The 2009 home opener was a huge success for the Cougars and there were a lot of positive developments in the 35-26 victory over Patrick Henry. I thought the team made a huge statement by taking their opening drive down the field and scoring a touchdown, without ever throwing a pass. At that point, a tone was set that no matter what PH tried to do, they were not going to be able to stop the Pulaski County offense. The defense made some plays when it needed to and punter Chase Cook was outstanding in just his second game.

The offensive line did a great job all night against the Patriots five man front, as the Cougars ran for 349 yards. Whenever the stat sheet reflects two running backs each with over one hundred yards rushing, you know it was a good night for the big guys up front. Randall Cobbs led the way with 136 yards and two touchdowns, while Ramell Cobbs added 110 yards and two touchdowns. Quarterback Luke Watson made terrific decisions running the option and his late pitch to Randall Cobbs for a 68 yard touchdown in the third quarter was a momentum changing play.

The insertion of Cody Long in the offensive backfield also paid dividends for the Cougars rushing attack. Long carried the football five times for 44 yards and he added a toughness that the backfield needed from the slot position. The coaching staff had said that several younger kids would get a shot to make their mark and I thought that many of the new faces played well. The coaches deserve a ton of credit for having the new players ready to contribute and it is exciting to see quality depth building at several key positions.

Credit also has to be given to Patrick Henry for the way they kept fighting back, despite being behind on the road in a hostile environment. The Patriots spread offense is a work in progress under first year coach Brad Bradley but their young sophomore quarterback Matt Wood proved that he is going to be very successful running the show. I also was impressed with their junior tailback Brandon Terry, who ran for two touchdowns. There was never any sign that Patrick Henry was going to quit and Pulaski County had to work very hard for everything they gained. But it also has to be said that the Patriots had some help in getting back into the game, especially in the third quarter.

I am not one to focus on officiating very often, but it was clear that Pulaski County had to overcome the zebras, who flagged the Cougars 13 times while Patrick Henry was given only one penalty all night long. Cougars head coach Jack Turner has been preaching to his club about cutting back on the mental mistakes that lead to penalties and there were indeed some valid calls. But overall, it was nice to see this young team find a way to win even though there was such a discrepancy in penalty yardage. There should never be an instance where an officiating crew puts themselves ahead of the kids and the game at hand but I thought this was the case far too often.

Now at (2-1), the Cougars will get a week off before returning to action on September 25th against another Western Valley AAA opponent, William Fleming. It will be a time that the coaching staff can use to correct mistakes while also continuing the development of depth on both sides of the football. There is a lot to look forward to with this team and there are no easy Friday nights ahead with the daunting schedule remaining.