Pulaski County finds themselves on the road again this week as they finish up a two game road trip this Friday when they face the Blacksburg Bruins in the Bruins homecoming game in the new Bill Brown Stadium.

Hello again Cougar fans, and welcome back to another week here at cougarfootball.net. WHAT A RIDE!!! Man this year’s Cougar football team is having a great season, and it’s just really good to see the program back in the hunt for some River Ridge District and playoff recognition. For all of those fans (some from outside of Pulaski, some not) who wanted to write off this program, these kids, and this coaching staff two years ago, all I can say is the door is still open, and your welcome to leave at any time.

The Cougars had a great game last week against the Cave Spring Knights, and got not only a big win but also their first shutout of the season. There have been several other times when the Cougars were headed in that direction, but when Coach Turner started pulling kids off of the field and getting some subs some action, something happened each time and the other team would put one in the end zone. Not this time. Our backups did a great job of holding the Knights out of the end zone and maintaining the shutout. I don’t know what some of the players were more excited about….the win or the fact that the second team defense stepped up like they did. Again, great job!! 

The Cougars now find themselves 7-0 for the first time since 2001. They have beaten some pretty good teams, as well as some teams that haven’t done as well as expected. The bottom line though is that they are WINNING!! They are playing TEAM football. The young men on this team are unselfish, and they do what they can to make the TEAM better. They hit hard this year too. This may be the best defense I’ve seen on a Cougar football team in many years. In 2001, the Cougars defense gave up 235.4 yards per game average. This years team is giving up 142.43. The 2001 team gave up around 14 points per game, this team is giving up just over 9 points per game. You would most likely have to look back to those teams from the 1992-93 time frame or back in the early ‘80s to find that. 

I like it. 

Business picks up for the Cougars this week, and you can expect each week from here on out to get progressively tougher. The Cougars are doing what they need to do though, and they are focused on THIS WEEK and this week only….the Blacksburg Bruins. 

Blacksburg comes into the contest with a 5-2 record overall, and 1-1 in the district. The Bruins started off the season with a 23-8 win over Giles, followed by a 35-10 win over Graham. Blacksburg then hosted Liberty, and earned a 28-13 win. Their first loss of the season came on the road at Lord Botetourt, where the Cavs handed them a 17-20 defeat. They bounced back the next two weeks however, beating Northside 28-25 and Cave Spring 28-14. The Bruins got their first district loss at the hands of the Salem Spartans last week. The 14-28 score doesn’t tell you the facts that really matter though, as the Bruins were forced to play without four year starting quarterback Trey Gresh and their starting running back, who were both out with reported injuries. With a healthy team, that score could have ended up a lot different. 

The Cougars have had their problems with Blacksburg over the years, and this is one of the few series that the Cougars don’t lead. The Bruins hold a 4-3 advantage in the overall series, and have won the last two games. Last year’s loss was particularly stinging, as the Cougars were up 23-14 with 8:59 left in the game, only to have the Bruins put together a comeback. Blacksburg put together a 9 play, 91 yard drive to put the ball in the end zone with 3:22 left in the contest to pull the score to 23-21. Then after stopping the Cougars, Blacksburg put the final score on the board with 1:07 left in the game, pulling ahead in the game 28-23 and handing Pulaski their second loss of the season.

Time to go to work boys. 

As much as people like to put down the programs at Pulaski County High School when they are having problems, they will also jump on that bandwagon when they are doing well. There are some fans, however, that show up regardless of what the team’s record is or what the stats say. Those were the fans that showed up last Friday night at Cave Spring. Those folks that drove to Roanoke even though it rained on us the whole way down….they are the hardcore. The fans that went out to those metal bleachers even though they were wet and cold…those are the hardcore. Right as the game was ready to start last week, the rain suddenly just stopped. It didn’t rain the rest of the game. If it had though, those fans would have stuck it out…..THEY ARE THE HARDCORE!! 

This week, the Cougars aren’t traveling nearly as far. The weather might be chilly and it could even be a little wet, but this is a huge game for the Cougars. In case no one has ever done so, let me be the first to invite you to join the hardcore Cougar fans who get out to these away games and support the kids in the gold helmets. We’re playing in the NEW Bill Brown Stadium. It is Blacksburg’s HOMECOMING GAME. Our Cougars are 7-0, and looking to secure a spot in the Region IV playoffs. 

Oh and by the way, quarterback Trey Gresh and their starting running backs are all expected to be back and healthy for the contest. 

Let’s head out to Blacksburg this week and let this team know how much we support them. Flags, noisemakers, cowbells…let’s pull out all the stops because it’s Cougar Football on a Friday night. I just don’t know if there is anywhere else I would rather be.

GO COUGARS!!! BEAT THE BRUINS!!!