G-Men healthy and starting to tighten it up a bit. Pulaski had all kinds of self inflicted wounds with turnovers, but Graham scored at will and a couple of those PC turnovers were taken aways/stripped footballs by Graham.
Graham wins 52-24 at Pulaski
- Thread starter Hokie1Pokie
- Start date
Yes, still got some work to do on the line of scrimmage, but looking much better. The secondary will get tested next week, should be interesting to see how that pans out.
Graham has had several freshman who are having to step up in the absence of several starters. It’s a learning curve & some mistakes were definitely made tonight but there were also some good things happening at times. I’m just glad we didn’t have 160 yards in penalties again! Graham’s key next week is to get pressure on Creasy & not give him time to throw at will. We definitely need to win at the LOS next week!
Best 4 quarters Graham has put together all year last night. They had one turnover that was self inflicted. The rest were because they got the crap knocked out of them. They're getting better. Don't count Graham out, they make get this together yet.
I hope you're right. The problems that I see are with the line-play. Having skill players like Graham has helps to overcome that. I think they have improved somewhat in that area also, but still have a way to go and it's getting late in the season.
Try to find the Pulaski County local newspaper online. They usually cover PC football pretty good.
Found them and just as i figured, Pulaski out-gained Graham in the game and had over 400 yards of total offense. Lot to work on for the G-men.
When you have to switch up players in positions because you lost another defensive starter during the week, there will be some wrinkles especially when freshmen are having to step in for a Senior. Pulaski wasn’t winning the game regardless. I’m hoping the defense can make necessary adjustments for Tazewell’s passing game. They do have work to do but hopefully they get it done!
Never said Pulaski was going to win the game, the 5 turnovers didnt help Pulaski's cause, but giving up over 400 yards of offense, most on the ground is very concerning. I'm not going to sugar coat their win. They have a lot of improvements still to make. Lot of run-oriented teams at the top of 2A. Gotta work on the over-pursuit and contain the edge better. Offensively, they look much better
Also, Pulaski has given up 44 points or more in every single game except for the Blacksburg game. Not surprised that Graham was able to put up a bunch of points.
Also, Pulaski has given up 44 points or more in every single game except for the Blacksburg game. Not surprised that Graham was able to put up a bunch of points.
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I agree with those statements and I hope we do not lose anymore starters. It’s hard to put kids in a position this late in the season they’re not used to starting because you lost another person. That happened when we lost Zach Blevins & Gage Sawyer, we had players having to step into a position they weren’t used to playing. It hurt us against King William. I’m not saying the outcome would change had they both been healthy & on defense but it certainly would have helped. Hopefully, a lot of hard work this week pays off Friday night & GMen demonstrate a noticeable difference.
Don't know if outcome would have changed or not, but that's losing two first team All State Linebackers against a guy like Claiborne where you just can't afford to do it. It hurt Graham offensively also as the QB played on one leg/literally had a broken bone in his leg.
"The Cougars had 22 first downs. The G-Men had 13. The Cougars ran the ball 54 times for 275 yards. Graham ran 23 times for 164 yards. Bryant Nottingham completed completed seven-of-11 pass attempts for the Cougars for 113 yards, giving them 388 total yards of offense. The G-Men completed nine-of-13 pass attempts for 190 yards, giving them 354 total yards. The Cougars committed eight penalties for 72 yards. Graham was called for four penalties for 38 yards."
Credit: https://www.southwesttimes.com/index.php/news-sports/turnovers-too-much-overcome-against-g-men
Pulaski is a shell of a team. They are fighting each week, but do not have the players to contend. Their qb quit a few weeks ago. Has always had off the field issues year in and year out, as well.
They have lost at least 4 players to ACL/MCL issues that would have played. Majority of their players play both ways. No depth to speak of.
If their coach can get players to come out and buy in, they can recover from this. Looking at their JV and 8th grade teams, it may be a few years before they can show out on the field again.
Credit: https://www.southwesttimes.com/index.php/news-sports/turnovers-too-much-overcome-against-g-men
Pulaski is a shell of a team. They are fighting each week, but do not have the players to contend. Their qb quit a few weeks ago. Has always had off the field issues year in and year out, as well.
They have lost at least 4 players to ACL/MCL issues that would have played. Majority of their players play both ways. No depth to speak of.
If their coach can get players to come out and buy in, they can recover from this. Looking at their JV and 8th grade teams, it may be a few years before they can show out on the field again.
Pulaski County is going to recover, but it is going to take time. We've had some new players recruited out of the hallways since the season started, and that's a good way to start. The injuries were huge, especially the loss of senior Brett Jones before we even got to the first scrimmage. Those that have managed to survive the injuries and one of the toughest schedules around have been in large part underclassmen. Several sophomores and freshmen are in the lineup that are good players, but you would still love to give them a year of JV ball to grow and learn. We've also had a couple of people jump ship, and that's fine. It's a part of it. I want to see the players that are here giving it there all each week, and they are. It's hard to be disrespectful (for reasonable people at least) when you see the kind of effort they give. When Pulaski County works our way back, the praise will go to those who worked battled for it.
I'd keep a close watch on the participation numbers going forward. Participation dropped dramatically each year at Auburn under Akers. Kids simply did not want to play for the guy. A group 1A school couldn't handle that drop in numbers and still put a team on the field. A big 3A school will still have numbers to field a team, but will be hard to compete at that level if that happens at PC. You've been warned.
Numbers have dropped well before Akers.
I am not sure you can compare Auburn Football to anything.
Auburn has never had success in Football and I would argue they never will.
Coaches will not succeed there.
Mark Dixon lost a lot of players before his first season started at Pulaski. A few players came back after Mark had to step down, who liked Akers.
I am not sure you can use the excuse with Mark as he was a proven winner at Galax. Mark is a tough coach to play for.
The culture is not there at Pulaski.
I am sure if you go to Graham or other successful programs, the culture is there from rec football all the way up to high school. I also bet their players are used to taking it on the chin from coaches and moving on.
Pulaski has not had this for a long time.
It will take time to achieve a wider buy in before Pulaski can be successful.
Is Akers the right man? Idk.
I think most people do not want this to be the permanent offense, but with minimal weapons, they have put up good offensive numbers except for games against Salem and PH.
I guess we will see how it plays out.
An offense like that will put Pulaski in position to get to 7-8 wins and the postseason on a regular basis. It will not put them in position to beat Salem and go deep in the playoffs. However, considering where Pulaski has been for the overwhelming majority of their post-Hicks time as a program, the former is probably a solid, more obtainable goal.
Hicks didn't run an offense too far off.....
They also had amazing talent running his offense during their heyday.
Times have changed though, and personally I do not like it...
Either way,
You have to adapt to your talent or lack there of.
Saunders at Radford ran the option whether he had a dynamic qb/rb or not. They had deep playoff runs with it, and losing seasons with it. Players matter.
You can have a successful season running it or a terrible season. You can say this about any offense. If Pulaski had any sort of defense ore depth this year, I am sure people wouldn't care how they won.
I will say, Georgia Tech found success running the triple option. Teams hated to play them. I would bet there are GT fans who would rather be relevant with the triple option, than whatever they have now.
The point, players matter. Worry about getting talent in the room and a buy in from younger kids. Build a program. If he is not the right coach, it will play itself out, as it always does.
You say the culture is not there at Pulaski.
In your opinion, how or what will it take for "the culture" to develop at Pulaski, or any where for that matter?
Tough Question.
For some fans, they are living in the Joel Hicks days and compare everything to Joel Hicks. They need to move on.
Football is not important right now in Pulaski for a lot of kids. They have other options. (Like any kid at any school)
Kids do not look at playing football as something the have to do anymore. I do not think people would imagine Pulaski suiting up less than 30 players on Varsity. You are now getting production from 1 or 2 Senior kids? I know some are injured and some left the team...
Kids are leaving for other area schools as well....
I know Pulaski is not the only program going through it.
Long are the days a kid plays because Dad and Granddad played.
I am not sure how you achieve this, but I remember growing up thinking the football players were the coolest kids. It was a goal to play varsity ball for your high school team. There was an expectation that you played.
I think it starts with the HS coaches being involved in rec.
Camps throughout the year free for all ages. Giving coaching clinics to rec level coaches.
Similarities in how rec teams are ran, feeding them into the middle and high school program.
Higher importance put into the middle school program. Their AD is worse than the high school AD.
Both are out of date with how things are ran and there is no ambition for either.
I do not think it is any secret that the only team who has found success recently is the girls basketball team.
Their current coach started an aau team when the seniors two years ago were elementary age. The kids stayed together and worked very hard. A culture was built. (I am not sure every kid likes him and there are varying opinions) The point is there was culture and expectations of hard work. There was a goal established at an early age.
I have seen a group of baseball kids and even soccer building towards having success when they reach the high school level. ( Years Away)
I am not sure football has reached this level of attention, yet.
Girls basketball coach Scott Ratcliff has been coaching the Pulaski Wolves AAU team since before the current girls were born. He is continuing with that, but there was a short dropoff in those numbers recently also at the younger levels. He is hoping to fix that issue. But yes, that is clearly one of the biggest reasons for the success of Pulaski County girls basketball at both the high school and middle school levels.
Our rec department has done a great job of helping to cultivate "Cougar Pride" in the younger players. All Pulaski County rec football teams now wear gold helmets and are Cougars, as is our new unified middle school. Rec coaches regularly meet with the Coach Akers and are given any help they ask for. Yes, they are asked to run certain plays and do things a certain way, which is how the varsity program runs it, but the main goal of rec is to keep them playing and in the program. Rec camp happened this year also, with varsity, jv, and middle school coaches and varsity players working with the kids during the camp.
Saturday, our Mite League team won the Eddie Sutphin Memorial Super Bowl. Our Junior League team was in it, but finished as runner-up. Our Senior League team was one game away, falling in the semifinals. It has become a regular thing to see PC rec teams in this event each year.
Coach Akers lives and breathes Pulaski County, and not just football. I personally have pics of him playing rec, middle school and high school ball and on the track team during his youth. He was one of the kids that stood at the bottom of the steps in awe as the big boys came down them on Friday night. He went on to be a pretty good player for us, and even got to play some defensive end in the Virginia Tech spring game before moving to the crew team. He was born and raised here, went to school here, married his hometown high school sweetheart, and they are raising their family here.
He preaches hard work and discipline, as he was taught by former Head Coach Jack Turner and his former Head Coach, Joel Hicks. He holds the kids accountable and has them holding each other accountable. He preaches the weight room. He and his staff, made up of a bunch of other former Cougars, put their whole hearts into it.
I've been on the sidelines for a long time now. It's not my job to pick the head coach or call the plays. I have and always will support the head coach, no matter who it is, and do what I can to support them. Sadly, some parents don't feel this way. Some have moved on to what they consider greener pastures. I wish them the best of luck, but I personally don't bother following them anymore. I spend my time supporting Pulaski County kids.
This season, the sidelines have been different for the Cougars. Even when losing, the players have been positive and kept a good attitude. They're not making or offering excuses. No, they are not fans of losing. They do, however, understand that rebuilding a program is a process. They also understand that they are a part of that process. This is a very unselfish team. They pick each other up and they back each other up. They may not have the winning record yet, but this program is on the right track to get there.
Yes, we need more kids that are currently walking the hallways of PCHS to come out for football and all of our other sports. Several have now joined the football team since the season started, recruited out of the hallways by the coaching staff. Several of them are already helping make a difference. More of them will. Winning, of course, is a great recruitment tool.
And yes, we do need to continue moving toward a change of culture in a lot of ways. Hard work MUST be the norm, and for the most part it already is. But the biggest culture change needs to take place outside of the locker room. People can say that the coaching staffs since Coach HIcks retired haven't been good enough, but most of those same people saying that said the same thing about Coach Hicks when he was still running the show. Loud mouthed fans in the bleachers screamed about us running the ball for years until we threw it a few times, then they started screaming about how we should run the ball. When the Cougars win, they'll stand at the top of the steps bragging about how good "we" are and how "we" really did a great job tonight. Those same people will stand in the same spot after a loss and talk about how "they" need to do a better job coaching, "They" need to play harder. "They" just don't have what it takes, like "we" did back in "MY" day. It's sad to watch, but it happens every year, win or lose.
Support the kids. Encourage them. Lift them up. Buy 50-50 tickets and hotdogs. Cheer them on. While I am well-aware that winning is important, sports are about a lot more than just winning. The positive life lessons these young people learn about hard work, commitment, discipline, and being a part of something bigger than just themselves carry on throughout their entire lives.
Our rec department has done a great job of helping to cultivate "Cougar Pride" in the younger players. All Pulaski County rec football teams now wear gold helmets and are Cougars, as is our new unified middle school. Rec coaches regularly meet with the Coach Akers and are given any help they ask for. Yes, they are asked to run certain plays and do things a certain way, which is how the varsity program runs it, but the main goal of rec is to keep them playing and in the program. Rec camp happened this year also, with varsity, jv, and middle school coaches and varsity players working with the kids during the camp.
Saturday, our Mite League team won the Eddie Sutphin Memorial Super Bowl. Our Junior League team was in it, but finished as runner-up. Our Senior League team was one game away, falling in the semifinals. It has become a regular thing to see PC rec teams in this event each year.
Coach Akers lives and breathes Pulaski County, and not just football. I personally have pics of him playing rec, middle school and high school ball and on the track team during his youth. He was one of the kids that stood at the bottom of the steps in awe as the big boys came down them on Friday night. He went on to be a pretty good player for us, and even got to play some defensive end in the Virginia Tech spring game before moving to the crew team. He was born and raised here, went to school here, married his hometown high school sweetheart, and they are raising their family here.
He preaches hard work and discipline, as he was taught by former Head Coach Jack Turner and his former Head Coach, Joel Hicks. He holds the kids accountable and has them holding each other accountable. He preaches the weight room. He and his staff, made up of a bunch of other former Cougars, put their whole hearts into it.
I've been on the sidelines for a long time now. It's not my job to pick the head coach or call the plays. I have and always will support the head coach, no matter who it is, and do what I can to support them. Sadly, some parents don't feel this way. Some have moved on to what they consider greener pastures. I wish them the best of luck, but I personally don't bother following them anymore. I spend my time supporting Pulaski County kids.
This season, the sidelines have been different for the Cougars. Even when losing, the players have been positive and kept a good attitude. They're not making or offering excuses. No, they are not fans of losing. They do, however, understand that rebuilding a program is a process. They also understand that they are a part of that process. This is a very unselfish team. They pick each other up and they back each other up. They may not have the winning record yet, but this program is on the right track to get there.
Yes, we need more kids that are currently walking the hallways of PCHS to come out for football and all of our other sports. Several have now joined the football team since the season started, recruited out of the hallways by the coaching staff. Several of them are already helping make a difference. More of them will. Winning, of course, is a great recruitment tool.
And yes, we do need to continue moving toward a change of culture in a lot of ways. Hard work MUST be the norm, and for the most part it already is. But the biggest culture change needs to take place outside of the locker room. People can say that the coaching staffs since Coach HIcks retired haven't been good enough, but most of those same people saying that said the same thing about Coach Hicks when he was still running the show. Loud mouthed fans in the bleachers screamed about us running the ball for years until we threw it a few times, then they started screaming about how we should run the ball. When the Cougars win, they'll stand at the top of the steps bragging about how good "we" are and how "we" really did a great job tonight. Those same people will stand in the same spot after a loss and talk about how "they" need to do a better job coaching, "They" need to play harder. "They" just don't have what it takes, like "we" did back in "MY" day. It's sad to watch, but it happens every year, win or lose.
Support the kids. Encourage them. Lift them up. Buy 50-50 tickets and hotdogs. Cheer them on. While I am well-aware that winning is important, sports are about a lot more than just winning. The positive life lessons these young people learn about hard work, commitment, discipline, and being a part of something bigger than just themselves carry on throughout their entire lives.
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