CougarDave Corner Jefferson Forest Preview by CougarDave
Cougars Prepare For Jefferson Forest The Cougars had a great come from behind win last week over Franklin County, but now its time to face what could be the toughest two weeks in a row of the season for Pulaski County. Jefferson Forest is coming to the Cougar Den for the first time ever, and they aren’t coming to enjoy the Band Boosters BBQ. Hello again Cougar Fans, and welcome back to another week at Cougarfootball.net. Last week was a great win for the program, and it was great to see the team play the way they did in the fourth quarter. Let's make no mistakes though, the Cougars CANNOT expect or hope to win if they keep giving up points the way they have to this point in the season. For Pulaski County, in the days when jersey #33 was worn by now Head Coach Jack Turner, DEFENSE was the name of the game. For years, you would see games with scores like 7-0, or 7-3, or 9-6. When a team came to Pulaski County, they found a group of football players who were proud not just of being Cougars, but they were proud of how physically and mentally tough they were. Being the team that practiced “out by the corn field” was something we were proud of. Being the hard nosed, hard working, and HARD HITTING team that loved nothing more than to smack the other team in the mouth and make a tackle was all we ever wanted. We didn’t have an offense that scored the kind of points that we do, or at least have the ability to, now. You HAD to keep the other team from scoring if you wanted to have a chance to win. Who will ever forget seeing Michael J. Smith on the Channel 7 News the week before the big Salem game in 1983? They ask him “What do you plan to do when you play the Spartans?” With his Mohawk and his gold toothed grin, all he could say was “We’re gonna hit, we’re gonna keep hitting, and then we’re gonna hit ‘em again”. Maybe its time to see a little insanity on the defensive side of the ball. So far this season, I’ve seen two players stand out on defense due to their “reckless abandon” style of playing. They seem to be just about everywhere on the field, and they are in on a lot of the tackles. They’re not the biggest young men on the team, but they do play with a lot of heart. Sometimes playing with heart will take you further than ability. The Cougars haven’t always had a ton of talent to pull them through. Sure we have had some outstanding players over the years, but overall we’ve usually had hard working players who played with a lot of heart. Don’t take me wrong and say that we haven’t been playing hard or with heart. What I’m saying is this: We played one way in the first three quarters last week, we played totally different in the forth. WE NEED TO PLAY LIKE WE DID IN THE FORTH QUARTER AGAINST FRANKLIN COUNTY EACH AND EVERY PLAY. Our schedule is not going to get any easier, and our opponents are not going to lay down for us. When Cab Cabaniss came off of the field after the fumble recovery against Franklin County, he was almost passed out from exhaustion. Kevin Crouse was shaking all over. Fans screamed to the point that most of us didn’t talk normally until late Saturday evening. When Luis Piscura’s field goal went through those goal posts, the fans in the stands and the players and coaches on the sideline went absolutely wild. Rick Watson, who was calling the game over WPSK radio, was going wild over the air describing what was going on down on the field and in the stands. Those who didn’t make it out to Rocky Mount and were listening on the radio at home or work raised their hands in celebration with us. Players sat in the locker room after the game and cried because they were so happy to have won the game. People who live outside of the state and even outside of the Country were on cell phones listening to game reports or looking in on websites like Virginia Preps to see if they could catch the score, and when they found out about the Cougars great comeback win they celebrated with us too. We celebrated TOGETHER and as a community. It’s called COUGAR PRIDE. I cant really write a lot about Jefferson Forest, because this will be the first time the two teams have met. What I can write is that they are a tough team. What I can write is that they will come to play. What I can also tell you is that more than likely, as long as something very unlikely doesn’t happen during the rest of the season, whoever wins this game will go to the AA playoffs this season. This game is that big. Another group of folks realized just how big last weeks win and this weeks game are too. On Tuesday Morning I got another email from SFC Thomas Thompson in Iraq:
Pulaski County Football players, it’s time to strap on those gold helmets and get down to business. The path to the playoffs starts this Friday against Jefferson Forest. Now is the time to show the rest of the State that you mean business. Now is the time to send a message to the River Ridge District that Cougar Football is alive and well. When you walk down those 63 steps this Friday night, know that we are all there with you, in some cases from the other side of the world. Fans, it’s time to get loud. If you’re a rec league football player or a Middle School Football player, then when the team walks down those steps your place is right there slapping them on the shoulder pads and wishing them good luck. Bring out your cowbells, bring out your jugs, bring out your flags. Its time to show a new guest to the Cougar Den just what Cougar Football is all about baby!! GO COUGARS!!! BEAT THE CAVALIERS!!!!
Cougars
by the Numbers
Friday, September 23 - Jefferson Forest Cavaliers (Home): Series:
First Meeting.
Region III District Standings Unofficial VHSL Ratings 2005 Cougar Team Statistics 2005 Cougar Individual Statistics
LINKS Roanoke Times High School Sports Page (These links go into the archives after about a week) Southwest Times Sports Page (Check early and often - the stories disappear quickly, and are not archived.) Virginia Preps AA Message Board Matt
Gilliam's Ratings (Full access requires a subscription to VirginiaPreps.com.)
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