The Pulaski County Cougar football team will take the field in their first regular season game of 2024 this Friday when they host the Northside Vikings. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. at Kenneth J. Dobson Stadium/Joel Hicks Field.
Each of the two teams will come into the matchup hoping to improve on their 2023 records.
“Our guys have been working hard in the weight room since last season and they’ve put in the time and work on the practice field,” Cougar Head Coach Cam Akers said. “We’re young, but we’ve got a great fighting spirit in our team. They’re hungry to win. They’re willing to get in the trenches and put out the effort. We need to stay healthy and develop some depth quickly. We know we have work to do, but the young men we put out on that field are dedicated to the program and each other. I’m excited to see how they develop this year.”
Northside ended 2023 with a record of 2-8, a far cry from the winning season they were hoping for. The Vikings earned wins over Cave Spring, 30-27, and Hidden Valley, 34-27. Most of their other games were big losses, giving up over 35 points in each of those matchups.
The Vikings are led by Head Coach Scott Fisher. He is entering his ninth season as the head coach and has an overall record of 37-38. His two best seasons were 2018, where the Vikings finished 11-2 before falling in the third round of the playoffs, and 2019, when the Vikings finished 9-4 and fell in the third round.
The Vikings will return a host of starters from last season on each side of the ball, along with several key newcomers who have shown plenty of potential in preseason action.
The Cougars are still trying to get over the hump, with records of 4-6, 4-6, and 4-7 over the past three seasons under Head Coach Cam Akers. Those records are a bit deceptive, however, when you look at the quality of opponents that Pulaski County has faced.
Last season, the Cougars four wins came against Northside (42-7, finished 2-8), Blacksburg 69-13, finished 2-7 due to forfeiting their game against Salem again), Hidden Valley (41-19, finished 1-9), and Cave Spring (27-20, finished 3-7). None of those teams made it into the playoffs.
The Cougars lost games last year to some high quality programs. They lost 20-48 to Lord Botetourt. The Cavaliers finished 8-3 before falling to an outstanding William Byrd squad in the second round of the playoffs 14-41. Other losses were to EC Glass 7-14 and William Byrd in a regular season matchup 0-16.
The Cougars lost to Princeton, WV, 40-49. The Tigers went to the State Championship game in WV, falling to powerhouse Martinsburg. They finished the season as runners up at 12-2. Their only other loss of the season was to Hurricane, WV, 42-56.
The Cougars lost to Christiansburg 20-44. The Blue Demons finished 8-4 with losses to Riverheads, Patrick Henry, Salem, and Ridgeway in the second round of the playoffs.
The Cougars fell to Patrick Henry 22-48. The Patriots ended 9-2 with their only regular season loss being a 7-24 game against Salem. They lost to William Fleming in the opening round of the Conference 5D playoffs 16-23.
The Cougars dropped their game to Salem 13-49. Salem lost their opener 14-21 to LCA, then rattled off 12 straight wins to advance to the Conference 4 State Title game. They fell 14-21 to Phoebus in that game, smashing most everyone else they played. Their closest regular season game was a 24-7 win over Patrick Henry.
The next loss was to Graham. The G-Men finished 12-2, falling in the state semifinal game to Radford, 10-22. Their only other loss was a 14-27 upset against Union in week 3. Graham avenged that loss with a 33-24 rematch win in the third round of the playoffs.
The Cougars lost to William Byrd 21-45 in the opening round of the playoffs. The Terriers had the best season in school history, finishing 12-2 before falling 6-49 to LCA in the fourth round of the playoffs. Only other loss was a 10-14 barnburner at Christiansburg. Beat William Fleming 27-21 in an overtime thriller on the road.
The Cougars beat teams with a combined overall record of 8-31. They lost to teams with an overall combined record of 73-17. All seven teams that beat Pulaski County made it to the playoffs. Six of those teams made it to the second round and four made it to the third round. Three teams made it to the state semifinals. Two played for a State Championship.
The Cougars lead the series with Northside 24-14, including the past four games, and six of the last eight matchups. Last season, Pulaski County won 42-7 on the road.
The Cougars return several key players that started or saw significant playing time last season.
Senior running back Trevor Gallimore (5’11”, 193) rewrote the record books last season. He ran the ball 314 times for 1,719 yards. That ranks him among the top running backs in Pulaski County history. He set a new record for most rushing yards in a game with his 375 yards against Blacksburg, all in the first half. He also broke the record for most rushing touchdowns in a game with six against the Bruins, and tied the record held by Kwasi Scott from the 1998 game with Cave Spring where Scott scored five on the ground and one receiving. Gallimore scored 30 rushing touchdowns this season, breaking the previous record of 27 rushing touchdowns in a season. Those same 30 touchdowns also set a new record for most points scored in a season with 180 points. The previous record was 162 points. For his efforts he earned first-team nods in the district and region.
Junior quarterback, punter, and cornerback Bryant Nottingham (6’1”, 182) was named as an honorable mention last year at punter in the River Ridge District. At quarterback, completed 28 of 57 pass attempts for 635 yards and four touchdowns. He also ran 45 times for 205 yards, scored two rushing touchdowns, and was good on 38 of 46 extra point attempts. He added one field goal on three tries for 55 total points last season.
Senior Chase Lawrence (6’1”, 205) was the second leading rusher for Pulaski County this season, gaining 450 yards on 61 carries, an average of 7.37 yards per carry, and scored three touchdowns. His blocking and defensive play are also areas where he shined and will continue to do well. He was selected as a second-team fullback/halfback last season for the All-District team.
Other players to watch include senior Taner Mace, senior lineman Hunter Hill, senior running back and safety Isiah O’Dell, junior Savion Thompson, senior lineman Noah Hinkley, junior lineman Chase King, junior lineman Aden Drummonds, sophomore lineman Riley O’Neil, sophomore linebacker and tight end Parker Price, sophomore lineman Javontae Jackson, and sophomore lineman TJ Scott.
For the Cougars to find success in 2024, they must show improvement on defense. Last season they gave up 2,393 rushing yards, a 7.98 yards per carry average. They also gave up 1,405 passing yards. Overall, Pulaski County gave up 394 points while scoring 339 points. That’s an average score of 30.82 to 35.82.
They also must avoid the injury bug, which has already taken a toll on the team. During the benefit game with Franklin County last week, at least two key players were not available for action. Another came out of the game midway through due to what appeared to be an ankle or foot issue. With a thin depth chart, Pulaski County has to avoid those problems as much as possible.