It wasn’t the result they wanted, with the final score of 28-36 not in their favor, but the Cougar junior varsity football team put up a big fight against the Salem Spartans Thursday despite starting the game without the services of their starting running back and losing another running back late in the game.
Starting running back and linebacker Trevor Gallimore was on the sideline with a sling on his arm, leaving a big spot to fill in the offensive lineup. The Cougars did not back down from the challenge.
The game started with Salem finding difficulty moving the ball. A block in the back penalty on their first play, a sack on the second play, and a false start on the next effort left them with a second down and 22. They made up for those mistakes with a backward pass that lost two more yards, forcing a Salem punt. The Cougars didn’t do much better, and were forced to punt as well.
Salem calmed down on their second possession, methodically driving down the field on short runs. With 2:02 remaining in the first quarter, the Spartans connected on a 43-yard pass for a touchdown, but the point after attempt failed, leaving the Spartans up 6-0.
The Cougars answered with an 80-yard drive that featured strong running from Skylor Boone, Kaden Hatch, and quarterback Bryant Nottingham. The score came on a two-yard run by Nottingham with 9:03 remaining in the second quarter. Nottingham also kicked the PAT, giving the Cougars the 7-6 lead.
Another Salem punt gave the Cougars momentum. This time it took 10 plays to cover 54 yards. The same game plan saw short runs by the same cast of characters push the ball down the field. The score came on a six-yard run by Cole Boone with 1:54 remaining in the half. Nottingham hit the PAT to put Pulaski County up 14-6.
Salem answered quickly, marching down the field and scoring on a 56-yard run with 1:01 remaining in the half. The Spartans completed a two-point play to tie the game at 14-14.
Most teams, knowing they got the second half kickoff, would have been satisfied with that. Not the Cougars. On the kickoff, Cole Boone slipped through some initial tackle attempts and raced 72 yards for the special team’s score. Nottingham’s kick put the Cougars up 21-14 with 48 seconds remaining.
Again, Salem answered. A 42-yard pass and two short runs put the Spartans in position. With just three seconds remaining in the half, they scored on a five-yard run. A two-point pass gave Salem the 22-21 lead heading into the break.
The Cougars took the opening kickoff of the second half, but couldn’t make good on it. In fact, neither team moved the ball well in the third quarter, leaving Pulaski County with the ball near the start of the fourth quarter. Runs by Nottingham, Glenel Lyman, and Skylor Boone moved the ball downfield. With 7:10 remaining in the game, Nottingham dropped back to pass and found Chase Lawrence down the home sideline. Lawrence made a play on the ball, pulling it in as he fell into the endzone for the score. Nottingham hit the PAT to put the Cougars up 28-22.
Salem answered immediately. On the kickoff, a Spartan player fielded the ball and raced 91 yards for the score. The PAT was blocked by Nottingham, leaving the score tied at 28-28 with6:55 remaining in the game.
The Spartans scored the go-ahead touchdown on a 63-yard run with 3:11 remaining. The two-point run made the score 36-28 for the Spartans.
With Cole Boone out of the game with an injury, the Cougars returned the kickoff to the 23-yard line. Runs by Nottingham and Hatch helped move the ball downfield. Nottingham also completed two passes to Lawrence. One was for 34 yards and the other for no gain. On fourth down and seven, Nottingham scrambled could find no open receiver. He tucked the ball and ran, but came up just short of the first down. Salem kneeled on the ball to end the game.
The Cougars ran 40 times for 190 yards. Salem ran 29 times for 203 yards. The Cougars completed three of five pass attempts for 59 yards. Salem completed four of eight passes for 91 yards. Pulaski County had 249 total yards of offense. Salem had 294 total yards.
Skylor Boone led the Cougar rushing attack with 19 carries for 59 tough yards. Nottingham had 11 carries for 48 yards. Hatch ran four times for 46 yards. Cole Boone ran four times for 41 yards. Nottingham also completed three of five pass attempts for 59 yards, all of them to Chase Lawrence.
The JV Cougars will be back in action next week on Thursday, Oct. 13, when they travel to Blacksburg. Game time is set for 6 p.m.