Another Friday is on the horizon for Pulaski County as the Cougars look to end their four game losing streak against the Hidden Valley Titans. In a very rare scheduling quirk, the Cougars will be playing back to back road games at the same stadium as they return to Bogle Field, the site of last week\'s 42-34 loss at Cave Spring. And once again the field turf promises to play fast and also once again, there is rain in the forecast for the River Ridge District affair. The Cougars are hoping that things turn out much better for them the second time around as they head toward Roanoke County.

 

Football is a very strange game sometimes as last Friday proved for the Cougars. Here was the offense, minus its top rusher in Ramell Cobbs, piling up over 400 total yards and gaining 25 first downs. But it was not enough as the Knights rushing attack racked up 350 yards and five touchdowns, capitalizing on numerous Pulaski County mistakes in the fourth quarter. The Cougars committed three costly turnovers and were guilty of nine more penalties and Cave Spring made them pay for their charity by unleashing their running game. And it may sound like the proverbial broken record but if you are going to win road games in the River Ridge, you have to play your best every time the lights come on and the Cougars have not done that.

 

This week, Pulaski County has to deal with the region\'s top rusher in Hidden Valley\'s David Williams, who has accumilated 1700 yards through the first seven games of the season. In the Titans 28-21 victory at Christiansburg last week, Williams was once again the work-horse as he carried the pigskin 45 times while dominating the Blue Demons with 278 yards and two touchdowns. And it is no secret to any Hidden Valley opponent in terms of what they are going to do, which is to run their main man as many times as he can stand. But what has amazed coaches throughout the league is that Williams gets stronger and stronger the later the game gets and the more times he carries the football. And this leaves a porous Pulaski County run defense with an immense challenge from Bogle Field.

 

Obviously, if Williams is not on the field, he cannot run the football, so Pulaski County needs to sustain long drives with their own gifted rushing attack, as time of possession will be huge against the Titans. I am hoping Ramell Cobbs will be feeling much better this week and that Jolly Martin, fresh off of his four touchdown performance against Cave Spring, can once again be a play-maker. The passing game also clicked for the most part for the Cougars against Cave Spring as quarterback Luke Watson threw for 121 yards and a touchdown. It was the most balanced game for the offense in terms of yardage and seemingly 28 points are enough to win most nights. But the defense will have to improve and stand up to David Williams and the Titans for an entire four quarters for the losing streak to come to an end.

 

And four quarters of solid football have been difficult to come by for the Cardinal and Gold. Each week it seems as if the penalties have mounted and the turnovers have come at the most crucial moments of a drive. One thing that stood out about Williams performace against Christiansburg was that he handled the football 45 plays and never put it on the ground despite very rainy conditions. So Pulaski County has to enter this game with the mind-set that they will get very little help from the Titans with turnovers and in turn, they must protect the football when they have possession. It is all about execution, and this time of year when the district teams know one another so well and there are no secrets, that aspect becomes especially true.

 

So this is another huge week for the Cougars as the last victory seems like a lifetime ago. This team needs something positive to happen or the season could be completely lost. There are still concerns of where the confidence level stands with this team and good weeks of practice have not produced wins on the scoreboard. Here is hoping that the Cougar Nation will continue to stand by this team and make the return trip to Roanoke to cheer them on to what hopefully will be a victorious outcome. If you cannot make the trip, tune into 107 Country PSK (107.1 FM) for all of the action or listen on-line at (WPSK107.com).