The Cougar football team dropped a tough road loss to the Princeton Tigers last week. This week, the task will be no easier as they host the Christiansburg Blue Demons as a part of the 2023 PCHS Homecoming activities.
In their loss Friday night against Princeton, the Cougars did more than enough to win the game offensively, putting up 40 points. They also outgained the Tigers in first downs, 21-13, and rushing yardage, 371-162. Giving up yardage in the passing game and points and yardage on special teams brought on the eventual 40-49 loss.
“Our guys played hard against Princeton, we can’t question their effort,” Cougar Head Coach Cam Akers said. “But you cannot win games through offense. Defense and special teams have got to be our focus. We’ve moved the ball and put up points in every game, going against some very good teams. We can’t keep giving up the big plays and we have got to tackle better.”
The Cougars also outgained the Tigers in total yardage, 497-417. Both teams were hurt by penalties, with Pulaski County getting hit eight times for 73 yards and Princeton having nine for 75 yards. The Cougars did put the ball on the ground three times but recovered all three. Princeton lost three of four fumbles.
“Most of the penalties were mental mistakes,” Coach Akers said. “We need to focus on the details and fundamentals. We need to do the little things right.”
One of several bright spots for the Cougars was the ground game that saw junior running back Trevor Gallimore tie a standing record for most rushing touchdowns in a game with five. The gritty back ran 33 times for 214 yards. Tyler Underwood put in work carrying the ball as well, earning 88 yards on five carries. Sophomore Bryant Nottingham was called into the starting role at quarterback, running 15 times for 47 yards and completing three of eight pass attempts for 126 yards.
This week, with their record now standing at 1-2, the Cougars will face an even tougher opponent in Christiansburg.
The Blue Demons are led by Head Coach Alex Wilkens, who is in his fifth year after taking over for former Head Coach and current AD Tim Cromer in 2017. His record as head coach for the Blue Demons is currently 34-35.
After a winless first season, Christiansburg has shown improvement each year, winning two games in 2018 and five in 2019. The Blue Demons also reached the playoffs in 2019, falling to Hidden Valley in the first round. In the Covid season, they finished 3-4 before falling to Lord Botetourt in round one.
In 2021, business really started to pick up for the Blue Demons. They finished 10-2, beating Staunton River 48-0 in the opening round of playoffs. They fell to Lord Botetourt 27-28 in the second round. Last season they finished 10-4, opening the playoffs with a 35-7 win over Abingdon. They beat Staunton River 28-0, then earned the Region Championship with a 34-7 win over Lord Botetourt. After some off the field distractions, they fell 43-0 to Heritage-Lynchburg in the state semifinal game.
The Blue Demons come into the matchup with a perfect 4-0 record. They have wins over Floyd County (42-0), Abingdon (45-7), William Byrd (14-10), and Cave Spring (42-33).
The Cougars lead the overall series with Christiansburg 15-9, with Pulaski County outscoring them by an average score of 20.54-19.54, despite a few big blowout wins by each team. The Cougars have lost the last two meeting, 28-41 in 2021 and 31-34 last year. The Cougars won the previous six games as well as the first six meetings between the teams.
“Christiansburg is well coached, physical, and we will have to play perfect football to beat them Friday,” Coach Akers said. “After Friday, I wanted to see how we came out to practice Monday. They watched the film and saw what we need to fix and came out ready to work. Our guys are tough and resilient. They play hard for each other. We’re excited about Friday’s challenge.”
The Blue Demons will take the field with last year’s River Ridge District Player of the Year, senior quarterback Tanner Evans (5’9”, 185). Against William Byrd, Evans was four-for-nine passing for 34 yards and a touchdown. He added 23 carries for 90 yards and another score. Against Cave Spring, things opened more for him. He had 221 rushing yards with four touchdowns and went six-of-13 passing for 109 yards.
Junior Carter Stallard (6’8”, 310) is the 13th ranked junior in the state at tackle per 247Sports. He’s joined by senior Jaidon Edwards (6’5”, 300) on the line.
Senior Jeremiah Thompson (6’1”, 195) was an all-state linebacker last season. Other key players to watch include senior DB/WR Brody Blount (5’10”, 175), senior defensive end Kenyon Jones (5’11”, 190), and junior defensive end Donovan Richardson (6’2”, 165). There are many more that could be added to the list.
The Cougars come into the game healthy, and will come out with the same lineup as last week. Sophomore quarterback Bryant Nottingham was called into service as the starter last week after senior Chris Gallimore was unavailable. As of Tuesday, the plan remains for Nottingham to take the snaps, but Gallimore could be called on if needed.
The wide outs will be senior Marcus Reed and junior Tanner Mace. The A-backs will be a combination of senior Tyler Underwood and juniors Chase Lawrence and Isaiah O’Dell. The slot back will be handled by junior Trevor Gallimore, with sophomore Savion Thompson available if needed.
The offensive front will see sophomore Blake Ratcliff at center with juniors Noah Hinkley and Aiden Moore at guards. The tackles will be a combination of senior Jack Allen, junior Hunter Hill, and sophomore Chase King.
The defensive front will have senior Duncan Umberger at nose guard, with Allen and junior Gavin Lytton at the tackles on one side and Moore on the other. The outside linebackers/defensive ends will be a rotation of Reed, Gallimore, Thompson, and freshman Parker Price. The secondary will have junior Chase Lawrence at free safety, O’Dell at strong safety, and Mace and Nottingham at the corners.
Nottingham will continue to handle the kicking and punting duties. The holder will be O’Dell, with Gallimore or Lawrence handling the long snapping.
Game time Friday is set for 7 p.m., but expect extra activities before the game and at halftime for the Homecoming celebration. If you can’t get to the game in person, be sure to listen in on 107.1 WPSK for the play-by-play action from Randy Dunnigan and Tony Powell beginning at 6:30 p.m. with the pregame show.