Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, November 19, 1994 TAG: 9411230043
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B2 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: RAY COX STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: DUBLIN LENGTH: Medium
The Cougars denied the high-octane Raiders an offensive touchdown and crushed them 35-7 as the Group AAA Division 5 playoffs opened.
Next up for the Cougars is E.C. Glass, which will entertain them 7:30 p.m. Nov. 25 for the Northwestern Region championship. Glass smashed Stafford 44-8 Friday. It will be a rematch of a game the Hilltoppers won 14-6 the second game of the season.
That was also the last time the Cougars lost a game. The Pulaski County winning streak is now at nine games.
""Boy they're pretty good,'' Raiders coach Jim Powell said in admiration. ""They really got after us pretty good.''
Pulaski County did so with a huge game from Eric Webb, who had 151 all-purpose yards and scored four touchdowns, and a defense that was all but impenetrable.
Stonewall Jackson (9-2) came in with over 2,800 yards rushing for the year, but the Cougars held it to 193, 76 of that by marquee back Monta Hicks, who was averaging well over 100 per game.
""We kept hearing about that running back going to Florida State or going to Ole Miss, or going somewhere and that ticked us off,'' said Andre Eaves, Pulaski County's quarterback and cornerback. ""We wanted to show them that they hadn't played anybody until they played Pulaski County.''
The Cougars (10-1) drove 82 yards in 11 plays and scored on an 8-yard Webb crash the first time they had the ball.
They came right back and scored again after stopping the Raiders on fourth down. This time, fullback Tim Davis, who found not much running room inside all night, slithered 3 yards for the score. Shayne Graham kicked the second of five touchdown conversions, and the Cougars were up 14-0 with 8 minutes, 30 seconds left before the half.
The game might have turned for good on the subsequent Raiders series. After starting from their 15, they faced a fourth and 1 from the 24. The punt team came on, but punter Herk Williams, who is also the quarterback, surprised everybody by throwing a pass that Doug Entsminger promptly dropped.
""Not a great call, not a great call,'' Powell said. ""We didn't execute it, but that was not the time or place for that. It was a coaching mistake.''
Pulaski County exacted payment three plays later when Webb took an inside reverse, speared through two defenders at the 5, and scored on a 13-yard play.
In the second half, the Cougars managed only three of their 11 first downs.
""We were doing anything we could to slow them down, but they were blowing us off the line pretty good,'' Powell said.
Still, the Cougars were killing clock, which was just what they needed to do. They put away the game once and for all as Stonewall Jackson was making its deepest penetration. Hicks went off tackle to his left and was clobbered for a loss by linebacker Chris Lawson. The ball then came loose and Webb swooped in from his linebacker position to pick it up.
""I tried to go for it myself but he's so big he just knocked me out of the way,'' Eaves said.
Webb then proceeded down the sideline, forearm shivering quarterback Williams out of the way at midfield -- ""He ran right dead over him,'' Eaves said -- and eventually made his way 92 yards to the opposite end zone.
""What a competitor,'' Pulaski County's Hicks said.
With the Cougars keying on Hicks, Ronald Ausberry shook free for a team-leading 90 yards rushing. Another 1,000-plus yard rusher for the year, Jamie Sisk, was ineligible for the game.
""That didn't take us out of anything we wanted to do, Pulaski County did,'' Powell said. ""Personnel had nothing to do with it.''
see microfilm for box score
Keywords:
FOOTBALL
by CNB