CougarDave Corner Blacksburg Preview by CougarDave The Pulaski County Cougars are on a four game winning streak going into this weeks game, but if the Cougars think the Bruins are going to just roll over for them after last years 27-0 win at Blacksburg’s home field , they could be in for a rude awakening. Hello again Cougar fans, and welcome back to week eight of Pulaski Counties season and another week at cougarfootball.net. Last week was a great week for the program, with the JV team winning in double overtime to keep their unbeaten streak alive, and the varsity team winning in rather convincing fashion at Hidden Valley. Just a few notes on that game before we get started talking about Blacksburg. First of all, it was great to see Kevin Crouse continue to roll on in his quest to make a huge impact not only on the other team, but on the Cougar record books. Crouse now has 863 yards rushing for the season (actually that’s in four games) and 13 touchdowns. That gets added into his 1538 yards from last year, along with his 132 points from last year. He’s moving up quick, but he’s not the only guy on the team who’s showing lots of improvement. Take a look at John McDaniel. Good old number 21 now has 6 interceptions on the season, along with 51 tackles. The team has 10 interceptions total, along with 4 fumble recoveries. Defensive back Trey Angle had a mighty fine interception return for a touchdown last week too, he just couldn’t have read that one any better. And then we had a FRESHMAN……wait a minute, let me say that again…..WE HAD A FRESHMAN catch a 59 yard touchdown PASS…..yes I said TOUCHDOWN PASS!!! No Ardent Cougar or Scott Cougar, that was not a “legal forward lateral” or some form of a “forward fumble that was caught in the air”, it was Pulaski County passing the ball. Imagine that. Welcome to Cougar Football Mr. Nubian Peak!! So with all that said, let's take a look at what the Cougars have in store this week. First of all, this Friday night will be rec league night at Dobson Stadium, and before the game starts you’ll get a chance to see the future Cougars from all over Pulaski County who are currently playing rec league football. I better hear a little extra loud cheer from the Cougar Crazies when the team I coach, the Dublin Packers, walk down!!! After that’s all done with, our Cougars take on the Blacksburg Bruins in what COULD be the upset game of the season if the Cougars don’t come to play. Blacksburg is a young team this year. They have a freshman quarterback who has been getting better each week, along with a young line and receivers. The Bruins come into the contest only sporting a 1-5 record, but they have played tough against some respectable teams. The Bruins lost to Graham 31-34 in overtime. They lost to Northside 6-8. They lost to Cave Spring 27-16, and finally they lost to William Fleming 33-17 (you DO remember Fleming, don’t you? They beat the Cougars 31-0). So this is a dangerous team, as are most of the teams in the River Ridge District. The Cougars are tied in the series with the Bruins 2-2, winning the first game in 2001 and the last one last year. So with all that in mind, this Friday night is a big game for Pulaski County. The Cougars are currently sitting in 3rd place in the River Ridge District, with both Salem and Cave Spring being undefeated for the season. Pulaski is ranked second overall in the VHSL power points ranking for Division 4 though, behind undefeated Amherst. If the Cougars can continue playing the way they have for the past four games, then we could see the Cougars make their first playoff appearance since…..no, wait, I’m not even gonna go there yet. Let's just be happy with the fact that the team is playing very well right now, and that this Friday night we get to see them in action a Kenneth J. Dobson Stadium. So now lets see what we can do to help fire these boys up!! Pulaski County…..it’s time to make a little noise people!! I can understand not taking a big crowd on away games (sometimes) with gas prices being as high as they are and traffic being rough sometimes, but people this is OUR HOUSE!!!! It's time to get out there and yell a little bit!! Bring out those cow bells and rattle jugs!! Somebody tell the P.A. man not to be afraid to push the button on that cd player with the “Cougar Growl” cd in it!! Get that dog gone train horn warmed up and get those kids line up at the bottom of those steps, because it’s gonna be Friday night baby, and there’s nowhere else I’d rather be than right there at the Cougar Den!! We’ll see you folks there, and don’t forget to make a little noise for our friends who are deployed and cant make it out to the games. GO COUGARS!!! BEAT THE BRUINS!!!!
Series: Tied
at 2-2.
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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