It was 1979. The first Friday of high school football season. Pulaski County had just finished five very unsuccessful seasons the year before. There was considerable excitement, but there was also considerable concern.     The opening opponent that season for the Cougars was Radford. You know, the thing they now like to call the "Battle of the Bridge.'' It was the first game of the Joel Hicks' era as head coach at Pulaski County.
     He had come from West Virginia University, his alma mater. Hicks had been very successful to that date in his coaching career. He had coached at Big Creek High of War, West Virginia and Woodrow Wilson High, of Beckley, W.Va. He had done well, winning 26 games in a row at one stretch in Beckley. Hicks was 38 years old.
     Well, guess what. In just two days the 2010 high school football season will begin. Pulaski County is trying to work its way out of Virginia High School League sanctions. And yes, the excitement is building, but there is also concern. Much like it was in 1979.
     The opening opponent this season is the same one as 1979, Radford. It will be the first game for new head coach Todd Jones. He comes to the giant cornfield from Essex, and just like Hicks, Jones returns to his alma mater with a great history of success. His last four Essex teams did not lose a game during the regular season, and he's coming off a 14-0 state championship season. His opponent will be his last opponent, Radford. By the way, Jones is 38 years old, and he played for Hicks.
     Both know what it's all about. The men are different, but that likely doesn't matter. Football is blocking and tackling. Eventually that almost always decides the issue, not the window dressing.
     But boths first games were and will be against Radford. Both had and have a history of success. Both games were and will be played in Dobson Stadium. Both men were and are currently 38 years of age. It's easy to find the irony.
      If the next 24 years turn out the way Hicks' 24 did at Pulaski County, Jones will be a hero for evermore. Hicks thinks it can happen. "Todd is a fine young coach. His success is all the proof you need of that. We're different, but most things about football are the same. It's the fundamentals of the game. Todd is obviously a good teacher, and a very good person. I think he'll be great for our kids in Pulaski County. As a player Todd knew what he had to do to help our team win. He did that, and he'll do the same as the head coach. The game has changed. Todd is right there with the times. I have no doubt he'll do an excellent job for Pulaski County. Like I said earlier, I'm just getting older, Todd is getting better. I'm excited for him, and I'm anxious to see his first team Friday night,'' said Hicks.     How did it work out for Hicks? No bad at all. His Cougars defeated Radford 13-0 in 1979, and never allowed the Bobcats to cross the 50. It began a season that was eventually coined "The Miracle on Slaughterhouse Road.'' No doubt, Jones and all Pulaski County fans would be happy with such a result Friday.
     The playing field in Dobson Stadium is now "Joel Hicks' Field.'' In another touch of irony, Hicks' opponent in that first game was Norman Lineburg, the hugely successful coach at Radford for years, and the playing field at RHS is named after Lineburg. Both created great memories for their schools and communities with ultra-successful careers, and both finished with over 300 victories.
     Anticipation continues to build for Friday's football game. There will now be a trophy presented to the winner following the game. The trophy will change hands each time the winner changes. Keep winning and you get to keep the trophy, and theoretically at least,  the title to "The Bridge.''
     Both Radford mayor Bruce Brown and Pulaski County Board of Supervisors chairman Joe Sheffey have agreed to wear the other team's jersey at their next meeting, depending on who wins the game. I promise you neither wants to wear the other's jersey, but it's all in fun. It appears as if a healthy rivalry between the two schools and communities is building again. That's good, and the two schools have already agreed to continue the game for at least the 2011 and 2012 seasons. In another piece of irony, following Hicks' first win at Pulaski County over Radford, the two schools never played again until last season, a Cougar victory, and likely the high water mark of a disappointing 2-8 season.
     To be successful against the Bobcats this time, it appeared during last Friday's scrimmage session against Bluefield that Pulaski County will have to polish things up considerably by kickoff Friday. The Beavers moved the ball well and the Cougar offense was a bit inconsistent. But that should not have been a surprise. Pulaski County is working with a week's less practice time and one less scrimmage session than all other teams this season. That's a huge disadvantage the Cougars will have to overcome, and it might take a few weeks into the season before they totally catch up. That would seem to be a reasonable expectation at this point.
    Pulaski County was able to cash in against Bluefield when Cody Long powered over from a yard out to complete an 11-play, 69-yard drive. Zack Akers boomed the extra point for the Cougars' scoring on the day.
      So there you have it. The pre-season is almost over. Pulaski County obviously would have liked for it to be a little longer, but that's the way it is. The excitement will build with each passing day this week. The season begins Friday in Dobson Stadium. It's Radford vs. Pulaski County. Somebody is going to carry a trophy off the field, and that team will also win a bridge.