Demons Show Much Too Vulgar Display of Power, but Pay Dearly by Pete Cougar Full
Story and Interviews
KENNETH
J. DOBSON STADIUM-- Today had been a bad day for students, and a bit of a
wrong-side-of-the-bed day for this writer. Exams had taken up today and the day
before. Not even the early releases on both days improved students' moods by
much. With this in mind, everyone was seeking an escape from it all through
tonight's match-up against the Christiansburg Blue Demons. The
game began, of course, as any other game. The only exception seen was the Cougar
mascot, all in bandages and accepting donations or a new costume. The teams met
out at mid-field for the coin toss, which saw the Cougars winning and deferring
to give the ball to the Demons first. The opening kickoff sailed straight into
the endzone for a touchback. Chad Thompson was briefly left lying on the field,
but soon recovered. From here, it was all Demons. Quarterback Michael Williams
threw a pass to running back Chad Chapman, who managed to run it up to the
thirty-four for a first down. Pulaski was flagged for offsides, which landed the
Demons on the thirty-nine. Chapman reached the forty-one next before Frank
Baldwin nailed him, and then Christiansburg was called for a false start, taking
them back another five yards to make the down second and eight. Chapman took the
ball to the Cougars' thirty-eight, and then Williams tossed an incomplete pass.
Next, Williams tried a quarterback keeper but was totally mauled by a huge crowd
of Cougar defenders for no gain at all. With the down third and ten on the
thirty-eight, an unknown carrier took the ball to the twenty-nine, changing it
to fourth and two. Williams saved the drive next with a first down, taking the
ball to the twenty-three. Christiansburg called a time out, and then Chapman
scrambled to the twenty-one and went down courtesy of Matt Tilley. Michael
Williams then passed the ball again, and the receiver ran it in for the first
touchdown of the game. Shaun Branscome reached up and swatted down the extra
point attempt, leaving the score at 0-6 with 8:13 left in the first quarter. The
kickoff that followed was returned by Steven Cobbs who went down at the
twenty-one yardline. Christiansburg defensive back Antonio Clabon was sure he
saw a fumble, and picked up the ball and ran it into the endzone. He celebrated,
turned around, and saw everyone else twenty yards down the field, not budging.
Seconds later, it was revealed to him that Cobbs was in fact down before the
ball escaped his grip. So, the down was left at first and ten on the twenty-one.
Derrick Burks stepped into the fray for the first time and got four yards to the
twenty-seven. Brandon Anderson took it to the forty-three, and then lost three
yards on the carry after that. From the forty with the down second and a long
thirteen, Brandon carried the ball to the Demons' forty-eight. This narrowed the
down to third and two, paving the way for Anderson's first down on the
thirty-seven. Burks carried next and claimed a first down of his own, breaking
free from Demon grasp to reach the fifteen. Anderson got the handoff next, and
scrambled all the way up to the one before a defender knocked his legs out from
under him. However, Anderson had too much momentum and used it to dive in for
Pulaski's first touchdown of the night. This definitely got the home crowd's
spirits up, especially after they witnessed the extra point attempt, which was good.
The score was now 7-6 with 5:15 on the clock. Jamie
Steger's kickoff again flew into the endzone for another touchback. >From the
twenty, Chapman ran for no gain. An unknown carrier got three yards for the
Demons, and then Williams ran a quarterback sneak. This put them on the twenty,
with the down fourth and ten. They punted. The
ball hit the ground and rolled dead at Pulaski's forty-five yardline. Brandon
Anderson lost a yard first, and then the Cougars were penalized for a false
start and forced back five yards. From the thirty-nine, Derrick Burks carried
out over mid-field to the Christiansburg forty-seven. Then, Anderson took it to
their thirty-nine. It was now first and ten, the ball still fresh in Cougar
paws. Burks ran the ball to the thirty-six for a gain of three. This play should
be duly noted because of the slight blooper that resulted. Pulaski senior
offensive lineman Jayson Dalton and Christiansburg defensive tackle Shawn Asconi
knocked heads so hard that their helmets were stuck together at the facemasks.
After ten or twelve seconds of separating the helmets and some uninterrupted
laughter on both sides of the stadium, the game resumed. Derrick Burks had his
game face on as he took the ball to the eighteen for another first down. The
carrier for Pulaski, whom this writer was unable to identify, ran the ball in
for what would have been a touchdown but a flag had been thrown at the eighteen.
Pulaski was nailed for holding and pushed back ten yards as a result. Burks was
taken back to the twenty-six yardline as the clock signaled the end of the first
quarter. After
walking to the other side of the field, Anderson took the ball to the eighteen.
This made the down third and ten. After a Cougar time out, Burks carried it to
the thirteen for five yards. For some unknown reason, the Cougars were
immediately flagged on the next play. No one at all knew why, and this writer is
no exception. He may be a lazy arrogant slob, but he saw nothing that
constituted any sort of foul. This was just the first of many unprovoked
penalties. Pulaski was moved back five yards, making the down fourth and ten.
The Cougars went for a field goal, but it was blocked and caught by
Christiansburg running back Shane Cox, who ran it all the way down to the Cougar
eight yardline. The
handoff on this rather unexpected play went to Chad Chapman who then ran it all
eight yards for Christiansburg's second touchdown. After a successful extra
point, the score was 7-13 with exactly 10:00 left in the half. The
following kickoff sailed into the arms of Brandon Anderson. In a huge shocker to
Cougar and Demon fans alike, Anderson scrambled through and between every single
defender, finally scrambling the entire length of the field for a huge
touchdown. Kicker Luis Piscura launched the ball through the goalpost for the
extra point, updating the score to 14-13 with 9:47 remaining. The
following kickoff from Steger went into the arms of an unknown returner who made
it to the thirty where number seven Greg Sartin and number eleven Ryan Dean
teamed up for what became known as the "seven-eleven tackle." Steven
Cobbs covered the pass attempt on the next play, which was incomplete. Chapman
ran it to the thirty-six where Frank Baldwin drilled him, and another pass was
made and completed only to be called back for holding against the Blue Demons.
The down was third and twenty-two on the eighteen. Faced with the intense
pressure of the situation, Williams launched a beautiful, arched pass--straight
into the hands of Steven Cobbs who took it to the forty-five before some very
angry Blue Demons took him down. With
the ball fresh in Cougar paws and excellent starting field position, Brandon
Anderson took full advantage by running it to the thirty-eight yardline. Number
two for Christiansburg, senior defensive end Stefan'O Blakely, was slightly
injured and had to leave the field for a play or two to walk off his limp.
Derrick Burks carried to the thirty four for a first down, and then Anderson
took it to the thirty-two. Directly afterward, he reached the twenty-eight. With
the down third and four, Burks got the handoff once more to reach the twenty-two
for another first down. From there he claimed the twenty, then the twelve, and
the eight in the next three plays. With the down second and goal, Burks reached
the five and the four consecutively. Finally, with the down first and goal
somewhere between the four and three, Derrick scored the Cougars another
touchdown, sealing the lead at least for a while. Along with the extra point,
the score was changed to 21-13 with 3:01 remaining in the half. The
kickoff that ensued saw the ball heading for another unknown receiver who went
down at the ten. Pulaski, however, was charged with a clip and the Blue Demons
automatically got fifteen yards. From the twenty-five, they claimed the
thirty-five but were nailed for holding and lost ten of those fifteen yards. The
down was second and twenty-three on the nine yardline. The Demons lost two yards
at the hands of Matt Tilley, and the Cougars called a time out after which
Williams launched another incomplete pass. After another consecutive incomplete
pass, the Demons punted again. Brandon
Anderson got the ball and managed to scramble up to the forty-eight. >From
there he claimed the forty-three, and then got a first down on the thirty-two.
Pulaski was flagged for holding which made the down first and twenty. Ernie
Hodge stepped in with the criss-cross run but only got two yards out of it. As
if that weren't enough for the away crowd, the Cougars were flagged for offsides,
which I'll admit was justified, and lost five. >From the thirty-four, Britt
Shumate tried to pass but ended up running it to the thirty before going out of
bounds. Somehow, Pulaski was penalized for holding again. From the Cougar
forty-nine, Shumate tried to pass to Hodge but it went incomplete. Things looked
downright miserable for the Cougars. The fans were extremely ticked, as were the
coaches and players. The next play came just in time to lift everyone's spirits
that were involved with the home team. Shumate unleashed a beautiful pass that
actually went into a Christiansburg defender's hands and bounced out. With the
ball in the air again, Steven Cobbs reached up and grabbed it, running it all
the way in for a touchdown. After the successful extra point, the score read
28-13 just as the clock ran out to signal halftime. When
asked about the amazing and hilarious pass completion, Cobbs chuckled and said,
"I just saw the ball, I concentrated on it, and once I got it I just ran
like a scalded dog." As
soon as the Golden Cougar Marching Band was off the field, the game's main
festivities resumed. The opening kickoff went into the anxious arms of Chad
Thompson who, much to the delight of everyone within earshot, ran the ball up to
the forty-seven yardline. Derrick Burks took it to the Christiansburg
forty-four, and then to the thirty-five for a first down. Brandon Anderson ran
the ball to the thirty-one and fumbled but recovered it himself. Burks got
Shumate's handoff from there, running it straight to the seven yardline for a
first down. Burks ran the ball again directly afterward, but was double-teamed
and only reached the five. Anderson took the ball to the one, and despite a
false start on the next play which drove the Cougars back to the six, Anderson
scored yet another touchdown and one of the kickers (Piscura or Steger-- I can't
remember) got the ball through the post for another successful extra point,
making the score 35-13 with 8:16 on the clock. The
kickoff went to an anonymous carrier who claimed the twenty-two yardline before
Ryan Dean and Ian Montgomery took him down. Blue Demon running back Deshaun
Grandy took the ball to the thirty-four, and then another unknown carrier was
pushed back to the twenty-three. A pass was attempted next and was incomplete,
but Pulaski was nailed for pass interference and the Demons walked fifteen
yards. They attempted another pass after that and got away with a late hit or
something similar, but the pass again fell incomplete for their trouble. The
down was second and ten from the thirty-eight. Williams finally fired a pass to
the forty-nine yardline and connected it for a first down. With much yardage to
gain and much time to gain it in, Williams threw another pass. Ryan Dean
snatched it right out of the air for an interception and ran it all the way down
the left half of the field for a touchdown. After an unsuccessful extra point
attempt, the score read 41-13 with 6:33 remaining in the third quarter. The
following kickoff to the Demons landed--surprise--in their endzone for another
touchback. Chad Chapman took it to the twenty-four where Matt Tilley dropped him
like a sack of potatoes, and then Williams dropped back to unleash another of
his passes--straight to Ernie Hodge's foot for an incompletion. Anderson covered
the next pass attempt which was also incomplete. With the down fourth and six,
the Blue Demons punted. The
punt soared down to the Cougar thirty-five and stopped dead. Chad Thompson got
the handoff from there and Pulaski was immediately called for holding--again.
Thompson carried the ball a second time and Christiansburg defenders dragged him
down but were called for a facemask penalty. This made the down second and seven
on the thirty-nine yardline. Derrick Burks carried the ball to the forty-one,
where Thompson picked it up again and claimed the fifty. He took it again, this
time to the thirty-three, where he was allegedly tackled by the Demons' Jordon
Collins. In reality, Thompson mowed Collins down for being in his way but lost
too much momentum to go on. Running back Cain Montgomery claimed the
twenty-seven where Pulaski was--you guessed it--called for holding. >From the
thirty-seven, Thompson lost four yards. With the down third and nineteen on the
forty-one, he took the ball all the way down to the eighteen for a well-needed
first down. Cain took the ball to the fifteen as the third quarter drew to a
close. As
the final quarter of the night went under way, Chad Thompson gained a yard to
reach the fourteen yardline. A Cougar who wished to remain anonymous (not
really, I just couldn't see who it was) ran a no-gainer, and then Thompson ran
again for one yard, which was tragically short of what the Cougars needed for a
first down. Christiansburg
automatically was handed the ball, and from their own thirteen they gained two
yards before Rashad Simmons (not "Rasheed" like the announcer said)
got the stop. Pulaski was called for a facemask on the next carry, and then a
pass from Williams was almost intercepted by sophomore defensive back Austin
Twine, but still fell incomplete. Chapman reached the thirty-seven for a first
down, where a pass was completed to the twenty-one for a touchdown. The extra
point was no good. This left the score 41-19 with 8:47 remaining in the game. The
kickoff went into the hands of Steven Cobbs who managed to claim the
twenty-eight yardline. Cain Montgomery took the ball to the thirty-three next,
followed by Rashad Simmons who got the first down before being dragged down by
about six defenders at the forty-four. Ryan Dean ran a keeper next but went down
in the backfield, costing the Cougars four yards. Simmons ran it to the
Christiansburg thirty-three, and a foul by the Demons saw our boys walking to
the twenty-nine. Simmons made it to the twenty-five from there, and then to the
twenty-one. The down was third and a long, excruciating one yard to go on the
twenty-one yardline. Thompson took it to the eight for the first down. With
that, Cain took the ball in for the touchdown, his first varsity touchdown ever.
Although the extra point was unsuccessful, the score was still raised to 47-19
with 4:07 left on the clock. The
following kickoff again went into the endzone for the touchback. Some anonymous
guy playing for the Demons made it up to the twenty-three before junior
defensive lineman Gerald Lyons slammed him. Cain and Austin Twine covered a huge
bomb pass from Williams that they made sure went incomplete. Rashad Simmons
brought down another anonymous carrier at the thirty-seven, and then Kevin
Crouse prevented the Demons from any gain whatsoever. Williams passed to some
guy on the forty-nine but junior linebacker Andrew Gore took care of him.
Christiansburg ran the ball to the Cougar forty-six, which made the down second
and five. Williams fired another incomplete bomb, and then Deshaun Grandy swept
in an effort to gain some yardage but tripped himself in the process. The Demons
reached the forty-eight and finally had to turn the ball over to Pulaski. Ryan
Dean, now playing quarterback for some time, took two knees in a row to run out
the clock and end a truly great Cougar game, with our boys on top 47-19. Tonight
was a relief for Cougars and cougar fans. With this match-up swept under the
rug, we look onward towards homecoming week. For fans of the ladies, (suck as
myself, wink wink) the sixteenth annual powderpuff football game is this coming
Wednesday night. Contrary to what seems to be popular demand, this writer will
not be able to cover the game. This is my time to WATCH, ha ha. Also, as always,
I would like to personally invite all of you, the loyal readers, to attend next
week's homecoming matchup against the Cave Spring Knights in Dobson Stadium.
Until then, this is Pete Cougar on behalf of all of us here at
Cougarfootball.net signing off.
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