Cougars' Season Ends In Salem The
Pulaski County Cougars took high hopes and plenty of "want too"
up I-81 Friday night, but in the end the Salem defense simply proved to be
too much as the Spartans advanced in the Region IV playoffs with a 27-6
win. No
team ever wants their season to end. The 2011 Cougar football team is no
different than any other team in that respect. That last game is always
especially hard on the seniors, and every year as they walk off that field
to take off the cardinal and Vegas gold for that final time, the scene in
the locker room is the same. There are tears, there are players upset, and
there are young players and coaches who wish they knew what to say to help
ease the hurt those seniors are feeling. Pulaski
County was outplayed tonight. Sometimes it happens. To say anything less
would be an insult to the effort that Salem put out. That doesn't mean
that Pulaski went down without a fight though. Three times the Spartans
drove inside the Cougar five yard line, and all three times Pulaski was
able to keep them out. Just before halftime, the Spartans decided to go
for it on fourth and long, and senior Phoenix Ramsey made a great play on
the ball for the interception. It looked for a second like he might just
run out of gas, but there was no denying him the score as he went 52
yards. It would be the lone Cougar score of the evening, but again Pulaski
kept on trying. Pulaski
had a rough season, one of the roughest ever. Only one other Cougar team
has had ten losses, and that 1975 team certainly did not make the
playoffs. The fact that the Cougars made the playoffs got a lot of
conversations started, most of them very negative. While most people
directed the negative parts of those conversations towards the team, they
were not the ones that made the rules. Head Coach Todd Jones had nothing
to do with what those in charge of setting up the Region IV playoff
system, and he certainly never planned on going 1-9 this season. All he
could do is exactly what he did....coach the team and continue to try to
find a way to win. As
tough as things were this season, we certainly saw plenty of things to
give us hope for next season. For starters, the entire Cougar offensive
line will return. A productive off season in the weight room, and another
year for those young sophomores and juniors to grow can only mean good
things. Also returning will be quarterback Marcus Johnston, as well as
quarterback Tyler Dotson. While Dotson didn't finish the season as the
quarterback, there is no doubt that he will contribute somewhere. Running
back Marcus McClanahan returns, along with several young backs that will
move up from the junior varsity team. There should be a stable of wide
receivers for the quarterback to connect with, as Tyler Blevins, Dillon
Alley, Zack Akers, and several other young players will compete for
playing time. Defensively we will lose some key seniors, and it will
certainly be hard to replace a Phoenix Ramsey, a Peirce Rigney, a Cody
Long, or a Gabe LeBlanc. Hungry young players like Heath White, JD
Sutphin, Brandon Jones, Jesse Draper, Jake Tabor, Tyler Ervine, and Justin
Ball are only a few of the JV standouts that could take their places. The
key to success next season will be what happens starting in just a few
short weeks. As usual, the Cougars will give the team some time to stand
down, recover, and heal up a bit before they go full bore into the off
season workouts. With the new VHSL rules allowing practice for a limited
number of days per week, expect Coach Jones to put together a plan to
start working his players early. Camps, combines, and 7 on 7 competitions
will all certainly be involved. For
now though, we'll just take a little time to reflect on the season that
ended tonight. Again, a special thank you goes out to the seniors for
their years of hard work and dedication to the program. I'd also like to
again say a special thank you to "Cougarfan" for allowing me to
be a part of this website. This has been the original home of Cougar
football on the internet since 1997, and as long as you decide to keep
things running I'll do all I can to help keep Cougar fans from all over
informed on the team. Thanks to Ardent for crunching the numbers for us
each week, and for being so ready to help promote the kids and the
program. As you've said before..."Imitation is the most sincere form
of flattery". Be
sure to check back every so often, and we will be sure to post any updates
on college decisions, updates from Coach Jones, or any other news
concerning the Cougar football program. In the meantime, please be sure to
get out and support some of the other teams that wear the cardinal and
gold. Basketball season will start getting hot and heavy now, and both the
girls and boys teams will be looking to compete. The Cougar wrestling team
is hoping to have a solid season, and the Cougar Swim team has the most
highly recruited athlete at the school right now in senior Natalee
Roseberry. The indoor track team will start getting things cranked up as
well, so you should be able to find plenty of Cougar sporting action to
keep you entertained.
Game Pictures
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