The Locker Room September 13, 2002

Game Pictures by Steven Marcus

View From The Stands by Ardent Cougar

EVANS KING FIELD-- There was lots of talk in the air this week about whether or not the 0-2 Pulaski County High School Cougars would be victorious over the 2-0 Christiansburg Blue Demons. Some of this talk was favorable, the rest maybe not so favorable. In the end, however, we all got the same answer.

The first thing that gave this writer the idea that the Cougars had a great chance was simply the fact that all of the PC fans were eventually seated comfortably, whether on or off the away stands. The second was far more reliable: the way the Cougars dominated the first quarter. Right from the start, things were going to be different from the previous two games, as everyone could tell. PC won the coin toss, but instead of deferring as they almost always do, they elected to receive. After an onside kick attempt that went wide out-of-bounds at the Demon 49 yardline, the Cougars picked it up and immediately went to work.

Demon Head Coach Tim Cromer was asked about the onside-kick attempt on the opening kickoff. "We wanted to show our kids that we wanted to be aggressive against Pulaski County," said Cromer. "It was open," he added. With starting fullback Jeremy Porter still at bay, the void was to be filled up by Derrick Burks, Brandon Anderson, and Ernie Hodge. Anderson got the handoff on the first play and made it to the 40, giving PC the first first down of the game. Now it was Derrick Burks' turn to step into play. Burks went up the middle from the 34 to reach the 25 for a decent 7-yard gain. He then repeated the process with another run up the middle of the line for an even better 10-yard gain and another first down. From the 15, Brandon Anderson ran right and reached the 13 before getting stopped. The down was second and seven, and soon, third and one. From the Demon 6, Anderson ran another right and straight into the endzone untouched. A successful extra point put the Cougars on the board 7-0 with 8:09 remaining in the quarter.

The Blue Demons were not about to let themselves be embarrassed as usual, and they let everyone know it with their first drive. The kickoff was a touchback, missing the goalpost by mere feet. Then, Christiansburg got on the scoreboard on a pitch to Demon running back Shane Cox who passed to wide receiver Antonio Clabon. "We planned to run it on our first play, because we knew they wouldn’t go for it," said Clabon. "I told Shane all day at school to throw the ball no matter what," he added. The Demons were, however, penalized for excessive celebration and had to try for the extra point from the 17. It was no good, and with 7:54 left in the first quarter, the score stood at 7-6.

PC's next drive had Brandon Anderson's name written all over it. It was Anderson who made the kickoff return and went down on the PC 29, it was Anderson who got 1 yard plus 16 courtesy of a Christiansburg foul, and so forth. From the 46, Brandon ran up the middle and got a holding penalty for his trouble. After losing what appeared to be 12 yards and back on the Cougar 44, Ernie Hodge entered the picture and immediately went for it with a long pass attempt from quarterback Britt Shumate that, sadly, fell incomplete. Next, Hodge again tried to gain some yardage with a criss-cross and got 11 yards. It was third and 11, and Brandon Anderson failed to second-guess the defense and went down for no gain. He did rectify that, however, when he ran for a 7-yard gain and a first down directly afterward.

Picking up from the Christiansburg 33, Anderson again got 7 yards followed by a great run by Derrick Burks to the 3. Then, Burks closed that chapter with another run, this one clear into the endzone. Another extra point by kicker John Hedge made the score 14-6 with 3:35 remaining. John Hedge again proved his worth on the starting lineup with a kickoff that went right in between the goal post bars for a touchback. It was first and 10 from the Demon 20, and it was right then that the Blue Demons were introduced to their worst 6'3" 336-pound nightmare, Justin "Juice" Lewis, who knocked them right back to the 19. The next run had the same luck, with Derrick Burks and lineman Cory Bentley contributing to a second 1-yard loss. It was third and 12 on their own 18, and Christiansburg decided to keep it that way with an incomplete pass.

The punt that followed the drive was caught by Brandon Anderson who went down on the Cougar 38. Anderson then made it five yards collectively in the following 2 plays, followed by a run up the middle and a near first down. It was fourth and one, and Burks covered the 25 for a first down to end a great first quarter. The start of the second quarter began with a foul against the Cougars that cost them 5 yards, only to be gained back by Derrick Burks on the next play as he ran all 15 yards for a first down. It was first and ten on the Demon's 11, and Anderson moved right for the 6 yardline, adding a nice round 5 to his already impressive yardage. Burks followed up with a run through the middle for 2 yards. Anderson then ran left for the 4 yardline, making the down fourth and four. Another run up the middle of the line by Brandon Anderson put another touchdown on the board followed by another successful extra point by Hedge, making the score 21-6 with 9:50 left in the half.

To surprise many, the kickoff was not a touchback but down on the 16 yardline. After some decent driving which got the Blue Demons to third and one on their own 25, they trudged to the 29 for their first first down against the Cougars.
 

They had little time to enjoy it, though, as a pass attempt went long and was intercepted by PC's Steven Cobbs, who gladly ran the ball up to the 49. "It felt great," he said, "I was there, and the ball just fell right into my lap."

They had little time to enjoy it, though, as a pass attempt went long and was intercepted by PC's Steven Cobbs, who gladly ran the ball up to the 49. "It felt great," he said, "I was there, and the ball just fell right into my lap."

An immediate criss-cross by the outstanding sophomore Ernie Hodge gave PC 6 more yards. Another run by Anderson followed which arrived at the 43 before he went down. With the down third and one, Derrick Burks ran left but got two flags for his effort. One was holding, and the other was facemask. Facemask was declined but holding was accepted, and PC was pushed back to their own 47 yardline. Directly after that, a pass by Britt Shumate was intercepted by Christiansburg's Turrell Burkes, who reached the Demon's 7 yardline and then went down.

To begin their next drive, the Demons ran left for 4 yards, then lost 5 courtesy of their aforementioned nightmare, Justin Lewis. Then, with the down third and eleven, Brandon Anderson continued to earn his stripes with an interception from Demon quarterback Shane Cox and ran to the 15 before landing. PC then began their next drive with a deep right run by Anderson to the six, after which Derrick Burks got the ball and ran for five before getting the tar bullrushed out of him on the next play. It was second and goal on the one yardline, and in went the Cougars for yet another touchdown and extra point, changing the board to 28-6 with 2:49 remaining in the half.

The following kickoff was a beauty, caught on the one yardline and ran to the 20 by a young man that this writer, as with most of the Blue Demons, failed to get the name or number of. The drive that followed began with two mild gains of 1 and 5 yards, and then Christiansburg's Reid Arrington topped it off with an impressive 16-yard run to the 42. After that, Turrell Burkes tried to duplicate the maneuver but only got 2 yards.
 

Then, the Blue Demons surprised everyone by fumbling the ball, which was recovered by PC's Shaun Branscome. When he was asked his view of the recovery, he just smiled. "I went out for pass coverage, saw the receiver going for the ball, went in there to stop him, and then it just about jumped out of his arms and into mine as soon as I got there."

With the ball in Cougar paws and Christiansburg territory and just under a minute left in the half, Britt Shumate attempted a pass to Brandon Anderson but it failed to connect. Next, they tried the same thing again but still failed to complete it. It was now third and ten on the Christiansburg 45, and a delay of game cost the Cougars 5 yards. Like most fouls and yardage losses, this one was voided by the remarkable Ernie Hodge and his infamous criss-cross run, landing on the 32 yardline for 22 yards and a first down. After another mild gain of 2 or 3 yards, the 0:02 time on the clock forced PC to attempt a field goal. This one went wide left and was no good. With that, the half ended 28-6 in PC's favor.

The kickoff from the Cougars to the Demons was caught and down on the 20 to begin the second half, a half that everyone hoped (or dreaded, wherever the fan was from) to be as good as the first. After a 4-yard gain by a player whose name and number escape this writer at the moment, the Demons ran to the 35, then got a flag for offsides. With the down first and 15 on the 40, the PC defense really boosted themselves, bullrushing one play and Justin Lewis managing to bat down a pass on the next play. This left it fourth and 15, where the Demons punted to the Cougar 34 yardline. The Cougars were immediately hit with illegal procedure, which forced them back to the 30 where they gained 1 yard next. Another offsides on Christiansburg put those lost yards right back up on the board, though. A first down by Ernie Hodge put PC on the 44 where this time they got an offsides call and had to move back 5 yards. Britt Shumate then attempted another long pass to Ernie, but overthrew it. Another pass was intended for Anderson, but that was incomplete also.

The Cougars were again forced to punt, and they did. The Christiansburg receiver (my apologies for not getting his name) went down hard on the four yardline courtesy of the talented Ernie Hodge. Christiansburg then got a total of 2 yards on 2 plays, followed by an illegal procedure and a loss of 5. Turrell Burkes tried to re-fuel the drive with a first down, but failed to get it. Soon enough, they were again forced to punt as the clock waned down in the third quarter. The punt was down on the Demon 40 yardline, giving the Cougars excellent field position. Derrick Burks ran a right to the 31 yardline for another 9 yards. Then, Brandon Anderson ran a very long would-be touchdown but the Cougars were called for holding and PC had to give up 10 yards. With the down third and 11, Shumate again decided to pass, this time to Matt Tilley, but Tilley fumbled on the 31 for a Blue Demon recovery.

The Blue Demons were visibly growing weary, as deep runs left and right consecutively failed to gain anything until third and 10, when they got 2 yards under their belt. However, with the down fourth and eight, they decided to punt instead of go for it. The punt again was beautiful, sailing from the Christiansburg 33 to the PC 26. Brandon Anderson answered the call for the Cougars with an impressive run through the middle of the Demon line for an 8-yard gain. A first down followed, and from the 39, Derrick Burks gained 7 yards to reach the 46 yardline. Anderson got the ball next, but was knocked silly and lost 2 yards. Next, a holding penalty called PC back, making the down second and 20 at the end of the third quarter.

The beginning of the end of the game began with another long pass incomplete to Ernie Hodge. Then, with the down fourth and thirteen, the Cougars had to punt. The ball, courtesy of all-star kicker John Hedge, zoomed across the gridiron to the Christiansburg 21. Turrell Burkes ran a wide left and got slammed on the nineteen, followed by a no gain play, and then a short pass left to Burkes from Shane Cox. Burkes ran a caught a screen pass and ran from the Demons' 19 all the way to the PC 17. It was now first and ten on the 17, and Burkes ran again, this time deep right to the 3 yardline, followed by Christiansburg's second touchdown of the game. They then decided to go for the 2-point conversion, but fumbled the snap and lost the chance. This made the score 28-12 with 10:03 left in the game. Once again, the kickoff was nabbed by the incredible Brandon Anderson, who managed to make it to the 26. Him and Derrick Burks then proceeded to mow down the Demon Defense over the course of the next few plays getting to 31, the 38, and 39 before Anderson got a first down at the 50 yardline. To top it off, Derrick Burks ran another one of his famous runs from the 50 all the way to the endzone for a touchdown and an extra point which totaled the score 35-12 with a mere 7:58 left in the game.

The kickoff flew right into the waiting arms of Antonio Clabon right before he was knocked at the 18. Burkes then tried to even up the odds as much as he could, running 2 yards before Justin Lewis popped him at the 20. A fumble followed by a Demon recovery lost them 5 yards, and then a no gain play left them with no choice but to punt again. The punt soared to Anderson, where he wasted no time in running right for the 49 yardline for a really decent field position. Afterwards, Ernie Hodge ran left until he got to the Christiansburg 31 and landed. Andrew Hodges gained 4 yards, then John Harmon lost 2, and then Hodges got 4 again before PC got busted for delay of game and had to give up 5 yards. They failed to re-fuel with a first down, and the ball was handed over to the Demons on their own 29 yardline. The Blue Demons lost 2 yards straight off, and then gained 6 more.
 

Just then, Shane Cox threw a substantial pass, which was intercepted by Brandon Anderson who ran it to the PC 47. When asked of his thoughts on the offense, he simply said what everyone else was thinking. "It's improved tremendously. The interceptions I made were my first this season, and they made me feel great."

Anderson lost 3 yards on the next play only to have the clock run out to end an awesome game 35-12 in Pulaski's favor. Christiansburg head coach Tim Cromer, an alumnus of Christiansburg High School, was asked his opinions on the evening's turnout. "To come home and go 2-and-1, we never expected to do that," he said. "We have tried not to dwell on the past but not get ahead of ourselves. We are definitely not at {the Cougars’} level, but we aspire to be." Well, they have improved, just not enough. This writer would, once again, personally like to invite all of you out there to attend next week's game at Dobson Stadium against the William Fleming Colonels.
 

Game Pictures by Steven Marcus

View From The Stands by Ardent Cougar