The
Locker Room
October
31, 2001
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Week Ten by Ardent Cougar Friday, November 2 - Northside Vikings (Away): Series:
PC
leads 13-7.
Region
III District Standings
Not surprisingly, an undefeated regular season is something that is difficult to achieve. You have to play your best, or at least well enough, to win 10 games. Sometimes, you have injuries that hurt you. Other times, you come out "flat", especially for teams you expect to beat handily, or in games that "don't matter too much", for one reason or another. And, sometimes, you run into a buzz saw - a team that is well prepared, and psyched up. Last year, a Pulaski County team that was 9-0 went on the road to play Cave Spring, a team with nothing to lose, having seen their 8-1 season reduced to 2-7 because of forfeiting most of their wins due to an ineligible player. There would be no post season for the Knights, so this was their 'playoff game'. We all know what happened. Granted, this year's Northside team does not look to be nearly as much of a threat, but they are out of the playoff hunt, and will be playing at home, with no risk, and no pressure. Also, keep in mind that the Vikings' only really decisive district loss, was against Blacksburg. Close losses to Byrd, Botetourt and Salem, by a total of 9 points, explain why they are not 6-2, instead of 3-5. Their best win came at the expense of Liberty (Bedford) of the Seminole District, one of the Minutemen's 2 losses. I mention all of this, as a caution. The last Cougar team to go undefeated (one of three, the others being the 1982 and 1989 teams) was the nationally ranked 1993 team. (Ironically, this was also the last year we played Northside, until now.) The Cougars did not lose that year, until the Division 6 State Championship game. This year's squad broke that team's season scoring record, with a week to spare. Will they match the win record, as well? See
you at Northside.
.
The Cougar Record Book has been working overtime, lately. When John Harmon took the pigskin 48 yards (for his second TD) in the 4th Quarter, the 2001 Cougars had broken the regular season team scoring record of the nationally ranked 1993 team, which averaged 45 points a game. This year's edition of the Cougars is now averaging 51 points per game, after the 62-12 demolition of Alleghany. The score was 56-0 at the end of the 3rd Quarter. This was the third consecutive game PC scored 62 or more points. Jeremy Porter had 190 yards on only 6 carries, half of them going the distance, from 82, 57, and 26 yards out. Josh Calfee had 188 yards on 11 carries, with over a third of them going for scores (59, 47, 31, and 11 yards). Josh also had a pair of interceptions, and Greg Cobbs picked off another. The
victory clinched sole ownership of the Blue Ridge District Championship.
PC had already clinched top seed and home field throughout the first three
rounds of the playoffs.
Previous 2001 Articles: FTB
Week One
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