There were plenty of tears in the eyes of Cougar players after the game Friday night, especially the seniors, but those tears were tears of happiness as they defeated the Cave Spring Knights 27-20 in the final home game of the season.
“I’m so proud of you guys, and I’m especially happy for our seniors,” Cougar Head Coach Cam Akers told the team after the game. “We still made some mistakes, but you all held strong when it really mattered. That last defensive stand was what we’ve wanted to see all season. Enjoy your win tonight, but let’s come back in here ready to get to work. We’re heading to the playoffs!”
The win moves the Cougars to 4-6 on the season and will most likely land them in the seventh spot on the Class 3, Region D playoff ratings when they are released later this weekend. If, after all the games are played and all the points are added up, that holds true, all indications are that the Cougars will travel to Vinton next week to take on the William Byrd Terriers. The Terriers defeated Northside Friday 35-22 to win the Blue Ridge District title.
Meanwhile at Kenneth J. Dobson Stadium/Joel Hicks Field, the Cougars started the game with the ball. On the first play of the game, sophomore quarterback Bryant Nottingham took the ball to the sideline and raced from the Cougar 29-yard line all the way to the Knight three, where the ball was fumbled. It was ruled as fumbled into the endzone and recovered by the Knights for a touchback.
The Knights began to move the ball down the field, but a pass was intercepted by junior Chase Lawrence to put Pulaski County back in business. Nine plays later, junior running back Trevor Gallimore went into the endzone from one yard out to put the Cougars on the board. Nottingham added the point after to put Pulaski County up 7-0 with 5:58 remaining in the first quarter. The touchdown by Gallimore, his 27th of the season, also tied the single season rushing touchdown record.
Cave Spring answered in the second quarter when Drew Browning ran into the endzone from a yard out. Oliver Layell added the extra point to tie the game at 7-7 with 7:40 remaining in the half.
Cave Spring kicked off, and junior Isaiah O’Dell broke through for a 79-yard return, taking the ball all the way to the Knight 13-yard line. Just over a minute later, Gallimore capped off a three-play drive when he bulled his way close, then stretched the ball across the goal line from eight yards out. Nottingham hit the PAT to make the Cougar lead 14-7 with 6:19 remaining in the half.
The touchdown by Gallimore made him the new record holder for the most rushing touchdowns in a season, with 28.
The Cougars punted and then forced a Knight turnover on downs, but eventually the Knights answered. This time it was 23-yard pass from Garrett Lonker to Owen Sweeney with 59 seconds remaining in the half. Layell hit the PAT to tie things up again, 14-14.
“We knew we needed to come out strong in the second half,” Coach Akers said. “We challenged our defense to step up. We still made some mistakes, but our guys did a great job overall.”
The Cougar defense gave up some yardage, but eventually forced the Knights to punt on their opening drive. That punt left Pulaski County pinned up against their own end zone at the nine-yard line. A five-yard run by Lawrence was followed by a run for no gain by Gallimore. On third and five, Nottingham ran the option, flipping the ball to Lawrence. He broke loose down the home sideline and raced 86 yards for the Cougar score. Nottingham added the PAT to put the Cougars up 21-14 with 6:29 remaining in the third.
The Cougar defense forced a turnover on downs, but another fumble game the Knights the ball back at the Pulaski County 16-yard line. Two plays later, Jackson Steffen scored on a three-yard run with 10:58 remaining in the fourth. The PAT was no good, leaving the Cougars up 21-20.
The two teams exchanged punts with time running off the clock quickly. The Cougars took possession at their own 26-yard line and began a rushing attack to milk the clock. After gaining their second first down, a late hit was called against the Knights to give the Cougars an additional 15 yards. After a timeout by the Knights at the 2:07 mark, Gallimore took the handoff and went through the Knights defense that gave him the 30 yards rather than running more time off the clock. The Cougars led 27-20 and decided to go for two to make it a two-score game, but the attempt failed.
The Knights got the ball back at their own 47-yard line after the Cougar kickoff. The first play resulted in an incomplete pass after a breakup by Nottingham. The second play was an 11-yard loss after a sack by senior Tyler Underwood. Underwood broke through again on third down, this time sacking Lonker for an additional nine-yard loss. On fourth down, a final pass attempt from Lonker was incomplete, turning the ball back over to the Cougars. Nottingham took a knee to end the game.
“Love the win, still not happy with everything we did,” Coach Akers said. “We needed this. Our seniors needed this. We’ve been through a lot this season with the injuries and everything else. Getting a win like this in their final game in this stadium … man, that means a lot to us and to them. We’re going to start working on our plan immediately for next week, and we’re excited to be back in the playoffs.”
The last time Pulaski County made the playoffs was during the 2020 Covid Spring season. The Cougars fell 35-42 to GW Danville on the road in the first round. This is also the fourth season in a row that the Cougars have ended the regular season at 4-6, but a much tougher schedule this year and winning their last two games have left Cougar fans with a much brighter look at the future.
The most likely scenario for the opening round of the Class 3, Region D playoffs seems to have #1 Magna Vista (10-0) hosting #8 Staunton River (3-7); #2 William Byrd (9-1) hosting #7 Pulaski County (4-6); #3 Lord Botetourt (7-2) hosting #6 Bassett (5-5); and #4 Christiansburg (7-3) hosting #5 Abingdon (6-4).
Game Stats
Team Stats
First Downs
PC: 12
CS: 16
Rushing
PC: 42 attempts/307 yards
CS: 39/112 yards
Passing
PC: 1-6-0/21 yards
CS: 11-25-1/137 yards
Total Yards
PC: 328
CS: 249
Penalties
PC: 7/44 yards
CS: 6/55 yards
Punting
PC: 4/37.75
CS: 3/50.7
Individual Stats
Rushing
PC: Gallimore 31 attempts/122 yards, Lawrence 6/115, Nottingham 4/69, O’Dell 1-1
CS: Steffen 19/97, Lonker 6/-25, Tolliver 3/4, Browning 11/36
Passing
PC: Nottingham 1-6-0/21 yards
CS: Lonker 11-25-1/137 yards
Receiving
PC: O’Dell 1/21 yards
CS: Sweeney 5/78 yards, Geralds 5/65, Browning 1/4