The Locker Room October 17, 2007

The Pulaski County Cougars return to the friendly confines of Kenneth J. Dobson Stadium this week, as they prepare to face long time opponent the Cave Spring Knights in a very important district game.

Hello again Cougar fans, and welcome back to another week here at cougarfootball.net. WOW!!! What a way to make a statement to start out River Ridge District play!!! Who…..myself included…..would have imagined that the Cougars would have went down to Bogle Stadium last Friday night and dismantled the Titans the way they did? Let’s make no mistake about it here, the Titans should have made this….at the very worst….a very close game. They have talent, they have the coaching, and they have the support. For our Cougars to go down there and perform the way they did means that our team has improved, and IF they can continue to improve each week and continue to fix their mistakes, they should be able to be competitive for the remainder of the season. Either way, great job last week to the players and the coaches on a job well done.

Let’s make no mistakes here though, the rest of the season will only continue to get tougher. This week it’s the young and hungry Cave Spring Knights. The weeks after that see us facing Blacksburg at home, then traveling to Christiansburg and Salem. There are no “gimme’s” in the River Ridge District once again this season. You’ll have to prepare and be ready for a fight each and every week. Records go out the window, as each team knows that the only way they have a true promise of making the playoffs is to win the district title.

The Cave Spring Knights come into this game with a not so surprising 2-4 record. This team is young, and a lot of their talent has moved to the Hidden Valley section of their area. They have lost to Allegheny, Northside, William Byrd, and Blacksburg. None of these were big surprises, and neither was the 7-6 win they earned over Staunton River. What was a bit of a surprise however, was the 35-7 win they got over Patrick Henry. If you’ll recall, the Cougars only defeated the Patriots 14-6 at Dobson Stadium. The Knights as a team with some problems, but given the chance and a little luck, they could shock someone before this district schedule is over. Hopefully it won't be this Friday night.

The Cougars enjoy a 23-8 lead in the series between these two teams, and have won 21 of the last 24 contests. There have been two fine overtime games between these two schools (1997, 1999), both of which the Cougars won. All of these numbers look great on paper, but the bottom line is that Pulaski County will once again need to bring it’s “A-Game” to the fight, or they might end up on the short end of the stick when the final horn blows.

Either way, this should be a great game. It’s a home game, so the hotdogs will be cooking, the BBQ will be there and ready, 50-50 tickets will be on sale, folks will be tailgating before the game, and the kids will all line up at the bottom of the steps as our Cougars take the field to face the Knights. Nothing beats a Friday night in Pulaski County!!

So this brings us to the part of this weeks story where I’d like to bring up a few things I’ve noticed and a few new additions to this site that we’re hoping to expand on. First, I’d like to talk about our new video section that we’ll be adding each week. The response has been GREAT!! Last week…..mere moments before the game….I ask Jeff Marcus if he could take a little video for me. He wasn’t sure at first, but then started to get into it. It was a test, just to see how it would come out. I brought it home, did a little creative editing, and BOOM……our first video highlight on this site of a game. Expect it to continue to get better as we try some new things, and add things to each weeks video like player and coach interviews, fans highlights, and well wishes from fans before the games. Cougar Crazies…..force us to put you on there. We want you guys and gals to get crazy. Get dressed up, painted up…..whatever you have to do to help fire up the team….we’ll get you guys your 15 minutes of fame!!

The last thing I want to talk about this week is COUGAR PRIDE. Since last season ended, the coaches and players of this team have made a commitment to work hard and make improvements. It started in the weight room and on the mat during agility drills. The Cougars continued on with their way by doing their first ever 7 on 7 clinics this summer, and I think the results of those clinics are pretty evident. The one thing that the coaches have preached from day one has been the same however…..they have told the players to keep a positive attitude and to believe in themselves and their teammates. That positive attitude is clear to see, not only in the way they are playing, but in the way they conduct themselves on the sidelines and in the locker room. They pick each other up if they are down, they pat each other on the back when they do something right, and more than anything they seem to draw strength from each other when they need too. This is a tight knit group that not only WANTS to win, but they BELIEVE they can win.

As fans, we often find ourselves asking questions when we’re out and about in the community. A lot of times, unfortunately, some folks have taken that opportunity to vent their frustrations about this or that. Sometimes they do this when they are with people from outside of our community or on the internet on message boards like Virginia Preps. Some times they even take a potshot at the coaches or other players when they are sitting in the stands. It’s always something negative like “well I think we should have done this” or “why didn’t my kid get to play more” or “what are those coaches thinking”.

Folks, we need to put an end to it. These players and these coaches have worked too hard, put in too many hours, spent too many Saturdays and Sundays reviewing film, spent too many hours away from wives, girlfriends, and their own families….to be ridiculed the way some of them have. People screamed we needed to pass more for years. Now we are, and what do I hear from the stands last week? “Why are we throwing the ball????” Huh???

Folks, it’s time to stop all the internal bickering, and do what’s right. It’s time to forget about all the little petty complaints, and support this team as hard as they work getting ready for each game. Win or lose, our kids and coaches deserve that respect for the time and dedication they have put into this season. It’s time for PULASKI COUNTY to take care of the PULASKI COUNTY KIDS, and stop all the fighting amongst ourselves. The other schools in the River Ridge District would love nothing more than for us to tear ourselves and this team apart with a bunch of useless in-fighting and bickering. Win or lose, it’s time to put a positive face back on the Cougar Football program and support it the way we should. Got complaints? Let’s keep them inside the “family circle” and take care of our own for a change.

So with all that said, let me be the first to invite you to be at Kenneth J. Dobson Stadium this Friday night, as our Pulaski County Cougars play host to the Cave Spring Knights on what will hopefully one day officially be “Joel Hicks Field”. Rick Watson will be calling the game as usual on WPSK 107.1, and of course you can always listen to him through the week on Big Dog Sports Talk from 3pm to 6pm on Supertalk 101.7.  Let’s get the Cougar Crazies going wild, we want the “Cowbell Militia” out in full force, and we want the flag waving wild men ready to go. It’s Cougar Football on a Friday night in Pulaski County……not too much gets better than that!

GO COUGARS!!

BEAT THE KNIGHTS!!

Dan Callahan's article in the Southwest Times this week was one I especially liked.  It sums up the way I am feeling right now. It was titled:

"Now That's What I'm Talking About".

I was very pleased with out performance.  We broke open a close game, and did not let up.  That is what it is going to take, if we have any plans to potentially compete in the postseason.

Cave Spring comes into town Friday.  Another district game.  Another crucial one to try to win.  Then Blacksburg, Christiansburg and Salem.

Every week, it's crunch time.  Every week, another game we really must win.

You can feel this team coming along with every contest.  We still have things to work on, but this work in progress has been quite enjoyable to watch.

As fans, we often look at the offense and neglect the other parts of the game.

Having said that, I must say it is quite obvious how much hard work has been put into our passing game.  I like the mix of plays that we have now.  It is getting smoother each Friday night.

That's what I'm talking about.