Cougars Come Close, But Fall Short by Pete Cougar Full
Story and Interviews
KENNETH J. DOBSON STADIUM--
Missing in the stands tonight was a somewhat popular fellow who goes by the name
of CougarDave. Many know him by the little "CougarDave Corner"
editorials he does here at cougarfootball.net, and many more know him from his
popular tailgates before nearly every game. The reason for his absence escapes
this writer at the moment, but something inside his head keeps saying that had
Dave shown up, things would have been different in this showdown between the
Pulaski County Cougars and the E.C. Glass Hilltoppers. The game began as any typical
game would begin, with the two teams meeting face to face at midfield for the
coin toss. E.C. Glass won the toss and elected to receive the kickoff first, as
usual. Also as usual, Steger's kickoff screamed into the endzone for a
touchback. To start things off, Quarterback Nick Anderson dropped back for a
pass, hesitated, and paid for it with an incomplete attempt. Next, he tried a
quarterback draw but was mobbed after getting only three yards by Ernie Hodge,
Shaun Branscome, and various other offensive linemen. On a side note, this
writer would like to welcome Hodge back to the games after being benched for a
concussion. The down was now third and seven on the twenty-three yardline. With
that in mind, E.C. Glass tried another pass and connected it this time for a
first down on the thirty-four before Brandon Anderson got the tackle. >From
there, they reached the forty, and then Nick ran a quarterback keeper to claim
the forty-nine for another first down with Frank Baldwin tackling. The
Hilltoppers then tried a very long pass, which reached the Cougars' twenty
yardline but was narrowly overthrown. Nick an the option next, going out to the
right and reaching the Cougar forty-four before Shaun Branscome and Ernie Hodge
introduced themselves. Another pass attempt followed, but bounced right off the
intended receiver's facemask. This made the down fourth and four on the
forty-four, pressuring the Hilltoppers to punt. The kick from E.C. Glass kicker
Wayne Cunningham sailed down to the fifteen yardline, where the Cougars were to
begin their first drive of the game. Brandon Anderson wriggled through the
Hilltopper defenders to reach the nineteen. Derrick Burks joined the fray next,
but sadly was kept from gaining any yardage through the middle. Anderson then
got the handoff and ran outside to the twenty-four. This made the down fourth
and one. Rather than going for it, head coach Jack Turner called for a punt. (NOTE: For this article, since
the Hilltopper quarterback and Brandon Anderson have the same last name, I will
simply refer to the quarterback as "Nick.") Jamie Steger's punt sailed into
the anonymous receiver's hands, and he ran it up to the thirty-four before Rash
ad Simmons clobbered him. Nick made a pass attempt to begin the Hilltoppers'
next drive. The receiver fumbled for a Pulaski recovery to end it. The Cougars started this one off
from the Hilltoppers' own thirty-nine yardline. This drive was highlighted
mainly by some great blocking and some punishing offensive linemen. For
instance, Brandon Anderson was well-blocked by S.G.Brown to successfully reach
the thirty. From there, Burks took it to the eighteen. The team of Anderson and
S.G. Brown was again called on next, but this time only made it to the fifteen
yardline. Derrick Burks dashed to the eleven next for a first down. The center,
Matt Hall, was left lying for a moment, but soon recovered and walked away on
his own steam. Anderson then took the ball to about the five but a flag was
thrown on the play for a false start against Pulaski. After being pushed back
five yards to the sixteen, Brandon Anderson took it in all the way for a
touchdown, the first of the game. Steger's extra point went wide right, however,
and the Cougars were put on the board first, 6-0 with 3:29 remaining in the
first quarter. Jamie Steger sent the following
kickoff into the E.C. Glass endzone for another touchback. Starting from the
twenty, Nick threw an incomplete pass which Brandon Anderson came very close to
intercepting. Then, Nick ran a keeper outside to the left, going down at the
hands of S.G. Brown at the twenty-seven. A flag was thrown on the play, which
turned out to be a holding call against the Hilltoppers. This pushed them back
to the fourteen. Nick tried another pass, which the receiver handled like a hot
potato but still caught, and went down at the twenty-seven. Nick then ran another
keeper (I'm going to go ahead and reveal that he did this almost the whole
night), barely escaping a tackle, and then being snagged by the ankle and
brought down by Brandon Anderson. Another pass went out next, this time to wide
receiver Matt Taylor, who caught it and was mauled by Ryan Dean for a one-yard
loss. This failed to mean anything, however, as Pulaski was flagged for
defensive holding, a penalty that this writer didn't even know existed, and the
Hilltoppers were allowed a ten-yard walk and an automatic first down. This put
them on the forty-four. However, on the next play the Hilltoppers were nailed
for holding and were pushed back ten yards after only reaching the forty-five.
They only managed to gain three yards before Shaun Branscome tackled and the
clock ran out to end the first quarter of the game. A very long pass to about
the Pulaski ten yardline was overthrown. The down was now third and seventeen on
the forty-nine yardline. Nick tried another keeper, running all over the place.
This guy went forwards, backwards, sideways, and everywhere in between until
Frank Baldwin finally smacked him out of bounds at the Cougars' thirty-nine.
This made the Hilltoppers punt. The anonymous Cougar receiver, however, fumbled
at the nine for an E.C. Glass recovery. After a time out by the Cougars, Nick
ran--believe it or not--a quarterback keeper for the touchdown. The following
extra point was blocked by Steven Cobbs, leaving the score deadlocked 6-6 with
11:29 remaining in the half. Cunningham's kickoff found its
way into Chad Thompson's arms, who ran it a decent distance to the twenty-seven
yardline. Anderson took it to the thirty-three, and then Burks to the
thirty-six. The down was third and one on the thirty-six, but then Burks ran it
again for a first down on the forty-four. Brandon Anderson took the ball again,
swerving to avoid an army of E.C.Glass defenders but also getting pummeled
without any yardage. Ernie Hodge was called into action next with that criss-cross
play that he makes look so easy, and reached the fifty for his trouble. Anderson
ran outside to the left to the Hilltoppers' forty-four yardline for a first
down. Derrick Burks then ran it through the middle to the thirty-five, where he
went down hard. This writer thought that was a good gain, but then Anderson
followed up with a power sweep outside to the right that took the ball all the
way down to the eleven yardline. After an obvious first down, Burks took it to
the eight, and then Anderson got the pitch to the left. Tragically, Pulaski was
called for holding and had to move back ten yards from where Anderson went down,
putting them back on the fifteen yardline. Then, Britt Shumate tried a
quarterback keeper, going wide right and gaining a yard. The down was now third
and thirteen on the fourteen. After an E.C. Glass time-out and a Cougar
time-out, Shumate launched a pass to Steven Cobbs, which sadly fell incomplete.
With the down fourth and thirteen, Jack Turner called for a field goal. Jamie
Steger's kick, however, was no good according to the officials. Personally, this
writer thinks that that decision was a load of baloney. Since the questionable field goal
had been on fourth down, E.C. Glass automatically picked up the ball and began
from their own twenty. Nick started off the drive by fumbling the ball,
recovering it himself, dusting it off and getting drilled at the seven yardline.
From there, he tried to redeem himself but made it only to the eleven. Next, he
actually did redeem himself by dashing up to the thirty-one to replenish the
drive with a first down. Then, all-star running back Robert Davis got in his
first major play of the game with a run to the thirty-eight before he met Shaun
Branscome. With the down second and three, Nick then made it to the forty-two
for another first down. After that, a pass attempt was completed and the
receiver was able to creep up to the Cougars' forty-six for another first down.
Next, Greg Sartin flat-out chased Nick and pummeled him for a well-needed
quarterback sack. This made the down second and thirteen and put the Hilltoppers
on the Cougar forty-nine. This was immediately cancelled out, however, as the
Hilltoppers ran a shovel pass to the thirty-two for another first down before
Ernie Hodge and Frank Baldwin got the tackle. After an incomplete pass attempt,
Nick threw a second attempt that connected and landed E.C. Glass on the twenty
yardline for yet another first down. The next three plays were pass attempts,
all of which were incomplete. This made the down fourth and ten on the twenty
yardline. The Hilltoppers tried a field goal which was good, but a dead ball
flag had been thrown against Pulaski for offsides. This took away the points,
but moved the Hilltoppers up five yards to the fifteen. With that, they made a
second attempt, which sailed wide and was no good. Pulaski began their drive with
Britt Shumate taking a knee and running the clock out to halftime before they
could get another play in. Halftime was pretty much normal,
with people all over the place socializing, going to the bathroom, ordering food
and drinks from the concessions stand, and of course, the Golden Cougar Marching
Band performing at midfield. This writer would like to take the time right now
to wish cheerleading co-captain Jamie Reedy a speedy recovery from her injury.
Word has it that she recently sprained her ankle and tore ligaments on both
sides of it. She was seen at the game tonight in a cast and crutches. Get well
soon, Jamie! Eventually, the clock dwindled
down to zero and the two teams came back out onto the field to finish off what
they started. Cunningham's kickoff went out-of-bounds, which penalized the
Hilltoppers and put the Cougars automatically on their own thirty-five to begin
things. Derrick Burks immediately gunned for the thirty-eight, and then reached
the forty-one yardline. Brandon Anderson took the ball next, running it for a
first down from the Cougar forty-one to the Hilltopper forty-seven. With a fresh
start on his mind, Burks crept right up the middle to claim the forty-three.
Then, Burks finished it off with a first down of his own to the thirty-one.
Burks still wasn't finished after that, and ran it to the twenty-five. Brandon
Anderson took over next, running out to the left for a minor gain of one. After
that, however, he zoomed to the right through every nearby defender and into the
endzone for a touchdown. The extra point that followed was again, questionably,
no good. However, a foul was called on the Hilltoppers which gave Pulaski a
second chance. This time they went for two with a quarterback keeper by Britt
Shumate but sadly failed. Still, the Cougars were now in the lead 12-6 with 7:49
remaining in the third quarter. Steger's kickoff went into the
arms of the receiver this time, who managed to reach the twenty-four yardline
before Greg Sartin stopped him. Nick ran a draw next, gaining nine yards right
off the bat before Ernie Hodge stepped in. Robert Davis carried next, narrowly
escaping Greg Sartin who still managed to stun him and slow him down enough for
him to be dropped like a bad habit by Steven Cobbs for a no-gainer. Nick ran the
ball himself after that--again--and went all over the place again. After about
six or seven seconds of uninterrupted scrambling, Greg Sartin and Shaun
Branscome finally knocked him down after he'd only moved up three yards. This
made the down third and seven on the forty-seven yardline. The carrier, who
remains unidentified, got the first down on the Cougar forty-two before Ryan
Dean dove and literally knocked his legs out from under him. Then, the carrier,
anonymous again, made it four more yards where Hodge got the tackle. Nick ran
another keeper next and reached the thirty-three where Ryan Dean and Shaun
Branscome brought him down. Another anonymous gain landed them on the
twenty-two. Nick reached the nineteen next, and then got another first down ,
being brought down by S.G. Brown both times. This put the Hilltoppers on the ten
yardline, making it first and goal. Some E.C. Glass guy fumbled but they
recovered before any Cougars could snatch it. After that, Nick ran it himself
again for a touchdown, followed by a successful extra point which put them ahead
of the Cougars 12-13 with 33.5 left in the quarter. Cunningham's following kickoff
soared through the night air, reaching Chad Thompson again who ran to the thirty
for some decent yardage. As the clock ran out to mark the end of the third
quarter, Derrick Burks ran to the thirty-seven. On the first play of the game's
final quarter, he got the first down. Brandon Anderson picked it up from there
but sadly lost a yard. From the forty-one, Burks managed to make it two yards to
the forty-three. Then, Brandon Anderson (whom the announcer called "Derrick
Anderson") ran to the left and made it to the Hilltoppers' forty-three for
a first down. Burks carried it to the thirty-eight, and then to the thirty-five.
The down was now third and two. A flag against E.C. Glass for moving offsides
moved the Cougars up to the twenty-nine for an automatic first down. From there,
Burks took it to the twenty-seven, where Anderson ran it (with S.G. Brown's
assistance) all the way up to the eighteen for another first down. Pulaski was
flagged for a false start and lost five yards, but gained them right back on the
next play, making the down second and ten on the eighteen. Anderson carried it
for one yard up to the seventeen, and then Ernie Hodge stepped in with his criss-cross
maneuver to reach the twelve. This made the down fourth and five on the twelve
yardline. The Cougars attempted another field goal, but it was again no good. E.C. Glass took the ball on their
own twenty. Robert Davis immediately ran right through the Cougar defenders to
the Pulaski twenty-six, a gain of fifty-three yards total. An anonymous carrier
got two more on the next play, and Nick ran a keeper to the thirteen. He ran a
draw next, but the Hilltoppers were nailed for holding and were pushed back a
full ten yards. This made the down first and seventeen on the twenty yardline, a
situation which Nick immediately got his team out of by running yet another
keeper to the twelve where S.G. Brown and Matt Tilley brought him down. Davis
ran it to the seven next, and Ryan Dean got the tackle. This made the down third
and five, and Nick threw an incomplete pass. After an E.C. Glass time-out, they
faked a field goal attempt but were still caught before they reached the
endzone. This next Pulaski drive, which
started on their own five yardline, was loaded with incompleted passes. The
first was normal, the second would have been an interception, had the Hilltopper
not been out-of-bounds, the third was to Sartin who dropped it, and the fourth
was intended for Steven Cobbs but failed to connect. The automatic turnover put E.C.
Glass in touchdown territory from the get-go. They could have taken a knee to
run out the clock, but instead scored immediately, making the numbers go up
12-20 with 1:50 remaining in the game. Steven Cobbs received the kickoff
next, and reached the thirty-two yardline. Britt Shumate threw an interception
to begin another Hilltopper drive. Finally, Nick decided to take a
knee to run out the clock. On the next play, Steven Cobbs jumped clear over the
line as the play began and tried to tackle him to stop him from kneeling again.
Somehow, the referees saw fit to eject him from the game after making an
entirely legal move! After that, Nick took another knee as the clock
dwindled down to triple zero. Tonight was truly a sad and
frustrating night for the Cougars and the Cougar fans. Let me be the first to
inform you that there will be a bye next week, as our boys are taking a break
(from games, anyway). Well-deserved,
in my opinion. But two weeks from now, they travel to Hidden Valley High School
to take on the Titans, whom I still think should change their colors to green
and white and their name to the Ranchers (Hidden Valley Ranchers, I'm a genius).
As usual, I personally invite you
all to come and cheer our boys on. So until October tenth, for
cougarfootball.net, this is Pete Cougar signing off.
Full
Story and Interviews
|
