From The Bleachers 2003: Getting a Jump Start by Ardent Cougar
To keep up the pace, one must always be on the move. cougarfootball.net adds another member to the team, for 2003. You know him, you love him, you have witnessed him consuming mass quantities of hot dogs... the one and only CougarDave joins the cougarfootball.net squad. 'CD' embodies the essence of it all, most clearly evidenced by his attending games, even road contests, with his crutches and back brace, while recovering from a horrible accident. You would be hard pressed to find another fan who has the combination of intensity and a fun-loving spirit, like Dave has. This former player once viewed things at field level, between the hash marks in one direction, and the goal lines in another. Now he makes his home in the stands, cheering the team on to victory, and keeping the concession folks very happy - but not before tailgating! Dave believes that good tailgating leads to a good time for all, and who knows, maybe an even better chance that the Cougars will come out on top! Why take chances? Cover all bases. Tailgate
to WIN!
Well, that's enough of an introduction. It's time for a visit to..... COUGARS LOOK BETTER
THAN EXPECTED IN PRESEASON SCRIMMAGE
Those who decided not to come out to the first Cougar scrimmage of the season because of early morning storms and rain must have forgotten the arrangement Coach Joel Hicks worked out with the big guy upstairs years ago. By the time new Head Coach Jack Turners team took the field the rain had stopped and the sky was beginning to clear. Saturday was a good day for the Cougars. The offense ran the ball well as expected, and Pulaski showed a few new weapons by using an effective passing game. Now don't get excited, Pulaski will continue to be a mainly run oriented team, but the newfound accuracy of quarterback Britt Shumate's arm may catch a few teams napping here and there over the course of the season. But the big news was not how many yards the running backs got, how many yard the quarterback threw for, or how good or bad the kicking game looked. I think the biggest thing that the Pulaski County coaching staff, or anyone else who watched this scrimmage, would have noticed was the attitude. Friends and neighbors, Pulaski County is looking hungry again. Not too awfully many years ago, a Pulaski game was a low scoring affair. It wasn't uncommon to see Pulaski defeat Northside by a field goal, Salem by an extra point, and Cave Spring by a touchdown. A lot of times the first score of the game was the ONLY score of the game. Then Pulaski started scoring more. Then they started winning games by scores like 59-7, 56-20, 63-21, 69-20, and 62-12. Now I know offense is great, and I love to see the fullback break a long run just as much as anyone, but DEFENSE is what wins the big games. For a few years now it seemed like maybe the Cougars took the field and expected to win. They were good, and they knew it. But then last year we had one of THOSE years. Going
5-5 would be good for some teams, and some would love to end up with that
record, but not at Pulaski. It seems kind of like a cycle we go through
every few years. Of course fielding the youngest team ever had a
lot to do with it last year, and most years w
|
