There were many things to take away from Pulaski County\'s 33-10 loss to Amherst County on Friday night. The first being that the Cougars are not as talented as the Lancers, and as a matter of fact, few teams are. Another is that Jack Turner\'s club battled tooth and nail and in the second half, and out-played Amherst which sets a positive tone for the start of River Ridge District play this week when the Cougars host undefeated Christiansburg. And while no one will be satisfied with moral victories after a loss, once again it is true that Pulaski County improved as a football team even if it may be difficult to see because of the final score.

 

Few thought that Pulaski County (2-3) would beat the state\'s top ranked AA team on Friday. But I am willing to guess that fewer thought that the Cougars would hold Amherst to their lowest point and total yardage numbers of the season to date. The speed of Amherst (5-0) which is awe inspiring to watch live, especially showed on the defensive side of the football as the Lancers held Pulaski County to minus two yards of offense in the first half in building thier 26-0 lead. The Cougars finished with just 97 total yards on the night but to their credit, Pulaski County stood firm up front, especially in the fourth quarter even though many fans decided to leave early.

 

But those who stayed got to see the heart of this Cougars squad as their effort seemed to intensify in the third and fourth quarters even though the game was already lost on the scoreboard. With the non-district portion of the schedule now behind them, Pulaski County can look ahead at the rugged River Ridge slate with the knowledge that they have played the toughest games of anyone they will face in the league. The key now is to utilize that experience and continue to fix the little things that need to be in order to win consistently on Friday nights. But I am a firm believer that you get better by playing good people and each week Pulaski County has proved that to be true.

 

The execution of the offense has been up and down through the first five games. Quarterback Luke Watson has yet to find a rhythm in the passing game with his receivers and the offensive line has struggled with protection. Amherst made a living in the Cougars backfield on Friday as few plays had time to develop for any viable yardage to be gained. The coaching staff has been tweaking things along the front five all season and while the unit struggled on Friday, there have been flashes that the running game could take off once the River Ridge begins. Randall and Ramell Cobbs are potentially as good as any duo of ball-carriers in the district and I feel their best games are ahead of them this season.

 

The defensive line played very well for the most part against the Lancers and in fact, took the game over in the fourth quarter. Josh Lambert and Jeremy Louderback shined and Kody McDaniel also stood out. Louderback was named as our player of the game on the radio broadcast and this unit can certainly build on the last two quarters against Amherst. The Lancers wanted to keep scoring but Pulaski County shut the door, allowing only seven second half points against the Amherst starters and I know the coaches are proud of that fact.

 

So now it is the second season within a season for Pulaski County. River Ridge action opens in grand style when undefeated Christiansburg visits Kenneth J. Dobson Stadium this week, fresh off of a dominating win over Patrick Henry. The Blue Demons now have a stout defense to go with their versatile wing-t attack on offense, led by Zack Weller. It should be a very exciting contest and we will get to see if Pulaski County has indeed learned those hard lessons well as a result of the difficult schedule it has played. And when district action begins, everyone gets a clean slate regardless of what the records may read heading into this second Friday night in October.