Cougars Fall To 0-8 The
Pulaski County Cougars dropped another heart breaker Friday night, as they
let a 10-7 lead slip away when the Titans were able to score on a six yard
pass late in the fourth quarter to steal away the 13-10 victory. Both
teams came out strong defensively, with neither team able to move the
ball. Three penalty flags, three incomplete passes, and two punts were the
highlights of the first quarter for both teams combined. The second
quarter started off much the same, with the Cougars punting. A mix of runs
and passes helped the Titans move the ball down field, but it looked like
the Cougars were going to hold until offsetting personal fouls were
called, and Hidden Valley was awarded a first down. A few short plays
later, Titan quarterback Michael Simonic lobbed the ball up, and Dee
Fletcher was able to out jump the Cougar defender in the endzone to get
the six yard touchdown catch. The Landon McDermott PAT put the Titans in
the lead, 6-0. Pulaski
took the kickoff and Malik Eaves returned the ball to the Cougar 31 yard
line, but three plays later Pulaski was forced to punt again. After the
Cougar defense forced another Hidden Valley punt, Pulaski was finally able
to get their initial first down of the game with 3:04 remaining in the
quarter. Strong running from Peirce Rigney, Marcus McClanahan, and Rick
Cobbs helped the Cougars move the ball into Titan territory, but with time
running out the Cougars were forced to attempt a 24 yard field goal in the
final seconds of the quarter. Zack Akers kick the ball straight and true,
moving the score to 7-3 in favor of the Titans. The
second half kickoff was received by Eaves, who returned it to the Cougar
33 yard line. The Cougars earned two first downs as they moved the ball
into the Hidden Valley side of the field, but on fourth and three the
Titans defense held and Pulaski went back on defense. Another big Hidden
Valley run was helped out by the second personal foul penalty against the
Cougars of the game, giving the Titans good field position. The Cougar
defense stood strong, forcing a punt, and Eaves took the ball out to the
Pulaski 15 yard line. Punts back and forth dominated the remainder of the
third quarter, and it ended as it started with the Titans leading 7-3. The
fourth quarter started out with a big play. Hidden Valley had the ball and
was driving, and it was fourth down and six when Elijah Wesley wrapped up
the Titan runner for no gain. After another Pulaski County punt, the
Cougar defense forced a fumble which was scooped up by Gabe LeBlanc to put
the Cougars back in business. Another punt was forced by the Titans, but
Brandon Brock made a good play on a Hidden Valley pass to intercept the
ball and give the Cougars the ball again. With 6:15 left on the clock,
Pulaski County completed a three play drive when Rick Cobbs broke free
down the field before being tackled at the two, and then Cody Long took
the snap and dove over the right side of the Hidden Valley defensive line
for the touchdown. The Akers PAT put Pulaski in the lead for the first
time in the game, 10-7. An
offside call on the kickoff put the Cougars back five yards, and then a
combination of a short kick and a good return by the Titan runner gave
Hidden Valley the ball at their own 44 yard line. Even though the Cougars
had held the Titans relatively in check for the entire second half, Hidden
Valley was able to put together a nine play, 56 yard drive that ended with
a six yard touchdown pass from Simonic to Fletcher. The PAT was no good,
leaving the Cougars with a three point deficit, 13-10, with 2:16 remaining
on the clock. The
Titan kickoff was returned to the Pulaski County 35 yard line by Tyler
Irvine, and the Cougars went to work. On first down, quarterback Marcus
Johnston threw an incomplete pass, followed by a five yard run by
McClanahan on second down. On third and five Johnston was sacked for an
eight yard loss, giving the Cougars a fourth and thirteen. With Titan
defenders in pursuit, Johnston rolled out of the pocket in search of a
receiver. He sent the ball down field, but Fletcher intercepted the ball
for the Titans. Hidden Valley took two knees to end the game, with the
Titans winning 13-10. Pulaski
County rushed the ball 45 times for 202 yards, while the Titans rushed 45
times for 214 yards. Pulaski was 0 for 7 passing with one interception;
Hidden Valley went 5 of 12 for 32 yards with an interception. The Cougars
had 8 first downs; the Titans had 13 first downs. Pulaski had 5 penalties
for 60 yards; Hidden Valley had 5 penalties for 40 yards. Leading
the rushing attack for Pulaski was Rick Cobbs, who rushed 12 times for 104
yards. McClanahan added 18 rushes for 66 yards; Rigney had 12 rushes for
30 yards. Cody Long had his lone touchdown rush for two yards, and
Johnston rushed two times for no yards. For the Titans, Walker Brand led
the way with 26 attempts for 116 yards. Simonic rushed 18 times for 98
yards, and Garrett Pierce rushed one time for no yards. Chad Frazier
caught one pass for the Titans for 4 yards, Pierce caught two passes for
16 yards, and Fletcher caught two passes for 12 yards. Brandon Brock
intercepted a pass for Pulaski County, and Fletcher intercepted a Cougar
pass for the Titans. The loss moves Pulaski County to 0-8 on the season, and 0-3 in River Ridge District play. The Cougars return to Kenneth J. Dobson Stadium next week, as they host the Blacksburg Bruins.
Game Pictures
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