The Locker Room January 31, 2009

The Pulaski County Cougars football team finished up it’s season a little over two months ago when they made a run deep into the AA Division 4 State playoffs. On Friday night, they gathered together again as a group to remember and celebrate that success, and to give out some post season awards to some very deserving players.

Cougar Head Coach Jack Turner was very direct when he addressed the players and parents in attendance. “These young men put in the work, and they prepared for each game in a way that allowed them to be successful” said Turner. “If a team is willing to put in the kind of work that these kids and the other coaches put in, your going to be successful. I can't take credit for that success. All I can do is try to guide them in the right direction, and if they do the right things then everything else will work out.”

Turner was also visibly moved when he talked about his outgoing senior class. “It’s hard to have a good team without good internal leadership. This season we were very fortunate to have an outstanding group of senior leaders. We’ve been through a lot of things together over the past few years, and this group is very special to me and to this program. You put us back where we wanted to be. We are the Cougars, and people have recognized that again. I’ll never forget what you’ve done for this program and what you’ve done for me.”

Turner wasn’t the only one with positive comments for those assembled. Pulaski County Superintendent of Schools Dr. Donald Stowers told the team that they should always remember the lessons they learned in sports. “You’ve learned about football, but you’ve also learned other very valuable lessons. You’ve learned the value of hard work. You’ve learned the importance of preparation and teamwork. Some of you are going to have the chance to move on to the next level and participate in college athletics. I encourage you to use that opportunity to get a good education and prepare yourself for the future.”  Dr. Stowers was presented with a framed portrait from the District Title game signed by the members of the coaching staff and the Touchdown Club in appreciation of his efforts to support not only football, but all athletics in Pulaski County.

The Cougars, who ended the season with a 12-1 record, finished as the River Ridge District champions and the Region IV Champions. Their perfect 10-0 regular season was only the fourth perfect regular season in the history of Pulaski County High School's football program. Their district title was the program's 16^th, and their Region championship was the programs 7^th overall out of 15 Region title appearances. This was also the 7^th time that Pulaski County has played in the State semi-final game. The Cougars have won 3 out of those 7 times, and they have one state title to the program's credit, when they won the AAA Division 6 State Championship in 1992.

One person who has been there through all of those years in longtime Pulaski County Touchdown member and Southwest Times sports writer Dan Callahan. Callahan also took time to talk about this senior class, as well as the team as a whole. “When you have a group of kids who are willing to work as hard as this group was, your going to be successful. You may not always win all your games, but anytime a group is willing to dedicate themselves to an effort the way this group did, you can look back and be proud of your accomplishments.”

Callahan also gave the group some news that came as a surprise to most. “Each year the Pulaski County Touchdown Club selects a 'Player of the Year'. There have been times when that was one player, and there have been times when it may have been two players. Last year, we selected Nubian Peak and Josh Miller, and we could have certainly done that again this season. But if we did that, what do you say to a player like Zane Quesenberry, or Seth Parris, or E.J. Dobbins? What do you say to all of those other players who were so important to what your TEAM accomplished. This year, for the first time ever, we couldn’t do it. There were too many important members of the TEAM to narrow it down to just one or two. With that in mind, we are pleased to announce the 2008 Touchdown Club Players of the Year are the entire senior class of the 2008 Cougar Football team.”

Each senior received a framed 16” x 20” custom photo proclaiming them “Players of the Year”. In addition, every varsity and junior varsity player received a jacket for their hard work during the 2008 season. The jackets have their jersey numbers on the sleeves, and the embroidery on the back says “2008 River Ridge District Champions, 2008 Region IV Champions.”

Click here for more banquet photos by David Gravely

At the end of the night, the final words from Coach Turner set the tone for the 2009 season. “Football practice for us begins on February 3^rd at 2:05 pm. It begins with our weight training, our matt drills, and our evaluations of your efforts each day. When the spring comes, you will get a schedule for our summer program. There will be weight lifting, there will be a 7 on 7 camp. Make no mistakes about it….I will push you. You will work hard, you will sweat, and you will get stronger. We cannot be satisfied with just being as good as we are right now. We have to get better every day, because the other teams will. We won some trophies, and you put your banners in the fieldhouse.  You will always be remembered by those that come after you.  The 2008 season is over now, however, and it’s time to get ready for 2009.”

The Cougars open up the 2009 season on Saturday, August 15^th when they travel to Tazewell for a controlled scrimmage. The following Friday, August 21^st, will be the Pulaski County Touchdown Classic, which looks to be shaping up as one of the best Classics ever. The season officially gets going the following week, on August 28th when the Cougars travel over the bridge for the first time in a whole lot of years to face the Radford Bobcats in the renewal of a rivalry from Pulaski County High School's earliest years of existence.

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