Locker Room: Pre-season intensity increases for Cougars

The following information will make it obvious to Pulaski County football fans that the level of intensity as far as preparation for the coming 2018 football season will increase markedly.

The Cougars’ off season workouts began this week. Three hours Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. On June 12-13-14 it will be three hours a day again from 9 am until noon. On Tuesday June 19 there will be a final workout, and all workouts will include weight lifting, physical training, and offensive and defensive preparation. None of these workouts will be in full pads.

But that changes on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, June 20-22 when the Cougars will be in a full contact camp at Ferrum in Rocky Mount. Other teams will also be there. Pulaski County will be in action action Class 4 power Dinwiddie, Class 3 power Lord Botetourt, and a strong Galax program.

“We feel like we will learn much about our team at this camp,” said PCHS head coach Stephen James. “There are some areas where we’re looking for improvement in our team this season, and we will be taking a hard look at places like the offensive line, but overall, the competition is going to be very good. We think we have potential to be a better football team. That’s why we’re going to this camp. We should be able to find out the things we need to know about our team over these three days. We also think it will be a good time of bonding for our team. We will practice together, go into battle together, eat and sleep in the same place. It will be three days of hard work, contact, and all about our team. We need to find out about ourselves. I think we need this,” said James.

The Cougars will go right back to work after returning from camp, and the following Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, June 26-28 it will be three hours a day from 9 am until noon again.

Then will come a deserving break. The Pulaski County football team will have a full 11-day break. This will come over the first week of July and the celebration of our independence and what is vacation time for many. That would certainly include player families and the coaching staff.

The team will not return until Tuesday, July 10 and that week it will once again be three straight days from 9am until noon, and it will be the same the following week. Then on Tuesday, July 24 there will be one final three-hour workout and the next day will be off as full pre-season practice begins on Thursday, July 26. Then the practices can be everyday of the week except Sunday and figure to be two sessions and last a total of approximately five hours.

Next comes the Touchdown Classic on Saturday, August 11th in Dobson Stadium. That will feature again an increased level in competition as the opponents will be Magna Vista, an almost certain Class 3 state contender in 2018 and defending West Virginia state champion Bluefield. All action will be in Dobson Stadium and following the varsity action, the junior varsities will take the field.

It will be a different sort of event at Dobson. Fans will be asked to make a $10.00 donation to the Cougar football program upon entering the stadium, and that will also result in each fan receiving a pit cooked barbecue, baked bean, and cole slaw dinner. The concessions will also be open. If someone does not desire to eat the dinner and doesn’t wish to make the $10.00 donation they can contribute whatever they wish and enjoy the football.

The following Friday, August 17th, the Cougars will make the short jaunt down route 11 and take on the Bobcats of Radford in a “Benefit Game” for both schools. That contest figures to start at 7 pm. The following Friday, August 23, Pulaski County officially opens the 2018 football season at Northside.

By DAN CALLAHAN, The Patriot