The Cougar football team took the field against a bigger and more experienced Lord Botetourt squad Friday in Daleville, but never flinched despite falling by a final score of 48-20.
“We knew it was going to be a big test and we knew what they had,” Cougar Head Coach Cam Akers said. “We made a few mistakes on the field and they cost us. We also made a few coaching mistakes trying to gamble, and it didn’t work out for us. You just can’t make those mistakes against a team like this and expect it to end well. Our kids never gave up and they fought to the end. I’m proud of them for that.”
The Cougars took the opening kickoff and were moving the ball, earning two first downs to start things out. The drive stalled, and the Cougars were forced to punt after 11 plays.
The Cavalier offense took the field and drove 60 yards in five plays for the opening score with 4:30 remaining in the opening quarter. The point after was no good, leaving the Cavaliers up 6-0.
Pulaski County went back to work, putting together a 13-play drive that covered 71 yards. The score came when quarterback Chris Gallimore threw the ball up to Marcus Reed near the endzone. Reed outjumped the Cavalier defender and fell into the endzone for the 28-yard touchdown catch. The point after kick was partially blocked, leaving the score tied up at 6-6 with 10:18 remaining in the second quarter.
A series of unfortunate events allowed the Cavaliers to score three unanswered touchdowns to end the second quarter. The first was a two-yard run with 7:54 on the clock, followed by a 10-yard run just over two minutes later. Lord Botetourt closed out the quarter with a one-yard run with 3:42 remaining in the half. The two-point conversion made the score 28-6 heading into the break.
“We were starting to move the ball, but mistakes cost us,” Coach Akers said. “We had a fumble to give them the ball deep against us, then an interception to set them up again. The interception was our fault as coaches. We just took a chance, and it didn’t work out. Our kids know what we need to fix, and the film will prove it to them. We just need to keep working and getting better right now.”
The second half was not any kinder to the Cougars. The Cavaliers took the opening kickoff and used five plays to move the ball 73 yards, capping the drive off with a two-yard run with 9:25 remaining in the third.
The Cougars were able to drive 70 yards on their next possession in 15 plays, with the score coming with 1:55 remaining in the third when Trevor Gallimore broke through the center of the line for a three-yard scoring run. Bryant Nottingham kicked the PAT to move the score to 35-13 for the Cavaliers.
Lord Botetourt put together another six-play drive to cover 73 yards. That score came on a 29-yard run with no time remaining in the third. The PAT failed, leaving the score 41-13.
A great kickoff return by Nottingham gave the Cougars the ball at the Cavalier 45-yard line. Eight plays later, Trevor Gallimore struck paydirt again on a seven-yard run with 7:22 remaining in the game. The Nottingham PAT moved the score to 41-20.
The Cavaliers answered immediately with a 97-yard kickoff return for a touchdown, moving the score to the 48-20 final.
The Cougars earned 19 first downs in the contest. The Cavaliers had 15. The Cougars ran the ball 63 times for 251 yards. Botetourt ran 27 times for 314 yards. Cougar quarterbacks completed two of six pass attempts with one interception for 33 yards, including the touchdown pass by Gallimore to Reed and a five-yard catch by Tyler Underwood. The Cavaliers did not attempt a pass.
Pulaski County had eight costly penalties for 75 yards. The Cavs had five for 65 yards. The Cougars fumbled twice, losing one.
Individually for the Cougars, Trevor Gallimore ran the ball 32 times for 135 yards and two scores. Chris Gallimore ran 18 times for 76 yards. Chase Lawrence ran six times for 32 yards. Tyler Underwood ran four times for 11 yards. Isaiah O’Dell ran once for three yards.
The Cougars will return to action next week with another road trip, this time to Princeton, West Virginia, to take on the Tiger. Game time is set for 7 p.m.