th career catch.  Play was stopped to honor his accomplishment.  The Cougar fans stood and offered up a hearty round of applause. 

The game resumed with a successful PAT, PC 42- LB 7.

Wheeling threw a 49-yard touchdown strike to Greg Cobbs and Hedge added the PAT.  The question was asked in the stands, if your opponent always passes on your defense, is it running up the score to pass against them?

Nester blocked a punt that was then caught in the air by Josh Slusser.  He had touchdown on his mind but was tripped up by the punter, White.

Calfee had a 5-yard Touchdown.  Then later carried for a 35-yard TD.  This carry put him over 4000 yards for his career at PCHS.  He is far and away the leading Cougar rusher in history.

The second team would play often in the second half. 

Final score PC 63- LB 21.

Durrell Burkes saw playing time at tight end and special teams.  “They have some good players,” he said.  “ On kickoff return one guy hit me so hard it broke my chin strap.”

Shawn Brown played some safety.  “They have a good team.  White is good off the line, he can run.  He was the best one I saw,” said Brown.

What an understatement.  Try the VHSL’s most prolific pass catcher, ever.

“I didn’t mean to drop the pass, it just happened,” said Greg Cobbs of his missed touchdown opportunity.  He was 10 yards ahead of the nearest defender.    He made up for it later in the game.  “On the touchdown catch I thought the whole time the ball was in the air, if I don’t catch it, I can’t go home tonight, I’ll just have to sleep outside.”

“It feels good,” said Calfee about breaking the 4000-yard mark for his Cougar rushing career.  “It’s my line, it’s all them,” he added.  Calfee was named Homecoming King tonight.  “I got a nice suit from my mom.  I’ll dance with all the Ladies tomorrow night.” 

He was named Player of the Week on Friday Football Extra, his first time for the distinction.  It was reported by FFE that Calfee plans to attend prep school next year.  He told this writer that he plans to take his SAT’s in December and January, and that Georgia Southern and Marshall are showing interest in him.  There was a cake in the locker room after the game to honor Coach Hick’s 200th Cougar victory. 

His mother was waiting for him outside with his Homecoming Crown.  Josh came up to her while eating cake.  “You took all the icing off, didn’t you?” she asked.  He had.  “No matter what cake I cook for him, he always takes off the icing,” she added.

Hicks won his 200th game at the helm of the Cougar Football ship.  He also won 92 games at his two previous head coaching jobs, Big Creek, WV, and Woodrow Wilson, WV.  Even if the Cougars run the table this season, it would take till 2002 until Hicks could earn his 300th career victory.  Expect that win to come at home against Tazewell.  It should be a big shindig so plan to be there.  Don’t expect to see Hicks announce retirement this season, or any time soon.

But one game at a time.  William Byrd defeated Salem tonight 42-21.  The Cougars travel to Vinton to play the Terriers next Friday.

Post Script:

There was time tonight to meet Joseph Reed.  He is currently the principal at Pulaski Middle School.  He attended Christiansburg Industrial Institute, this region’s high school for blacks during segregation.  There he was the quarterback for four years.  “We used to practice at night, by car headlights,” he recalled.

Extra Extra Extra:

Talk about Relevant and Local.  Channel 7’s “Super 7” poll has Pulaski County number one, and Radford High School number two.

Game Pictures by Steven Marcus

View From The Stands by Ardent Cougar

Fan Fotos by Jeff Wolfe