The Locker Room August 5, 2007

The Pulaski County Cougar football team officially started the 2007 season at 8:30 a.m. on Wednesday August 1^st as Head Coach Jack Turner blew the whistle to start two-a-day practices.

Hello again Cougar fans, and FINALLY welcome to the start of the 2007 season. The Cougars have had a very productive off season, seeing some fine results in the weight room and during their first ever 7-on-7 passing camp.

In the weight room, several players stood out with some fine lifting. The Cougars had several players earn a spot in the 1,000 Pound Club (player lifts over 1,000 total pounds in three lift…bench, squat, and power clean), and many more in the 900 pound club. I know of at least one bench press max of 435 pounds, made by Cecil Rigney, I’m not sure if anyone else hit that mark or not. Overall though, the off season was a big success, and this will be a very strong Cougar football team.

During the summer 7 on 7 camp, Pulaski County was able to perform well and made some big strides in their skill position players. As most people know, the Cougars have always been a running team. We like to run the ball. We usually run the ball well. The problem is that now, most people know this, and have figured out defensive schemes that neutralize some of, and at times a lot of, our ground attack. While you shouldn’t go out and expect to see “Air Turner” on Friday nights this fall, what you can expect is to see the Cougars use their passing attack with more confidence and effectiveness. It’s just one more thing for the other team to have to prepare for now, and of course this will help open up ground game again.

Either way, 2007 in shaping up to be a promising year for Cougar Football. The Cougar return several key players from last years team, and several players have stepped up during the off season. After fine campaigns in both basketball and baseball, quarterback Shay Dunnigan returns for his second season as the starting quarterback for Pulaski County. Should it be needed, he can expect relief from Mandela Adams and Zane Quesenberry. I expect to see a much improved running attack, as the Cougars return Nubian Peak, Demetrius Brown, Seth Paris, Mandela Adams, Jared White, and Brandon Hazzard, along with a couple of other young players who have shown some promise in the 7 on 7 camps. At the receiver position, you can expect to see a host of Cougars rotating in and out, with some of those players being Tahrick Peak, Clay White, Tyler Clontz, and again some younger players that have shown promise during the 7 on 7 drills. The offensive line should be a solid one this year. While it shouldn’t be quite as big as it has been in the past, you can expect a strong and somewhat quicker group of young men in the trenches.

On the defensive side of the ball, the Cougars are hoping to make their greatest improvements. Up front, the defensive line should be a lot like the offensive one…a little smaller but strong and a bit quicker. Most coaches I know would gladly take that. One player who has stood out in my opinion has been rising junior Langston Lewis. Last year as a sophomore, #72 saw some limited playing time at 6’3” and 339 pounds. Yes, Langston is a big ol’ fella. This season, expect to see a bit more of him, as he has put in the time both in the weight room and on the track, working on his speed. Expect to see him come in at around 6’4” tall and about 304 or so pounds. Langston Lewis is a fine young man, who’s attitude seems to exemplify the attitude of this squad….WORK HARD!

If the Cougars could pick one area that they would like to improve on from last year, I would bet that it would be in the defensive secondary. Last year the Cougars recorded four interceptions. That was the lowest total for interceptions in quite some time. Not only did this summers 7 on 7 camp help our passing game, but I expect that our secondary may have benefited from it even more. In three days of 7 on 7 games, the Cougars had well over 20 interceptions. Don’t expect to see that during River Ridge District competition, but I do expect to see a good bit of improvement in our pass coverage this year.

Finally, expect to see good things in the Cougar kicking game this year. Rising senior Ben Buckland had a fine kicking camp this summer, under the tutelage of former Cougar and former Hokie Chris Kinzer and his father. Chris and his dad came down and spent a few days working with the Pulaski punters and kickers, and in the end not only did Buckland look good, but rising sophomore Dustin Bain, who came in last season after Buckland was injured, has continued to show improvement as well. All in all, the Cougar kickers could once again prove to be a valuable asset.

So here we are, on Wednesday night after the first day of two a days, and we wonder “so will this be the year?” Cougar fans, we all know that last year was a hard one for this program. We lost some fine friends. We also lost a man who helped put this program and this school on the map. There have also been some other things happen since the end of the season that have made me think about the things that are really important. Longtime Pulaski County Touchdown Club member Erby Turpin put a scare into us a few weeks back, and now longtime Security man and Touchdown Club member Ronald White is out of commission with some health problems of his own. At the end of the day, we ask ourselves “is winning football games really all that important?”

I would say that if you ask Erby Turpin or Ronald White that question, they would look you dead in the eye and say yes. I know if Kenneth Dobson were here today, he would give you the same answer. They would all say yes, because they understand that not only are those wins important for the success of the program and the school, but they are important for the community. Nothing brings this County together like Cougar Football on Friday nights. Nothing gets Pulaski County to pull together like Cougar Football can. Unfortunately, it can also bring out the worst in some of us. Negative comments, negative remarks, and barber shop rumor mills headed up by some of the bleacher coaches that seem to be ever present around just about any football program have run wild over the past two or three seasons. I, for one, think its about time for all that to end. This football program is about teaching young men the game of football and hopefully a little something about life. It is meant to be a positive experience, and the coaches work towards that goal each and every week. As fans, our job is simple…..support the kids. It sure would be nice if we could all do that, and support this team in a positive manner this season. Just a thought……

Before we sign off, I wanted to send out congratulations to all of last years seniors who will be moving on and taking a shot at the next level to play college football. Benji Poindexter has signed his official Letter of Intent to play for UVA-Wise. It looks like another former Cougar may be joining him there this season, as Stevie Cobbs has transferred from Lenoir-Rhyne. Long snapper extraordinaire Glendon Jones has signed his official Letter of Intent to play for Emory and Henry. He will be joined there by fellow graduate Sam Daugherty, who has also joined up with the Wasps. Chris Brammer will be attending S.A.G.U. (Southwestern Assembly of God University) in Waxahachie, Texas, where he hopes to continue his football career with the Lions. And finally, I ran into Brent Osborne last week as he was getting his final things together as he prepares to report to Harvard University, where he will be a member of the Harvard Crimson football program. Good luck to all of you guys, make us proud!!

Check back later as we draw closer to the season opening scrimmage against Tazewell on August 11^th, and the 25^th Annual Pulaski County Touchdown Classic which will be held on August 17^th.

GO COUGARS!!!

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