On Friday night in Dublin, both Pulaski County and Christiansburg opened their River Ridge District schedules and there was little doubt that the game would be a four quarter battle. And as the dust settled on Kenneth J. Dobson Stadium at around ten o\'clock, the Blue Demons proved that they deserved to be considered district contenders after their 26-19 win over the Cougars. It was another bitter loss for Pulaski County, who dropped their third consecutive home game on the season. And with back to back road games looming against Cave Spring and Hidden Valley, the Cougars will need to continue to work hard in practice each day to improve if they want their fortunes to change for the remainder of the season.

 

This was a very hard fought football game that had its ebb and flow of emotions on both sidelines. When the Cougars recovered a fumble in the fourth quarter it appeared as if maybe the stars were going to align for a huge victory for Pulaski County. But the final mistake of the game was made by the home team on a late fumble that Christiansburg recovered and converted into the final touchdown on a run by Ryan Fisher with only 1:31 to play. In case there were still some doubters remaining before Friday\'s match-up, Christiansburg (6-0,1-0) showed everyone why they had dominated their five previous opponents. And the manner by which the Blue Demons came back and took the victory from the Cougars by scoring 13 fourth quarter points, proved that they were capable of even bigger things with a month left to play.

 

So what now for the Cougars? The offense moved the football on the ground against a stingy Christiansburg defense, gaining 219 yards and averaging nearly 5.5 yards per rushing attempt. But once again the passing game was non-existent, as quarterback Luke Watson only connected on one pass attempt, which Robert Cobbs turned into a 57 touchdown reception. One week after committing only one penalty against Amherst County, Pulaski County (2-4,0-1) was flagged seven times against the Blue Demons which hurt in field position and momentum. And it seemed clear that the Blue Demons biggest adjustment, the insertion of sophomore quarterback Brenden Motley in the second half, was the biggest obstacle that could not be overcome. Motley was sensational running and throwing and his elusiveness and running threat wore down the Cougars defense in the fourth quarter.

 

As crazy as it may sound, getting away from the comforts of home may be the best thing for this football team. Sometimes it is a positive to take the "us against the world" mentality out on the road as each individual must focus even harder at the task at hand. There were mistakes with penalties and turnovers against the Blue Demons, but the game was still there to be won in the final frame if the execution had been better. And it is not just one position here or one player over there that one can address as the problem. It takes 22 players to work as one cohesive unit each and every time you line up on a Friday night, which is why football is the ultimate team game. The important thing now is that the team stays behind one another and continues to sacrifice for one another as the Cougars prepare for Cave Spring.

 

The coaching staff has done a really nice job adjusting week by week with this team, its personnel, and each week\'s opponent. But now making sure that the focus of the players is where it needs to be, will be another major adjustment that must be made. I know that the coaching will show up at practice Monday afternoon ready to go back to work at making this team better and I also trust that the players will emulate that attitude. This team has played very hard, particularly the last two weeks, but unfortunately there has not been a victory to show for the effort.

 

But the work must now get done and the continuing support for these Cougars needs to be strong. Every football season has its ups and downs and right now during the current down times, the twelfth man in the stands becomes bigger than ever for players and coaches alike. The Cardinal and Gold will indeed get their work done and arrive in Roanoke on Friday prepared to notch their first district victory in an attempt to turn the fortune of the season to the upside once again.

 
Rick                 Photo Provided By Wendell Jones