The Locker Room October 4, 2006

The Pulaski County Cougars are taking a much-needed week off this week as they prepare for the River Ridge District Schedule to begin.  It’s time to take a look back at the first half of the season, and a look ahead at what’s to come.

Hello again Cougar Fans, and welcome to our bye week review, and another week at cougarfootball.net.  The Cougars find themselves 1-4 after a tough out of district schedule during the first half of the season.  Pulaski County has played well at times, but are still looking to find the right combination to put things the way they need to be as we head into district play. 

The bigger story here though is not the one about why the Cougars have lost this game or that game.  We could go into bad calls, tough luck, no luck, missing players, distractions, injuries, and a hundred other things that could tell us WHY the Cougars have had such a tough time getting things going this season.  The bigger story here is “what do we do now?” 

Let’s forget about football here for a few minutes and talk about the kids on the team.   Folks we have good kids on this team.  They are the kid that lives down the street that you see outside on the weekend throwing the ball with his little brother.  They are the kid that has an above 4.0 grade point average that might just get to play football at Harvard University, and the kid that has a 2.6 average that hopes he can pass all of his classes so he can stay eligible.  We have kids who’s dad has worked at Xaloy or Pulaski Furniture for most of his life making ends meet, and we have guys who’s dad might help run Volvo or own their own businesses.   We have some kids who spend their weekends hanging out at the Mall or with friends, then we have other kids who spend their weekends helping out on their families farm.  They come from all over the County.  From the ends of Little Creek to the far ends of Snowville and from way back in the woods of Pulaski all the way to the edges of Fairlawn.  They go hunting and fishing, they go to the movies and shopping.  Some can break down a car motor while some others can barely seem to figure out how to put gas in.  They are all different, but at the same time they are all the same in that they are OUR KIDS. 

The kids today are not really that different from the kids that played when I graduated.  Some are tougher than others, some are not.  You’ve got the quiet ones that go through the game doing their jobs with no fanfare what so ever, and you’ve got some that are in the limelight every week.  The biggest difference is the amount of information available to them today versus what we had back then.  They can come on websites like this one and see what’s being said and written about them.  They can go on message boards like Virginia Preps and see what fans are saying about them…the good and the bad.  They can listen in to the radio shows when people call in and say things too. 

Lets talk about some of the things that these kids HAVE done this season. 

One thing they have done is play much better defense than they have in the past few years.  I would match this defense up against any of the defenses that we’ve had in several years. 

What we’ve also had is a good mix of plays in the play calling.   The Cougars have thrown the ball!!!  Dunnigan is 14 of 33 for a 42.42% completion rate, with only one interception.  Our opponents are 25 of 61 for a 40.98% completion rate.   In all we have ran the ball 237 times and passed the ball 33 times. 

Our Cougars have averaged 13.2 first downs per game, while the other teams have averaged 10.2. 

Our offense has rushed for an average of 207.8 yards per game, versus 141.2 yards. 

Our offense has averaged 231.6 yards per game, while the other team has had 226.6 yards. 

The Cougars have had six different players catch the ball, eight different players rush the ball, and four different players score points. 

So what is missing?  I see two things that are missing right now for the Cougars, that in years past we have always had there to depend on.  First, we are missing that “go to” guy.  You pick any year that the Cougars, or pretty much any other high school team, have done well and you will usually see that one guy that is the man.  He’s the one they hand the ball to when they need that three yards for a first down or a big play on defense.  He’s a little bit crazy, a lot tough, and he’s ready to go in on either side of the ball at any time of the game.  Is that guy not there this year?  I think we have several players who can be that guy, but they are going to have to step up to the table and take on the responsibility of being that type of a team leader before it happens. 

There is something else that’s missing this year too, or maybe this is just the first year that we’ve really noticed it.  Normally, a Friday night in Pulaski County is a great place to be.  It may get a little intense in the locker room before things get started, but there has always been a positive attitude about the team, the program, the players, and the coaches.  For some reason this year, more than most, there is a very NEGATIVE attitude about things.  It isn’t something that has just come on since the Cougars ended last week at 1-4 either.  It has been there during the entire pre-season.  It was there during two a days.  It was there in the scrimmages and the TD Classic.  Don’t get me wrong, the kids are not the ones that are being negative, it is some of the fans.  And while the kids aren’t the ones being negative, they DO see and hear what’s going on around them.  When its forth and goal, with the game on the line versus a River Ridge District opponent, the last thing we want to be going through our teams mind is “WHY HAS OUR FAN BASE TURNED AGAINST US???” 

I’ve said something a few times this season, and apparently it’s caught on with some folks.  Several times this year I have written or told people “I believe in this team”.  On rec night a few weeks back, we saw young rec players carrying signs that said “I BELIEVE” out onto the track as they walked out in front of the crowd.  These are some of the same rec players that got a chance to work with the Cougars this past summer in the Basic Skills Clinic.  I’ve seen a few t-shirts with “I BELIEVE” on them too.  I’ve seen posters held up in the band section, I’ve seen people posting messages on message boards saying it, and I’ve had people come up to me and tell me that they feel the same way. 

Win or lose…I, and a whole of other people, believe in this group of young men and their coaches. 

On Friday, October 13th, Pulaski County and every other team in the River Ridge District is 0-0 again.  Lets be real honest about things here, a loss for the Cougars means they will have a 10 game season this year.  From the looks of it, a loss in district play for just about ANY River Ridge District team will mean missing out on the playoffs this year.  With the way things have shaped up so far, it looks like the playoffs will start with the River Ridge District winner, the Blue Ridge District winner, and then Amherst and Heritage.  Those two teams should, based on who they played and beat in their out of district schedules, should have more power points than anyone else in the region should they continue on their winning ways.  Both of those teams look tough, and both of those teams are hungry. 

So now we come to the point where we say, “what do we do now?”  Cougar Football Fans, all we can do is pull for our kids.  The coaches have done everything they can do to prepare them for what’s about to happen, now it is in the hands of the players to make the plays on the field.

Win or lose…I’ll be there and I BELIEVE in this team!! 

GO COUGARS!!!  BEAT THE TITANS!!!

Cougars by the Numbers
by Ardent Cougar

They all count, but the ones that count the most, start after our one week break.

Rest up, guys.  Enjoy the breather.  We know how rough it has been, how hard you have played, and how close you have come.

What doesn't kill you, makes you stronger.