The Locker Room September 13, 2006

Pulaski County looks to turn things around against the Franklin County Eagles this week, but it’s time to take a long hard look at some very disturbing things that have been going on in and around Dobson Stadium.

Hello again Cougar fans, and welcome back to week three of the regular season, and another week at cougarfootball.net. Before we get into the main topic of discussion this week, I think we need to take a look back at last weeks game. Folks, Pulaski County made some mistakes along the way, but they played hard. The effort was there. Yes, there were some mistakes in the execution of the plays, but let's keep in mind here that we are talking about HIGH SCHOOL athletes, and being that you will sometimes see those mistakes.

What you don’t usually see is a team getting five downs. What you don’t usually see is a flag thrown in the final moments of a game when there is no penalty there. What you don’t see is an official who has been blacklisted by the coaching staff for years showing up and allowed to ref a game. You don’t usually see things like that…..unless you happen to be Pulaski County last Friday night. People we’ve dealt with it before, and it seems like it's something that Pulaski County will have to deal with forever. “Phantom flags” and missed calls have been a thorn in the side of the Cougars since the days of the Roanoke Valley District. Is there anything that can be done about it?? Well, while it won't change the outcome of last weeks game, a copy of the game film WAS requested by the group in charge of the officials, and they will be reviewing it. The Cougars, in the meantime, just need to keep playing hard.

Now before I get into talking about Franklin County, there is one more thing that has bugged me forever, and I’m just going to go ahead and get it off my chest now, right here in the open. If somebody takes exception to this, then maybe you need to take a long hard look at WHY you take exception to it.

People, the fans of Pulaski County High School are THE WORST FANS IN THE STATE!! We are SPOILED, we are ARROGANT, we are KNOW IT ALLS, we are RUDE, and we have forgotten where we came from. I’ve been to a lot of football games in my life, from rec league to pro games, and I don’t know if I’ve ever been more ashamed of a group of people in my life.

Now I’m not talking about ALL Cougar fans here, because I know that there is still a large group of fans out there that come out to the games, they cheer for the boys, they rattle the cow bells and wave their flags, and they do everything they can to be POSITIVE and SUPPORTIVE of the Cougar Football program and other Cougar sports teams. If you're in that group……THANK YOU!! You are part of what makes Friday night special for our kids in this county.

Let's talk about what the people in the other group do. They come to practice and stand on the side away from everyone and bad mouth the coaches and players. They come to games and they sit in the stands and scream obscenities at the players and coaches, with little kids sitting all around them. They sit in the stands and in a very loud voice question the play calling of the coaching staff and abilities of the players. They walk around during the week and talk about how “back in my days the Cougars didn’t do stuff like they do it now….”. They go up to a coaches wife after a game, and they start bad mouthing and cussing HER as she stands there with her young daughter in her arms crying. People……it’s time for the trash to go. They are the first ones to light up a big old cigar and stand around with their chests stuck out after a big win, telling people “Oh WE did a fine job tonight….couldn’t be prouder!!” They are also the first ones to leave the stadium if we are behind late in a game, and the entire time they are walking they nearly yell stuff like “Well THEY need to get their acts together or we won't ever win a game again!!”

Let me give you another fine example of the types of fans we have become. At the Grid-O-Rama in Bluefield this year, I overheard a conversation between two fans about the play calling by the coaching staff. “You know, I think we should throw the ball once in a while.” Person two responds with “Yeah, it couldn’t hurt”. The first man says “And even when the running game is working well, we should throw the ball once in a while just to keep the other team off balance.” “you're right, we should” said the buddy. “Why I say we should even throw the ball on first down once in a while!” “you're right, we should” said his friend.

Fast forward to the PC vs. Richlands scrimmage about ten minutes later. PC drives the ball down the field running the ball. The PC defense stops Richlands, and begins driving the ball down the field again. On FIRST DOWN, Pulaski County quarterback Shay Dunnigan drops back and rolls out for a pass, which is intercepted. “WELL WHAT ARE WE DOING THROWING THE BALL!!! THE RUNNING GAME WAS WORKING FINE!!! WHAT WAS COACH THINKING! MY GOSH YOU CAN'T THROW THE BALL ON FIRST DOWN!!!” Take one guess who made those comments, as loud as he could, directly behind the Cougar players and coaches.

I wish I had the wisdom and football knowledge that this particular individual obviously has. I wish I had half the football knowledge that some of the people who scream at the coaches obviously must have. I could be working in the NFL today!!

Here’s an idea for all of you people who I’m talking about……stay home. If the only reason you come to the game is to sit in the stands and yell at the coaches, stay home. If the only reason you come to the game is to try to show people how smart you are, stay home. PULASKI COUNTY HIGH SCHOOL DOES NOT NEED FANS LIKE YOU. Here’s another idea for you: If you are as smart as you claim to be, and know as much about football as you tell people that you do, come to the field house. I know first hand that anytime a rec league or middle school coach has a question or needs help, the Coaching staff will go out of their way to help that person. Why don’t you do the same. Go on up the field house and impart your wisdom on the coaches. Shoot, if you're as good as you say they may even give you one of those cool coaches shirts and let you help out. I’ll ask Coach Turner on Friday how many folks showed up, but I would almost bet you that the number will be really low. If you want to talk trash, talk it to the radio at your house, because as a parent of young children, and as a fan of Pulaski County High School, I don’t appreciate your foul language and loud mouth attacks against the program.

Now, with all that said, it’s time to rally the troops. Folks, this team needs just one break and they can get on a roll. They need one ounce of luck, and they can get things going. Nobody can question the fact that they have put in the work to be successful, because we had 250 young kids and their families witness it during our Basic Skills Clinic this summer. Nobody can question the play calling, because it has been excellent. The only thing we CAN question is Lady Luck and a very questionable official who made some bad calls.

I BELIEVE!!

I believe in this team. This Friday night, they need to believe in themselves. This Friday night, the fans of Pulaski County need to believe in them. This Friday night…..as the kids of the counties rec football program come down the steps to be introduced, they need to believe that the guys in the gold helmets are for real, and that when they get older we will support them in the way they deserve to be supported. WE NEED TO BELIEVE IN OUR COUGARS!!

Pulaski County has had hard times before. Plant closings, the terrorists attacks of September 11th, injuries, hurricanes, kids moving, wars, and the death of people in or close to the program have all been seen over the past few decades, but one thing that has held us all together has been Friday night. We have always rallied behind the kids as they started coming down those steps, and we need to do it again now. The Pulaski County football program is a family that bonds us and brings us together in hard times. “COUGAR PRIDE” has been a rally cry for our community when we could have looked at what was going on around us in the world and just given up hope. This TEAM, these KIDS, and these COACHES are our family, and it's time we started acting like it again!!

I BELIEVE!!

This Friday night, I want to see how many of our fans believe too. I’m looking for fans who are wearing a shirt that says “I BELIEVE”. I’m looking for signs and banners. I’m calling out the COUGAR CRAZIES. I’m calling out the band, I’m calling out the cheerleaders, and I’m calling out the fans. Pictures will be taken, and while I can't put them all on the web, rest assured that I will be printing them out and they will all go to the field house for the team. Let's make some noise and show our team how much we support them!!

I BELIEVE!!

GO COUGARS!! BEAT THE EAGLES!!!

Cougars by the Numbers
by Ardent Cougar

Ardent's View

Was it holding?  If so, was it the same kind of hold that had not been called all game?

I don't know.

All that is certain, is - it was called back, we turned the ball over soon afterward, and that was the game.

Hey, I liked the pass idea - it was just not well executed.  And the certain score we almost had earlier in the game, where the receiver was overthrown, was well designed.  We simply did not fully execute.

We can't let this latest case of 'so close but yet so far' get to us - Franklin County comes to town, and they have got to be going out of their minds, eager to get their first win over us in 17 tries.  They would love to send us to 0-3.  Anyone who was in Rocky Mount for last year's unbelievable thriller, knows how close they came to breaking the streak.  Their effort against us twelve months ago, ended up like our efforts in our first two encounters in 2006 - close, but no cigar.

It is at times like this, that one must show resolve.  Strengthen the will.  Keep the faith.

No one ever said that was easy to do, of course.  But then again, if it was so easy...

Everyone would do it.

Good luck guys.

Friday, September 15, 2006
Franklin County Eagles (1-1) at Pulaski County Cougars (0-2) 
31st Meeting