The Locker Room November 1, 2002

Game Pictures by Steven Marcus

DOBSON STADIUM -- For every good thing, there is a time for it to end.  Sometimes the end is an appropriate time, sometimes it ends too soon. Sometimes the situation is a little of both.  Perhaps this was one of those times.

Win, lose or draw, the Pulaski County High School Cougar's chance at the playoffs was shot. For the Northside High School Vikings, the current number 1 team in the state, a victory would mean an undefeated season.

In any event, with the estimated temperature low in the twenties, it was literally freezing cold in Kenneth J. Dobson Stadium the evening of the night's Homecoming game. People chatted, kids ran amuck, cheerleaders giggled, and a few seniors delivered the ultimate insult by walking down the bleacher steps and down the track bearing an open casket containing a dummy made to resemble a viking. After setting it down directly in front of the away stands, however, a police escort forced them to take it out of the place.

The festivities began as usual with the coin toss, which the Cougars won. After electing to receive, they got in formation and waited for the kickoff. As the ball sailed into the anxious arms of the all-purpose Brandon Anderson, the Cougars led him to reach the twenty-eight yardline before going down at the hands of two Vikings. Derrick Burks picked up from there to gain three yards, reaching the mark of 1000 yards in one season as well. After that, he got three more and then PC counted on Anderson again to go for the first down. he failed to get it, however, being stopped a mere yard short. With the down fourth and one, the Cougars surprisingly decided to punt. After a delay of game penalty, however, the Cougars were pushed back to make the down fourth and six. John Hedge knocked the ball over to the Northside forty-eight, but then it rolled out-of-bounds.

With a fresh drive and an excellent starting field position, the Vikings relied on Mike Campbell to gain the first yards. He did not let them down, squeezing his way through the Cougar line to reach the PC forty-three yardline. with but one yard to gain on the second down, Philip Watkins took it downtown to the thirty-one for the first down. Another first down by Watkins followed, and then a short gain of two. From the eighteen, Northside got through to the fourteen for a gain of four before being smothered by Steven Cobbs and Ernie Hodge. A quarterback keeper followed up with Northside's Matt Spangler, claiming the first touchdown of the game. Fortunately for the Cougars and their fans, this was followed by the first, of many, penalties of the game. After being refused the touchdown and called for holding, Northside was pushed back five yards to the nineteen. After a gain of three yards that was thwarted by Cory Bentley and Justin "Juice" Lewis, Spangler unleashed a long one that would've surely scored for the Vikings, had Brandon Anderson not batted it down at the very last split second. Since the down had been fourth and six on that last attempt, the ball was handed over to the cougars on their own sixteen.

Brandon Anderson commenced the drive, running through to the twenty-one for a righteous five yards. After that, Anderson went out again, this time for ten and a well-needed first down. This failed to mean much, however, as superior blocking by Northside led to a pass interception from PC Quarterback Britt Shumate. A flag followed, adding insult to injury by penalizing the Cougars for an ineligible receiver.

Staring from their own forty-four, the Vikings got an anonymous gain that wouldn't have helped even if this writer had seen it, getting penalized for holding and losing ten yards back to the thirty-four. From there, they had a relatively short drive, getting seven yards and then three more to make the down third and ten from the forty-five. After losing a yard courtesy of the Cougars' John Harmon, the down was fourth and eleven on the forty-four, right back where they started. Needless to say, they punted, which rolled dead to the Cougar twenty-eight.

Starting eight yards ahead of a touchback, the Cougars again counted on Anderson to get some penetration through the wall-like defense. He reached the thirty-two, gaining four yards. Next, there was an ironic "penalty exchange" as my colleague Ardent Cougar put it. First, PC got flagged for a penalty that this writer failed to catch. Losing five yards, they had to try again from the twenty-seven. However, the Vikings were nailed for offsides and made the exchange by going back five yards themselves which put the Cougars right back where they were, second and six from the thirty-two yardline. Anderson again tried for a gain but was smothered and lost a yard. A pass attempt by Shumate came next, and was decently completed by Anderson right before the Cougars were called for a facemask. It was declined by Northside, and the down became fourth and six from the thirty-two. John Hedge was called into action for the punt, and it went into the air coming down into the arms of Mike Campbell at the thirty-four who made a fair catch.

Northside was about to work their magic, but the referees who seemingly get paid by the flag called PC for offsides and pushed the Vikings up five yards before gaining one on their own. After gaining one yard to reach the thirty-five, Matt Tilley for PC got the tackle and caused Northside to fumble but immediately recover it. This marked the end of the first quarter with the score literally dead even at 0-0.

Picking up from where they left off, Northside began the second quarter gaining one yard before going down at the hands of the talented Ernie Hodge. A two-yarder was stopped by the deadly combo of Shaun Branscome and Justin Lewis. Then, with the down fourth and six on the thirty-eight, the Vikings decided to punt again.

The ball rolled dead again to the seventeen. Derrick Burks tried to redeem the unenviable field position, claiming three yards. Anderson carried again after that for one, and then Shumate passed a decent one to Brandon for an equally decent five yards. This left Pulaski with one solitary yard to be gained as they punted.

The ball sailed a rather long distance considering the Cougars field position to the Viking forty-six yardline. Spangler tried a quarterback keeper and reached the fifty. Watkins picked up from there to reach the other forty-six. The down was third and two. Matt Spangler launched another quarterback keeper right through all the Cougar blockers, reaching the endzone for a humongous forty-six-yard touchdown followed by a successful extra point. This put Northside on the board 0-7 with 7:09 remaining in the half.

The following kickoff went to Brandon Anderson who went down on the nineteen yardline. Five yards wee gained next as a result of an offsides penalty on the Vikings, and then with the down a righteous first and five, Derrick Burks reached the twenty-five for a gain of two. Anderson took the ball twice next, reaching the twenty-seven, and on the next play gaining an unknown number courtesy of yet ANOTHER holding penalty. This changed the down from a well-needed third and one to a not-so-well-needed third and eleven. After a timeout by Pulaski, Britt Shumate unleashed a long bomb to mid-field, with Greg Sartin connecting it as the home crowd erupted. With a fresh drive and ten yards to go from the Northside forty-two, Brandon Anderson got pressed back again and lost two yards. Up next was Ernie Hodge with his infamous criss-cross run, getting the handoff from Burks who got it from Shumate, and running through to the thirty-eight for five yards. The down was now a mediocre third and six, and Anderson went for the first down but only reached the thirty-six for two yards. This made the Cougars punt again.

The ball traveled a short distance to the nineteen yardline where it went out-of-bounds again. A five yarder was screwed up by Ernie Hodge and Andrew Hodges, and then Watkins unleashed the first down before he met Justin Lewis. Spangler was ran out-of-bounds on the next play at the hands of Brandon Anderson, and then Watkins gained eleven yards to reach the  forty-four and get the first down again, this time getting slammed by Shaun Branscome. A long lateral pass followed up, soaring across the field to Dwayne Saunders who went down at the Cougar thirty-three. Another long pass followed that one, with the same guy claiming it at the eighteen. Another long bomb was attempted but batted down by Brandon Anderson. However, a second attempt escaped the Cougars' reach and went to Northside's Alex Kirkland for the second touchdown of the game. The following extra point connected, and the score was elevated to 0-14 with a measly 13.1 seconds left in the half.

The kickoff went out-of-bounds at the Vikings' thirty-nine. Derrick Burks tried to gain what he could, claiming three before the half ended. He had fourteen running yards, and Anderson had twenty-four at halftime.

The Homecoming festivities occupied halftime, with the Homecoming court nominees entering the field escorted by their parents and each other. The Duke and Duchess were Cory Bentley and Betsy Webb, the Prince and Princess were John Hedge and Breanna Blevins, and last but certainly not least were the King and Queen: Andrew Hodges and Jackie Slaughter.

The start of the third quarter was marked by something that this writer did not expect during this game: a funny play. Just as John Hedge reached the tee containing the ball, the ball was blown off of it by the chilling wind. A second try at the kickoff reached the receiver who went down at the Northside sixteen, courtesy of Derrick Burks distracting him until he ran smack dab into his own blocker and fell down.

The Cougar defense stepped up a notch fairly well on this drive especially. Matt Tilley and Justin Lewis prevented the slightest shred of a gain on the first down. Watkins took the ball next and reached the twenty-one for five, but then when Spangler tried a keeper he was ran down at the twenty-one for no gain, courtesy of Ernie Hodge. With the down fourth and five on the twenty-one, they punted to Anderson who stood his ground at the Viking forty-nine and made the fair catch.

This rather long PC drive began to unfold with a pass attempt intended for Brandon Anderson, connecting at the forty-three. With four yards to go, Derrick Burks became his old self and sidestepped the oncoming defense behemoths, reaching the thirty and gaining seven yards for the first down. Anderson caught another pass next, and ran it successfully to the twenty-one for nine more yards to be proud of. On the next play, however, PC was flagged and had to back up to the twenty-six. Ernie Hodge ran it next, claiming the twenty for six more and the first down. Derrick Burks picked it up from there and was well-anticipated by the defense, gaining only one yard for that reason. Brandon Anderson, however, redeemed that little botch-up by weaving his way through the defense and reaching the two yardline for a seventeen-yard gain. Burks then ran it for a gain of one. After a pointless offsides flag that obviously didn't penalize Northside any yardage, Burks duplicated his previous effort and practically stepped on the piling defensive linemen to get in for the touchdown, fouling up Northside's plans for a shutout. After a flawless extra point by all-star kicker John Hedge, the score was gratefully changed to 7-14 with 5:18 remaining in the first half of the second half.

John Hedge stayed onfield for the kickoff to the Vikings, which he sent to the receiver for a pleasant change on the thirty-two. From there, they immediately re-fueled the drive with a first down to the forty-four. Watkins kept the Vikings alive with a nine yarder to the Cougar forty-seven, and then Spangler kept it for another keeper, this one unbelievably long and reaching the Cougar sixteen yardline. From there, Watkins picked it up again and reached the twelve yardline before running into the lethal tandem of Shaun Branscome and Justin Lewis. After an anonymous five-yarder to the seven yardline, Watkins ran it again to the four. This made it first and goal on the four yardline. Watkins unleashed a three-yarder to the one before going down hard at the hands of Cory Bentley, Andrew Hodges, Steven Cobbs, and Shaun Branscome. However, Watkins recovered and managed to climb up to the endzone for the Vikings' third touchdown of the freezing night. The following extra point attempt was unsuccessful and the score became 7-20 with 2:12 remaining in the third quarter.

Anderson, again, nabbed the kickoff and made a decent return to the thirty-nine yardline. Derrick Burks ran it to the forty for one more yard, and then Shumate finished off the short drive with two incomplete passes, one for Sartin and the other for Anderson. The almost inevitable punt that followed went through the biting cold air and into the arms of Northside's Mike Campbell who made a fair catch somewhere around the forty-nine.

A no-gainer commenced the drive, followed by a one-yard loss due to a meeting with the hulking Justin Lewis. This marked the end of the third quarter and the beginning of the end.

The down was second and eleven from the Viking forty-eight. Matt Tilley kept it there, simply put, preventing a gain. A long bomb was attempted next by Matt Spangler and failed to connect. The down was now fourth and eleven. Northside decided that there was nothing they could do to rectify this, and punted.

The punt was, to credit Northside's efforts, a beauty. It sailed out-of-bounds right at the seven yardline, putting the Cougars at a very unenviable field position.

To begin the drive, Britt Shumate tried a pass to Brandon Anderson but failed to complete. Derrick Burks collectively got twelve yards on the next two plays, gaining a first down in the process. After a foul that added two yards to PC's drive, Ernie Hodge again went for the criss-cross. However, this time the Vikings were ready and took those two yards back. Shumate tried a quarterback keeper of his own, and reached the twenty-four for a righteous seven yards. However, the down was still fourth and five which led the Cougars to punt again.

The punt sailed out-of-bounds at the thirty-one yardline on the Viking's side of the field. they immediately gained a moderate four yards before being nailed to the field by John Harmon. Philip Watkins again picked it up and sprinted to the forty-nine for four more yards, and then Spangler tried a--surprise--quarterback keeper to the forty-seven before Shaun Branscome took out his frustrations on him. Mike Campbell got three more and then went down at the hands of Steven Cobbs and Brandon Anderson. An anonymous runner carried to the twenty-seven for the first down next, and then was ran out-of-bounds by Cobbs and Hodges. Campbell ran for two, and then Watkins ran for four more. The down was now third and four on the twenty-one yardline. After reaching the ten for the first down, they reached the five before going down due to Andrew Hodges and Matt Tilley. The down was now second and goal on the five. Matt Spangler skipped right past the Pulaski defense and went downtown for the touchdown and an attempt at a two-point conversion which was unsuccessful. Thus, the score changed to 7-26 in the Viking's favor with minutes remaining in the game.

This time, the kickoff went into the arms of Derrick Burks who barely got anywhere before the flag-happy officials called PC for illegal blocking, making the down first and ten on the fifteen. After a timeout, Burks got three yards followed by five more on the next two plays. this left the Cougars with fourth down and two yards to go when they punted again.

After the punt rolled to the forty-five on the Viking's end, Anderson and Branscome stopped the Viking carrier after a four yarder on the first down. This drive would prove to be a short one, what with gains of no more than two yards, an incomplete pass, and a hard hit from Justin Lewis. After all that was said and done, the down was third and eight. Spangler tried a quarterback keeper--again--to redeem this irrelevant turn of events, but was nailed hard and fumbled for a PC recovery.

From the thirty-eight, Shumate passed to Anderson but Brandon could not in any way change the outcome as the clock dwindled down to 0:00.

A few Cougar seniors in the locker room after the game were asked what Cougar football had meant to them during their years playing.

 CORY BENTLEY: "It means everything to ya. When it's all said and done, you don't ever wanna have to leave, ya love it so much."

 

ANDREW HODGES: "PRIDE, with every letter capitalized. I'm gonna miss it so much, I loved every minute of it."

 

KELLY STOOTS: "If it were my choice, it'd be 24/7. You have to live it, and once you do you never wanna take that jersey off, not ever."

 

JOHN HEDGE: "Never give up. We've been working as a team, going through adversity time and again, keeping our heads up the entire time."

 

RAY MCCLANAHAN: "It's been a lot. We put a lotta hard work into it, and this year, my senior year, I finally got to start. I love it."

 

DURRELL BURKES: Your teammates are your family. It's not just some game here. It's a way of life."

 

Last but definitely not least, Pete Cougar thanks you, the readers and fans, for stopping me at school and at the games just for the sake of telling me how great I've been. I'm gonna miss staying up all Friday night, half asleep, writing these articles and wondering how I should word the next big play or drive. I guess I'll close off now, but I shall return once the ball goes onto the tee again. Next year, we're gonna see Justin Lewis, Steven Cobbs, Ernie Hodge, Brandon Anderson, Britt Shumate, and who-knows-how-many others continue to pound the opposition into the ground. But until then, this is Pete Cougar for cougarfootball.net signing off.
.

Game Pictures by Steven Marcus