The Pulaski County Cougars finished off a perfect 10-0 season last week, defeating the Salem Spartans 34-24 in a great come from behind victory. That is the past though, and there are 16 teams that are 0-0 this week as the playoffs begin. 

Hello again Cougar fans, and WELCOME TO THE PLAYOFFS!!! I know the Cougars have made the playoffs last year and also in 2005, but I don’t know if there has been this much excitement going into the playoffs since 2001 when the Cougars made their run to the State Title game. We don’t know how long this ride will last, but one thing is for sure…….it sure does feel good to be back in the hunt again. 

Pulaski County will face the Blacksburg Bruins in round 1 of the AA State Playoffs this week. Just a few short weeks ago, the Cougars made the trip to the newly opened Bill Brown Stadium and beat the Bruins on their homecoming game 41-20. Anyone who thinks that the score from that game is a good sign for the Cougars is making a mistake, however, as several things happened in the course of that game that the Cougars just can’t go in counting on again. 

First of all, Blacksburg came into that first meeting with the Cougars banged up pretty badly. Quarterback Trey Gresh had missed the previous week’s game against Salem with an injury, as had several of their other starting players. Those players are all back now, and they are more than ready to go this coming Friday night. 

“Blacksburg is, in my opinion, the most dangerous team in Region IV right now” said Head Coach Jack Turner. “They are getting healthy and coming together at just the right time for their program to make a big impact. We will have to play at our best if we want to beat them. We can’t make mistakes, we can’t make turnovers, and we can’t make those silly penalties. If we take a play off against Blacksburg, we’ll get our feelings hurt and start packing up our gear the next day. It’s as simple as that. Play your best or your season is done.” 

Blacksburg is making it into the playoffs this year at the expense of the Christiansburg Blue Demons. Last week, the Bruins were down late in the game, but Gresh and company were able to put together a last minute drive to take the lead with only moments left in the contest. The Blacksburg defense then stepped it up and intercepted a last second attempt by the Blue Demons to end Christiansburg’s season and set up a rematch for this coming week. 

On offense, Coach Turner is looking at several key factors. “We all know what their quarterback can do. He is a senior, he is a four year starter, and he is very good. He can make plays with his arm and with his feet. We have to be sound defensively. In the last game we gave up 144 yards rushing and 135 yards passing. That is too much.” 

Defensively, the Bruins are also talented, giving up over 20 points only three times this season. They have athletes that can make big plays, and a momentary slip up by the Cougars could mean a big play for the Bruins. 

On special teams, the Bruins have an excellent kicker and kicking game, and they have speedy return men who almost ran two back against Pulaski in the last game. Punt and kickoff coverage MUST play well or the Bruins will take advantage and make a big play. 

So with everything out in the open, and one game already played between the two teams, it’s going to come down to who can block and tackle more effectively, and who wants it more. 

“Every team still playing in Region IV is now 0-0” siad Turner. “Our undefeated regular season was really great, but it won’t buy us a cup of coffee now. I know we’ve told the players this every week, but now it’s even more true than ever….THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT GAME WE PLAY. If we win, we play again next week. If we lose, we put up the equipment and start getting ready for the off season. It’s just that simple. We must play fast, furious, an physical Cougar football on every play, every snap, for 48 minutes. If we can do that, then we have a good chance at things. If we don’t, then we’ll have problems.” 

Last week, the fans of Pulaski County and Salem filled Kenneth J. Dobson Stadium to the rim. It was an awesome site to behold. If you go back and look at the pictures, or listen to the end of game audio we posted from Rick Watson’s broadcast, you can hear the wild crowd as they celebrated the Cougars big win. Take a look at the panoramic picture we’ve posted and it will give you just a little bit of an idea of how many fans filled that stadium up. While I don’t expect that the Blacksburg fans will fill up the visitors side like the Salem fans did, I still think we can expect a pretty good crowd this Friday night. 

If you’re a Blue Demon, or a Bobcat, or a Titan, Knight, or a fan of any other team that is done for the season and still want to watch some football this Friday night, allow me to invite you to come on out to Kenneth J. Dobson Stadium and Joel Hicks Field as the Cougars and the Bruins face off in round one of the State playoffs. Last week’s 50/50 set a new record in the River Ridge District, the Region, and unless someone comes up with a new figure that we haven’t heard of yet, it is most likely the biggest 50/50 in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The winner took home $3,615, and the good news is we’re doing it all again this week. 

Come on out and watch some football, eat a hotdog, buy some 50/50 tickets, and just relax on what should be a fine evening.

Cougar fans, let’s get out there and show this team, once again, just how much we appreciate all the hard work and effort they’ve put into this year’s season. The boys had a good practice on Monday, and with some more hard work and a little bit of luck, the sky is the limit for our team this year. Let’s get those cow bells and flags going this Friday, because THE PRIDE OF PULASKI COUNTY is taking the field again!! 

GO COUGARS!!! BEAT BLACKSBURG!!!!