(Maddox Thompson runs for positive yards against the Northside Vikings)
The game started with Pulaski County driving to just outside of reaching distance of the Northside Viking endzone, but ended with the Cougars on the bad side of a 49-20 loss in the season opener for both teams.
“We made some mistakes and you can’t do that against a good team,” Cougar Head Coach Cam Akers said. “We put the ball on the ground a few times and we missed tackles and blocks. Those will get you beat every night you play. We can’t make excuses. We just need to play better and get back to work.”
After Pulaski County drove the ball the distance of the field and failed to convert a fourth down near the goal line, Northside began a drive of their own. The Cougars helped them out with a 15-yard penalty to start things off, and the Vikings took advantage. With 48 seconds remaining in the first quarter, Northside ran into the endzone from 63 yards out to take the 7-0 lead. The Vikings struck again with 9:13 remaining in the second quarter on a one-yard run.
Trailing 14-0, the Cougars finally hit paydirt when Sammy Carrasco crossed the goal line on an 11-yard run with 2:35 remaining in the half. The point after attempt by Bryant Nottingham was good, moving the score to 14-7 in favor of the Vikings. Northside added a final touchdown of the half with 28 seconds remaining in the second quarter to lead 21-7 heading into the halftime break.
Northside got the ball to open the third quarter and took advantage. They scored on a 12-yard run with 10:24 remaining in the third, then added another touchdown on at the 5:31 mark of the third on a 24-yard run. The kick after was good , making your new score 35-7 in favor of the Vikings.
Holding on for their lives, the Cougars found the endzone for a third time This time, the score was on an eight-yard run by Nottingham. He also kicked the extra point to move the score to make it 35-14 for the Vikings.
Northside added touchdowns at the 9:33 mark of the fourth with a 22-yard run and at the 57 second mark on a 19-yard run. The Cougars added a 24-yard run by Maddox Thompson on the final play of the game against the Viking backups to put up the final 49-20 win.
The Cougars ran the ball 46 times for 203 yards. Northside ran 45 times for 560 yards. The Cougars had 16 first downs, compared to 24 by Northside. Season opening games can work on the players' nerves. The Cougars were hit with five penalties for 60 yards. Northside had eight for 8 penalties for 81 yards.
“We can’t let this game define us,” Coach Akers said. “We can't react to it by walking around with our heads down. We can choose to come in Monday with a great attitude or we can start planning the off season early. We have to come on Monday with the attitude of a workman and correct our mistakes.”
The Cougars will travel to Tazewell County next week to take on the Bulldogs. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.
Stats
Team Stats
Rushing
PC: 46/203 yards
NS: 45/560 yards
Passing
PC: 4-11-1/65 yards
NS: 1-1-0/3 yards
Total Yards
PC: 268 yards
NS: 563 yards
First Downs
PC: 16
NS: 24
Penalties
PC: 5/60 yards
NS: 8/81 yards
Punting
PC: 3/41.0 avg
NS: n/a
Fumbles/Lost
PC: 3/0
NS: 2/1
Individual Stats
Rushing
PC: Thompson 19/71 yards, Nottingham 8/41 yards, Carrasco 13/73 yards, Wilson 6/18
NS: #2 14/291, #14 7/100, #10 6/19, #3 7/47, #5 2/24, #4 1/22, #50 3/11, #52 2/4, #16 1/0, #23 4/42
Passing
PC: Nottingham 4-11-1/65 yards
NS: #2 1-1-0/3 yards
Rec
PC: Wilson 2/26, White 1/22, Squires 1/17
NS: #5 1/3