Locker Room: “757” not dominant anymore, Cougar final numbers

      For years you have heard about the fertile college football recruiting grounds around the Eastern Panhandle of the state. And there was a time that teams from that area were without question the best and most talented in Virginia. And some of that stuff still exists today, and will in the future, however, the east no longer dominates prep football in Virginia and hasn’t for a few years now.

      Examples. A few years ago Phoebus who won four or five state titles in seven years was knocked out by Blacksburg in convincing fashion. The Phantoms have been knocked out every year since in the early rounds of the playoffs and were again this time. Wonder what’s happening with the fantastic Crabbers of Hampton? Nothing. It’s even hard for that program to quality for the playoffs in recent years, and it’s easier than ever before to do so. Hampton is the winningest program in state history, but others are gaining ground fast.

     Sure there is strength and there is talent, but most of it these days is around Oscar Smith (Class 6), Maury (Class 6) and Lake Taylor (Class 4). But for the past two years there have been no state titles out of the east, and without Oscar Smith, it would be three of four. Sure there is strength, and all three of the above teams could win a title this year, but don’t bet on anything.

     Why is because the dominant programs in Class 1 are Riverheads and Galax. The dominant programs in Class 2 have been Graham and Appomattox. The dominant programs in Class 3 have been Heritage of Lynchburg and Lord Botetourt. The dominant programs in Class 4 have been Salem, and teams out of the northern region. The most consistent teams in recent years in Class 5 and 6 have come from the central, Highland Springs and Hopewell, and Westfield, a northern region team is going for three straight Class 6 titles right now. So no, “757” does not dominant high school football in Virginia anymore.

      And this is the time of year you read about the really good athletes in the state. I write about them and talk about them too. But I try more than ever not to be consumed by that topic. I understand recruiting and talent, but I also understand that I have nothing to say about it.

      Who gets recruited and who doesn’t has nothing to do with me, and almost all the rest of us too. Some have implied that what I write or broadcast has a lot of impact. It does not. It might mean a lot at that very moment, but it has nothing do with the future of a high school football player. It’s about performance and what a college coach sees on film and if it’s good enough to keep his interest, and over time does that school decide to recruit that player. College recruiting has changed a great deal, just like the media, and because of technology.  Nobody else other than his high school coach, has anything to do with it.

    Things have gotten a bit out of whack over the years, media has much to do with that, but the simple truth is public schools do not exist to see how many students get an athletic scholarship. If someone gets one it’s great, but that’s not how success and failure Is determined. Just a small piece of it.

     Football is about to end, basketball is beginning. It’s about the joy of competition, teamwork, maybe having the lessons you learn help a youngster become a better person, better communicator, a better friend. It’s about the team, the team, the team. It’s not about I, me, or you. And if a youngster is constantly confronted with thoughts of the next level, he might not enjoy just being a teenager, and having a great high school experience. Leave them alone, let ’em play, let them enjoy being in high school. It’s something you never get back. The rest of it will take care of itself.

      The statistics are final for the 2019 Pulaski County football team and I thank Tim Hurst for his fine work. Most of the really impressive statistics from the last Cougar team are defensive. In 12 games the opposition rushed for a total of 666 yards on 335 carries. That’s 55.5 yards allowed per game and only 1.98 yards allowed running per play. Stunning statistics.

     Pulaski County gained 2,736 yards of total offense on the season, an average of 228 per game. That’s not a big number by today’s standards, but it looks pretty good when the other teams managed only 1,709, an average yield of just 142.4 yards per game. Teams just do not play defense like that these days, but the Cougars did. It will go down as one of the top defensive units ever to wear the cardinal and gold.

     And the turnovers. Program records. Pulaski Co. forced 30 fumbles, that’s two and a half a game, and recovered 17 of them. They also intercepted nine passes for 26 turnovers total, that’s better then two per game. Ethan Gallimore somehow got on five of those enemy fumbles, Luke Russell three, Gage Mannon, Chayton Rollins, Zeke Surber, Christian Finn, Chase Dotson, John Lyman, Bryant Worrell, Layne Suthers, and Tristan Bowden all had one. A lot of Cougars got in on the fun. Corvin Carter led the way with four pass interceptions, Chris Shay had two, Mannon, Russell, and A.J. McCloud all had one.

     Keyontae Kennedy led the Cougars in rushing with 721 yards, Shay had 425, and Mannon 417. Lyman led the team in pass receiving with 13, Dotson caught 12, Suthers 11, and Logan Burchett nine. McCloud was 64 of 129 passing for 616 yards with four touchdowns and he suffered 15 interceptions.

     Broc Simpson had an outstanding season as a kicker and punter. Broc hit 32of 33 extra point kicks and 12 of 16 field goals for a team high 68 points. Seven of his field goals were over 40 yards, his longest 47. Mannon finished with 54 points, Kennedy, Shay, and McCloud all had 30.