From The Bleachers 2002: Week Eleven (Final Thoughts) by Ardent Cougar
Region
III District Standings
I have heard rumors that Joel Hicks might finally be calling it a career. Of course, we have heard these rumors before. He once decided to retire, then changed his mind. This time though, it might be for real. Here
is an account of Coach Hicks at Pulaski County, over 24 seasons:
The one stat that stands out the most for me is - NO losing seasons! Other teams have won more State Championships and Region Championships, and a few have won more District Championships during those 24 seasons, but how many can say that they have not suffered a losing campaign, in nearly a quarter of a century? Precious few! He has been on the sidelines for about four decades now, spending 36 years of that span as a head coach. He has won 301 games in his stellar career. Earlier this year, Hampton's Mike Smith announced his retirement, effective at the end of this season. Joel might decide to do the same. If the rumor turns out to be true, it will of course be sad to see the end of an era. We'll just have to wait and see. If he does decide to go, I am certain he will leave things in good shape for the one who succeeds him. One obvious question would be: Would it be one of his current assistants (as many have speculated), or would someone be brought in from the outside? I guess we will know soon enough, one way or another. Whoever becomes the next leader of the Cougars, will have some mighty big shoes to fill. This year's team had a very rough start, but finished strong. The Play Of The Year had to be Shaun Branscome's punt block and recovery for a touchdown against Salem, which sparked a 4 game winning streak, saving the Cougars from a losing season. It will be interesting to see how next year's squad with 20 Seniors will do: 2003 Cougar Seniors
This year, we welcomed a new player to the cougarfootball.net team. Pete Cougar did a great job, and you can tell how much effort he always put into his articles. It was fitting to get a current student to join our efforts. PC (what a coincidence!) still has two more years before graduation. He has his own style, just as I have mine, and Jeff Wolfe has his. From his and Jeff's game stories and lockerroom interviews, to the webmaster's pictures taken right down there on the field, and my photographic efforts from a fan's standpoint, we have done our best to cover the games from every angle. In the future, maybe there will be more students on board, which would be very appropriate. After all, as I think is best symbolized by the furor that led to the creation of the special Student Section, when you get right down to it - the game is for them. It seems that there are always things in life that upset the apple cart. Last year, we were all shocked by the attacks on the Pentagon and the World Trade Center. This year, there was talk of war with Iraq, and the insane sniper spree in the D.C. area. All of these events affected the lives of Virginians, especially those in the northernmost part. The playoffs for this year have been moved back a week, so that games which were postponed because of the sniper attacks, could be played. Unfortunately in today's world, it is not so easy to isolate and insulate yourself from the craziness, and enjoy things you love, unhindered by outside influences. Football is like just about everything else, in that regard. You can never tell the future for certain. All you can do is make your best educated guess, and take it from there. My best guess is, whether Coach Hicks retires or not, Cougar Football will remain a force to be reckoned with. In closing, I will borrow a little bit from our rookie writer's wrapup to his last article of the season... Until
next year Cougar Fans, this is Ardent Cougar for cougarfootball.net, signing
off.
.
On Homecoming Night, the Cougars' 4 game winning streak ended, along with the season, at the hands of the state's top ranked Division 4 team. The Vikings were simply superior on both sides of the ball. After a scoreless 1st Quarter, QB Matt Spangler put Northside on the board midway through the 2nd, keeping for a 46 yard score. With under 20 seconds left in the half, he found TE Alex Kirkland for a TD, and the Vikings went into the lockerroom with a 14-0 lead. The Cougars came back with a Derrick Burks run to cut the lead in half, but Northside drove right back down the field and hit paydirt, for a 20-7 lead. A TD with less than 5 minutes to play sealed the win for good. The Northside rushing attack amassed nearly 3 times the Cougar total. Philip Watkins alone had just 7 fewer yards than PC, who had to go to the air more often than usual. QB Britt Shumate was 6 for 11 for 62 yards, but threw an interception on a tipped pass. Brandon Anderson hauled in 5 receptions. Northside won the battle of possession time, and did not turn the ball over until the very end of the game. The Vikings will head for the playoffs as (almost certainly undefeated) Blue Ridge District Champions, while this young PC squad looks to next year. Congratulations are in order for Mr. Burks; his first carry of the night gave him over 1,000 yards for the season. He ended the 2002 Campaign with a tally of 1,042. Full Story and Interviews (Vikings Victorious, Cougars Fight to the End)
Terriers take over after an early lapse Hairston leads Salem past Christiansburg (scroll down for Lord Botetourt-Alleghany)
Previous 2002 Articles: FTB
Week One - Tazewell
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