The Lord Botetourt Cavaliers scored early and often Saturday as they earned a 54-21 win over the Pulaski County Cougar football team.
The Cavaliers opened the scoring on their first drive with a quick 72-yard touchdown run with 11:09 remining in the first quarter.
Despite being down 7-0 early, the Cougars answered. After several big runs and a few short ones, senior Trevor Gallimore crossed the goal line from one yard out with9:38 remaining in the first. Junior Bryant Nottingham hit the point-after kick to tie the score at 7-7.
The Cougar defense earned a stop on the next Botetourt possession, but a pass attempt by Nottingham was intercepted and taken back for a 50-yard score with four minutes remaining in the first. The Cavaliers scored one more time in the first quarter, adding a 38-yard touchdown pass with 44 seconds remaining.
Leading 21-7, the Cavaliers added two more scores in the second quarter. First, they connected for a 66-yard touchdown pass with 3:36 remaining in the half. Then, a short drive paid off with a seven-yard scoring run with just 50 seconds remaining.
Trailing 33-7 at the start of the second half, the Cougars took the kickoff and drove the length of the field, scoring on a 13-yard run by Gallimore with 6:11 remaining in the third quarter. The PAT by Nottingham made it 33-14.
The Cavaliers scored on two long runs in the third quarter. The first was a 15-yard run with 2:50 remaining. The next was a 23-yard run with 1:36 remaining in the quarter, moving the score to 47-14 for the Cavaliers.
The Cougars went back to work, slowly beginning to move the ball again by going to the air. Nottingham and junior Caleb Cregger connected for three pass attempts, including a five-yard scoring strike with 8:24 remaining in the game. The PAT by Nottingham moved the score to 47-21.
The Cavaliers added one final score on the next play, racing 80 yards for a touchdown run. The PAT made the final score 54-21 for the Cavaliers.
Big plays, turnovers, and missed tackles were once again the main issue for Pulaski County. While Nottingham did record an interception while playing defense, the Cougars had two pass attempts intercepted, and a fumble lost.
“We’ve got to clean up the mistakes,” Cougar Head Coach Cam Akers said. “We’re playing against some of the toughest competition in the state. We can’t afford turnovers and penalties. We can’t afford to arm tackle. As coaches, we can see the potential in these players, we just need to keep fine tuning and getting better every day. Our guys kept fighting, but we just made too many mistakes today.”
The Cougars will be back in action Friday, September 20, when they host the Princeton, WV, Tigers. Kickoff for that game is set for 7 p.m. at Kenneth J. Dobson Stadium/Joel Hicks Field.
Team Stats
1st Downs
PC: 17
LB: 17
Rushing
PC: 52 attempts/286 yards
LB: 35 attempts/334 yards
Pass/Catch/Int/Yards
PC: 3-9-2/44 yards
LB: 7-11-1/167 yards
Total Yards
PC: 330
LB: 511
Fumbles/Lost
PC: 1-1
LB: 1-0
Punting
PC: 4/36.7 avg.
LB: N/A
Return Yards
PC: 47
LB: 115
Individual Stats
Rushing
PC: Gallimore 28 att/155 yards, Nottingham 4/33, Carrasco 8/37, O’Dell 4/19, Mace 2/1, Cregger 1/20, Wilson 1-1, Whitlock 1/3, Thompson 3/16
LB: #10 13/235, #0 10/84, #2 6/-5, #6 1/9, #15 1/5, #32 1/1, #8 2/5
Passing
PC: Nottingham 3-9-2/44 yards
LB: #6 7-11-1/167 yards
Receiving
PC: Cregger 3/44
LB: #0 1/-2, #15 2/104, #10 2/55, #11 110
Interceptions
PC: Nottingham
LB: #0 (2)