CougarDave Corner Season Review by CougarDave
Hello Cougar fans,
and welcome back to what will be our last regular weekly edition of Cougardave
Corner here on cougarfootball.net for 2004.
We've had a great year, and I'd like to take some time to thank a few
people, but before we do lets take a look back at last weeks game. What can you say about last weeks Pulaski vs. Salem game? Pulaski came out with the desire to win, they had worked hard enough to win, and they had practiced hard enough to win. You may remember in last weeks article I mentioned that sometimes you need a little luck to win the big ones. In this case, Pulaski couldn't find any, and the Spartans came out on top. Pulaski had the weapons, they had the skill, and they had the plan to get the job done, but they just couldn't get a break. As much as we'd like to think that its all about working hard, sometimes you really do need just a little luck. I'm still proud of the Cougars, they never gave up and played until the final seconds ticked off of the clock. Congratulations to sophomore Kevin Crouse on going over 1500 yards for the season, that's a new record for a sophomore and a great accomplishment for any runner. So now lets talk about the season. On the first day of practice, when the team first walked out of the fieldhouse, I was there. The Cougars were picked to finish third at best in the River Ridge District this year. No one could have imagined the thrilling ride we were in for. First we took on Bluefield in a scrimmage, and then some great competition in the Touchdown Classic. The pre-season left us with a good feeling, but still no one was sure what to expect. The Cougars went into regular season action starting with the Northside Vikings. Pulaski defeated the Vikings soundly. Then came what most expected to be a complete blowout. The William Fleming Colonels were ranked as high as 17th in the Nation in some polls, but on the night they came to the Cougar Den, they left with a loss. Pulaski set the stage for the season with a great come from behind victory. The Cougars spent the next three weeks hoping Mother Nature would let them play, as remnants from several hurricanes passed through the area and caused postponements. Pulaski beat Patrick Henry on a Monday night game at Victory Stadium, only to turn around and play and defeat Franklin County in a Saturday night game at Dobson Stadium. This all led up to game five against the E.C.Glass Hilltoppers. Glass was playing well, and looked to take down Pulaski just like the previous year. Pulaski County won the contest in one of the most exciting games of the past few years, winning in overtime on a blocked PAT by senior Chad Thompson. While the game was a win, the team was at a loss, with many key players nursing injuries. It was a great time for a bye week, or so we thought. Pulaski came off of its bye week with high expectations for the Homecoming game against Hidden Valley. The Titans were still a relatively new school, they had a first year coach, and we had beaten them pretty soundly last year. Unfortunately, someone forgot to tell the Titans, and they shocked the River Ridge District on the same night that Christiansburg beat Salem for the first in school history. Maybe it was something in the water, but 5 out of the top 10 teams in AA football lost that weekend. Feeling the sting of the loss, the Cougars went to Blacksburg to play the Bruins on a foggy, misty night. The Cougars redeemed themselves, beating the Bruins 27-0. They moved on to the next game with a little bit of caution. The Christiansburg Blue Demons were coming into the game undefeated and looking to make a name for itself in the River Ridge District. Pulaski came out fighting, and gave the Blue Demons their first loss of the season in convincing fashion, 49-20. Next came our old rival, Cave Spring. We have had more GREAT GAMES against Cave Spring than any other team. This one put them over the top. After four quarters of football, it all came down to one kick. I'm still not sure if one of our guys got a hand on it or not, but if nothing else they were able to get close enough to at least get the kickers attention a little bit. The field goal try went wide right, and the Cougars won the game 21-20 as time ran off the clock. So that brought us to the Salem game, and as often happens when playing in the tough region and district we play in, the loser of this game would be staying home. I'm still not real sure about all the politics and the "why" some of this happens, but I do know that Dan Callahan posted a great article about it on his forum. To borrow a line or two from Dan, "Pulaski County has to contend with Salem and most years Blacksburg in the RR, and then comes Liberty, Heritage, Amherst, Jefferson Forest from the Seminole. There is always going to be at least seven or eight strong D-4 teams in Region 3, but only four can go, and in Division 3 there are three wild card slots. That's as I mentioned above, because all the district titles are won by D-4 teams. Now let us look at Region 4. First of all, over half the schools in the region are in the playoffs before the season even starts because there are so few schools in region 4. That situation needs a transfusion in the worst kind of way. You have Magna Vista in the playoffs at 3-6, Carroll County at 6-4, Graham at 4-5, Virginia High at 4-6, and so on." Once again, an 8-2 team sits home, while lesser teams play on. So with all that said, I would like to say that I am proud of this years team. They played hard, they played well, and they never gave up. To the seniors who move on next year, I wish you the best of luck in life and I hope you continue to support the Cougars as you move on to the next phase of your lives. You'll never forget the feeling of wearing that gold helmet and walking down those steps on a Friday night in front of a packed house. Nothing in life can even take that away from you. For any of you who go on to play college ball, make us proud. I don't want you to make us proud just by playing football either. Take advantage of what you get, focus on your classes, and get a good college education!! You'll always be Cougars, and you'll always be part of the family. To those who return next year, remember what you've learned this year. Work hard in the weight room during the off season, keep your grades up, and stay out of trouble. Remember, even though the season is over, your still a Cougar football player. Represent your team and your teammates well, and don't forget there are younger kids out there watching you. You are their role models, set a good example for them! I'd like to thank Ardent Cougar for putting up all the numbers this season, and for checking in on me to make sure I've stayed out of trouble. I still owe you a beat down in pool big fella!! Special thanks to Steven for keeping this site alive and for not letting me eat ALL the hotdogs at Christiansburg this year. Finally, Pete Cougar. Pete, it has been a pleasure reading your articles, and its great to see students like you and the Cougar Crazies doing things to pull for your classmates. We'll see you at the basketball games I'm sure, but just in case I wanted to say good luck in the future, and make sure you help Steven pick a good one to take over for you. Well see you all next year, and until then I would like to remind you that we have winter sports coming up in the next few weeks. This years basketball team looks to be a good one, and could be looking to make a run into the playoffs like last years team. Be sure to say hello if you see me out and about. GO COUGARS!!!!!!!!!!!!
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