The Locker Room October 18, 2002

Game Pictures by Steven Marcus

View From The Stands by Ardent Cougar

**CORRECTION NOTE** In this writer's article last week, I mistook Derrick Burks's 51 yard touchdown run for a pass. I apologize for any inconvenience.

DOBSON STADIUM-- The biting cold that sent chills through the entire crowd at Kenneth J. Dobson Stadium appropriately symbolized two things: first, that this was not going to be a very friendly game as a result of the William Byrd High School Terriers getting pounded by the PCHS Cougars at their own homecoming game last year. Also, that this writer should have brought his gloves with him to the game.

This also promised Coach Joel Hicks' 300th career win if the Cougars were to be victorious. This was not about friendly competition. It was either glory or revenge tonight.

Pulaski County lost the coin toss for a change, and had to receive first instead of the usual defer. The opening kickoff from Byrd soared into the anxious arms of fullback Derrick Burks who ran up to the twenty-six yardline before going down. Burks then proceeded to claim the entire drive, picking up a total of nine yards in three plays, just inches short of the first down when it came time to punt.

William Byrd countered with a much longer drive, catching the punt at their thirty-three yardline and proceeding from there to immediately get the first down. Picking up from there, the Terriers scampered from the forty-three clear up to the Cougar thirty-one for another first down. After an incomplete pass by Jeff Highfill (Junior, that is), he handed off to running back Aaron Connor who climbed up to the twenty-eight. Jeff Highfill Jr. then made the keeper to the twenty-six yardline. The down was now fourth and five on the Cougar twenty-six yardline. Did the Terriers punt? Nope. They went for it and got it courtesy of a long pass to tight end Kyle Allen for the first touchdown of the game followed, coincidentally, by the first extra point of the game. The board came to life, showing the 0-7 score under a first-quarter clock that read 7:42.

Pulaski now had a chance to redeem themselves after their rather unsuccessful "wake-up" drive earlier on. Brandon Anderson received the kickoff before landing on the thirty-four yardline. Derrick Burks followed up with a run through the middle straight up the Terriers' snouts for an eight-yard gain to the forty-two. Anderson then picked up six more yards for Pulaski County's first first down of the game. Burks claimed a staggering twenty yards in the following five plays, obviously gaining a second first down in the process. Anderson then carried for two more for short gains adding up to three yards when the down became fourth and one. The Cougars at first decided to go for it, but got busted for holding. This made the down fourth and ten rather than fourth and one. PC then got nailed for delay of game when they actually tried to punt and lost five more yards. They finally did punt from the thirty-five, and the ball sailed into the receiver's arms before Ray McClanahan popped him at the ten yardline.

The Cougar defense kicked it up a notch on this drive. After a short two-yarder, Jeff Highfill Jr. launched a long one to Aaron Connor who reached the Cougar forty-seven yardline before going down. An incomplete pass later, Connor ran it to the twenty-three before defensive back John Harmon reached him. Brandon Anderson then got the tackle on the Terriers before Highfill tried to pass on the next play. He "tried" because a certain Shaun Branscome was coming after him with almost laser-like accuracy. Highfill did pass, but it failed to connect by far. The down was third and six from the nineteen yardline. Connor got the handoff and ran straight for the five yardline before Matt Tilley got him at the end of the opening quarter.

The start of the second quarter saw the Terriers fail to gain anything. After that, Highfill went for the keeper to the four for a one-yard gain before getting stomped by Durrell Burks Matt Tilley, and Justin "Juice" Lewis. Highfill went for yet another keeper to the one but got busted by Ernie Hodge. The down was now fourth and one on the one yardline. With 10:15 left in the half, Byrd kicked a field goal successfully and made the score 0-10.

Once again, Brandon Anderson got the kickoff and ran it to the thirty-four yardline before going down. Derrick Burks followed with a sprint to the thirty-six for a two-yard gain. Quarterback Britt Shumate passed to Anderson and PC got nailed for holding again. From the forty-one, Brandon Anderson got the handoff from Shumate and ran it straight to the Terrier thirty-one yardline. After an obvious first down and a one-yarder, Anderson went around the right and got another first down at the nineteen. From an excellent field position, Burks ran nine yards straight to the ten yardline, and then after that, the four for the first down. After that, Burks ran another decent gain to the one before another run failed to get anything. The down was third and goal on the one yardline, and on the next play the Cougars finally got it, scoring courtesy of Derrick Burks and John Hedge who made the score 7-10 with 5:23 remaining in the half.

The following kickoff from John Hedge was a beauty, sailing clear into the endzone for a touchback. The Cougar defense kept the hopes alive, keeping Byrd from gaining anything straight off. Shaun Branscome continued to make a name for himself, rushing Highfill almost ten yards before he passed complete to the thirty-two. From there, the carrier ran straight into the waiting linemen Durrell Burks, Matt Tilley, and Cory Bentley. After a sorry one-yard gain as a result, Highfill completed another pass and then the Terriers got busted for holding. Another flag forced them back five yards, where Highfill completed another pass to the receiver, who actually crossed the first down marker. Unfortunately for him, however, John Harmon pulled him back across it before he went down. With the down fourth and fourteen, the Terriers did a quick kick to the Cougar fifteen yardline.

Brandon Anderson began this decent Cougar drive by making his way to the fourteen yardline before going down. After a three-yarder by someone that this writer failed to recognize, the Cougars executed the infamous cris-cross to Ernie Hodge, who ran it up twelve yards to the twenty-nine yardline for a righteous first down. Directly afterward, Britt Shumate made his mark by passing to Anderson at the forty-five yardline for second consecutive first down. After that, Anderson connected another pass for another first down. After a moderately decent six-yarder, however, things took an unexpected turn. A long pass by Shumate was intercepted by William Byrd's Ben Lott (not Bin Laden), who managed to claim the three before he was taken downtown by Brandon Anderson. From the three yardline, a quarterback sneak by Coach Jeff Highfill's kid, Jeff Highfill, failed to gain any yardage in two plays before the half dwindled down to zero.

John Hedge literally kicked off what would be a very action-packed half, sending the ball to the waiting arms of the William Byrd receiver who went down at the twenty-five. A long bomb attempt by Jeff Highfill was incomplete, and then the Cougar defense boosted themselves enough to block the Terriers to a dead stop, gaining only two yards. Another pass attempt followed but was batted by none other than Shaun Branscome. With the resulting down at a pathetic fourth and eight, the Terriers again had to punt.

Brandon Anderson claimed the ball and went down at the thirty-seven yardline. From there, Derrick Burks got a decent five yards from Byrd, moving the ball up to the forty-two. Anderson carried the torch after that, climbing up eight yards to claim the fifty yardline and the first down. A one-yarder later, Burks came into the fray again and put three more under PC's belt. The down, which was at third and six now, saw itself re-fueled by Ernie Hodge, who gained eight yards reaching the Terrier thirty-eight. Seven yards more were gained by another guy that this writer failed to recognize. Next, Anderson ran it from the thirty-one to the twenty-five yardline, getting another first down. From there, the Cougars clearly had a shot at taking the lead in the upcoming three plays. They only needed one, in fact, as Derrick Burks ran it straight through the straining Terrier offense to get a very crucial touchdown followed by a not-so-crucial-but-still-very-sweet extra point by John Hedge kicked the score up to 14-10 with 7:23 left in the third quarter.

Hedge came into play again next, dealing the kickoff out to an anonymous Terrier receiver. This particular receiver is most likely glad to be anonymous, as he failed to gain anything more than about three yards, fumbling with the ball the entire time. After he was finally brought down around the nineteen he did fumble, and who else but the very talented all-star kicker John Hedge would recover it? With a fresh drive, excellent field position, and ears flooded with cheers from the home crowd, Pulaski County was absolutely pumped for the second half of the first half of the second half of the game (last few minutes of the third quarter).

Commencing a second consecutive drive, PC began by getting three yards, courtesy of the "unknown player" that every writer fears for statistical purposes. Brandon Anderson carried the torch to the thirteen for four more yards, and then got the first down. Two yards later, Derrick Burks pulled off another spectacular stunt by shooting clear through the Terriers' best and into the endzone for another touchdown from the eleven. Add an extra point from the now-infamous John Hedge, and wham-bam-BOOM! The score boosted itself to 21-10 with a mediocre 5:02 left in the first half of the second half.

The following kickoff was a typical John Hedge move, soaring into the Terrier endzone for a touchback and an automatic twenty yards. William Byrd tried to redeem themselves with a longer drive this time (yuk yuk yuk), but only got to the twenty-three before they were totally spanked by Ernie Hodge, Durrell Burks, and the formidable Justin Lewis. A pass followed, claiming the forty before John Harmon and Steven Cobbs brought the guy down. The down was now first and ten after an obvious first down, and after a one-yarder, Ernie Hodge stopped the receiver of another completed pass at the Cougar forty-seven, running him out-of-bounds. Jeff Highfill ran the keeper next, and managed to climb up to the twenty-seven before going down at the hands of Steven Cobbs, both flying out of bounds and nearly hitting a nearby golf cart with a guy inside it. A pass to the fifteen was completed next, and then Highfill made his daddy proud by executing another keeper straight to the five just before Anderson nabbed him. Another pass attempt followed, which was only batted down by the invaluable Derrick Burks. With that, Highfill decided to make himself shine for the rest of the drive, running three straight keepers. The first got him to the three from the five for the first down. The second got the Terriers a spot at the two yardline. The third gave them a touchdown, followed by a botched-up two-point conversion by defensive back Steven Cobbs. This left the score at 21-16 with a solitary 0:39.2 remaining in the third quarter.

Brandon Anderson received the kickoff at around the eighteen and made it to the twenty-one before landing. Derrick Burks then tried to lift the weight off of Anderson's shoulders, running the next two plays for a total of three yards. This marked the end of what this writer hopes to be a typical Cougar quarter from now on.

Britt Shumate began the fourth quarter by passing complete for a short gain to the twenty-seven. This however, failed to help as the down was now fourth and four. S after a timeout, John Hedge came out into play and launched the ball across the field to the William Byrd thirty-seven where it rolled and stopped.

Jeff Highfill again tried to execute a quarterback keeper in the following play. He "tried" because a 336-pound locomotive named Justin Lewis was headed straight for him accurately as Branscome was early in the game. A long bomb followed but was overthrown. A second pass attempt connected to the forty-nine, and then a third failed. The down was now second and ten on the Terrier forty-nine. They actually managed to claim three more yards courtesy of--surprise--a quarterback keeper. The Terriers got what they should've seen coming long ago, though, as Andrew Hodges cleared his own path to Highfill and took back seven yards with a sack that caused a gratifying pop from the almost mob-like home crowd. This made the down fourth and fourteen, forcing the Terriers again to punt. Instead they did their trademark quick kick, faking out the Cougar receivers and sending the ball tumbling to the five before Brandon Anderson snapped it up. From an unenviable field position, he reached the seven for two yards and then the eleven for four. Britt Shumate tried to run a keeper of his own, but was brought downtown by none other than Jeff Highfill himself (get it?). With the resulting down fourth and four on the eleven, John Hedge carried out the punt to the Terrier forty-nine.

Another great big long drive by William Byrd! Highfill threw a long bomb and had to watch as it was intercepted by Derrick Burks to another pop from the home crowd. Sadly, the Cougars were penalized with excessive celebration and had to settle for their own forty-one yardline.

After what looked like a no-gainer for Brandon Anderson, Shumate came alive again and passed straight into Terrier territory and the waiting arms of Brandon. Anderson then, from the thirty-nine, got a very decent nine yards to the thirty. The down was now first and ten on the thirty. Brandon went to the twenty-five for five more and went down. After an anonymous one-yarder, Anderson got the ball and broke free of a rather gripping defense to reach the nine. It was so tense, that a very strategic piece of the Terrier's "laundry" was left behind on the field for all to see. This writer shall leave that last comment to the reader's imagination, as he will never stop laughing if he flat-out says what it was.

After that, Derrick Burks ran nine straight yards to the endzone for a fourth touchdown for the Cougars and another beautiful extra point by John Hedge. The score was now 28-16 with a short 0:41.2 remaining in the game.

The Terrier fans were dropping like flies in a Raid factory. The kickoff to Byrd was down at the twenty-seven just a couple of feet from the receiver who could have, at any moment, moved to catch it. Highfill tried to prevent the inevitable with a pass to the forty-one, but Shaun Branscome nabbed the receiver like a shot. After a no-gainer and a first down, the clock ran out to triple-zero to end a fantastic game. This time glory prevailed, as Coach Joel Hicks won his 300th game and got a free Gatorade shower. " I really feel that this team of ours has no losing season coming at them anytime soon," he said afterward, "William Byrd had one good game plan, I'll tell you that right now."

With the satisfaction of such a milestone and a huge field-shaped cake dedicated to the Coach, the players retired to the locker room to celebrate as this writer wandered out ino the huge parking lot, looking for his ride. That's all for this week, Cougar fans. I hope you all come to see the Cougars go head to head with the hosting Allegheny Mountaineers.

Game Pictures by Steven Marcus

View From The Stands by Ardent Cougar