The 2023 Cougar football team took the field for the first time Friday in a controlled scrimmage with the visiting Franklin County Eagles. Coaches were cautiously optimistic heading into the matchup. By the end of the event, that optimism was validated as the Cougars outscored the Eagles four touchdowns to two.
The scrimmage was a working event, more like a practice with coaches on the field. Each team was given 10 plays to work their offense against the other team’s defensive unit. First and second teams got their own chances to shine.
Neither team was able to get the ball into the endzone on their first drive, but both were able to show some offensive sparks. The Cougars, who were largely outsized, put in a solid effort on both sides of the ball.
Pulaski County scored on their second and third possessions of the night. First, junior quarterback Bryant Nottingham found senior tight end Nick Woolwine open for a five-yard passing touchdown. The Cougars kicked the extra point under controlled circumstances, with Nottingham splitting the uprights.
Next up, junior running back Trevor Gallimore broke loose down the home side of the field for a 32-yard scamper into the endzone. Nottingham was again good for the extra point.
The Cougars did commit an offensive blunder later in the night, when a pass from Nottingham was picked off by an Eagle defender.
Later, senior back Tyler Underwood broke loose for an 18-yard scoring run. No extra point was attempted. A few plays later, Nottingham found senior Marcus Reed briefly open along the home sideline near the endzone. Reed left over the defender to secure the pass and rumbled into the endzone for another Cougar touchdown of 25 yards.
Franklin County got on the board late in the event. They scored on a 24-yard run and a 25-yard pass. Extra point attempts were good on both scores.
“I thought we put in a good effort tonight,” Cougar Head Coach Cam Akers said. “We’re thin in numbers, but our kids are willing to work. They’re buying in to our concepts. This wasn’t a perfect night, but it was a great first step and we’re proud of our guys. It was also a great night to get all of our players on film to see how they handle game pressure. We had a lot of guys get into the mix tonight. We’ll look at the film now and make some adjustments based off what we find.”
The Cougars will host Radford next Friday in a more game-like benefit game. Start time is set for 6 p.m.
“It was great to be back out there on Joel Hicks Field tonight,” Coach Akers said. “We appreciate the community support and all the fans that came out. Friday nights are made for football in Pulaski County. We hope to see an even bigger crowd out there next week.”
