The Pulaski County High School junior varsity Cougar football team ran into a buzzsaw Thursday on the road against the Christiansburg Blue Demons. Several factors played into the young Cougars suffering a 14-34 loss.
The Cougars came into the contest with only a half game under their belts. Their season opener August 25 was halted at the halftime break due to severe lightning in the area against Northside. The team has not had a game since that time. Meanwhile, the Christiansburg Blue Demons came into the matchup with a perfect record, holding wins over Floyd County, Abingdon and William Byrd.
Christiansburg set to the tone early, scoring on their first drive. It took eight plays to cross the goal line, with the score coming on a 13-yard run with 4:13 remaining in the first quarter. The point after attempt failed, leaving the Blue Demons up 6-0.
The Blue Demons struck again with 37 seconds remaining in the first. This time it was a 24-yard run. The PAT was good, making it 13-0 for Christiansburg.
Christiansburg continued to attack through the second quarter, scoring two more touchdowns before the halftime break. The first came on a two-yard run with 5:43 remaining in the half. The second was a five-yard pass with 35 seconds remaining. One two-point conversion and a kick left the Blue Demons up 28-0 at the half.
The Blue Demons added an insurance run to start the third quarter. On their first play, a Blue Demon runner raced 62 yards to score with 9:42 remaining in the third. The PAT failed, leaving the score at 34-0.
The Cougars put together an 18-play drive that covered 92 yards, with sophomore Trevor Gallimore crossing the goal line from three yards out with 6:33 remaining in the fourth. The good kick by freshman quarterback Bryant Nottingham moved the score to 7-34.
After forcing a turnover on downs, the Cougars got the ball back at their own 13-yard line. It took six plays this time for Pulaski County to cross the goal line. On fourth down and seven, Nottingham dropped back to pass, saw no receivers open, and began to scramble. The lanky freshman ducked, dodged, and weaved his way through a field of Blue Demon defenders to score from 47-yards out. He finished it off by kicking the point after, making the final score 14-34 for Christiansburg.
Despite the slow start, the stats aren’t completely horrible for Pulaski County. The Cougars ran 35 times for 159 yards and two touchdowns. Nottingham completed two of four pass attempts for 30 yards, making the Cougar total offense 189 yards.
Gallimore had 13 carries for 71 yards. Nottingham finished with 10 carries for 58 yards. Cole Boone ran nine times for 17 yards. Kaden Hatch caught one pass for one yard and ran twice for 12 yards. Chase Lawrence caught a pass for 29 yards.
The Blue Demons ran 26 times for 152 yards and completed five of seven pass attempts for 42 yards, giving them a total offensive output of 194 yards.
The JV Cougars are set to go back into action Thursday, Sept. 22, when they host Cave Spring.