Bruins Fall to Cougars: 5-3 Overall, 1-2 RRD

Blacksburg High School kicked off a cold and rainy Friday night by having a special ribbon cutting ceremony to dedicate the new Bill Brown Stadium.  Unfortunately for the Bruin faithful, that would be the end of their celebrating, as Pulaski extended its unbeaten record with a 41-20 win over Blacksburg.

Coach Dave Crist stressed this week in practice how important it would be to contain the Cougar's explosive backfield.  That task was clearly easier said than done, as Pulaski racked up 354 rushing yards for the game.

The Bruins had some success containing star running back Nubain Peak, holding him to under 100 yards for the majority of the game until a late, fourth quarter 66-yard touchdown put him over the top with 157. 

What the Bruins may not have anticipated was the impact of the Cougars' other running back, Seth Parris.  Parris put up 125 yards of his own on an overwhelming 28 carries, and added  three touchdowns.  More importantly, Parris' power style proved to be a great contrast to the explosive speed of Peak, which kept the Bruin defense on its heels all night.

"Yes it is disappointing and we've been disappointed two weeks in a row," said coach Dave Crist, " [but] our effort is there and our effort is good.  We just have to do a little better job of scoring when we have opportunities to score."

Crist was right about the Bruins' struggling offense, as they were only able to muster 277 total yards for the game.

Trey Gresh was inefficient in his first start back from injury, going only 8 of 21 passing.  His lone highlight came on a poorly thrown ball that hung in the air before Eric Houff was able to out jump the Cougar secondary for the catch, and ran it in from 69 yards out. 

One area of consistency for the Bruins offense was the play of David Bales.  With Jon Jennings injured, Bales got the majority of the workload as he carried the ball 20 times for 151 yards and two touchdowns.  Bales' 151 yards represented 54 percent of the Bruins total offense against Pulaski.

The Bruin kicking game continued to struggle when Casper Violette missed an extra point that would have knotted the score at 7-7 in the second quarter.  Instead, the Bruins had to settle for 7-6, and that was as close as they would get the entire game.  Violette, who started the season as the kicker before being injured, is the third player that the Bruins have used at the position over the last three games.

In the end, the Pulaski Cougars were just too powerful for the Bruins, and they showed why many see them as one of the top tier teams in the state.  Friday's loss is the second straight for the Bruins and their record drops to 5-3 overall and 1-2 in the RRD.

Crist was adamant that his team cannot dwell on this loss as they prepare for Hidden Valley next week.

"Well we don't do anything different.  I don't think that our kids need to treat it any differently than any game in the past," said Crist, "...One thing I do know, is Hidden Valley will nickel and dime you to death, and their our next opponent ."

Next weeks game against the Titans will be another home game for the Bruins, as they desperately need a win to keep postseason hopes alive.  The game is at 7:30 p.m. next Friday and will again be held at the new Bill Brown Stadium on Prices Fork Road.

For directions and a parking map to the NEW  Bill Brown Stadium, Click Here!

Scoring Summary: 

1^st Quarter

-PULASKI- Seth Parris 15-yard run  (Songer PAT) 11-80, 5:28.....7-0                       

 

2^nd Quarter 

-BLACKSBURG- David Bales 27-yard run (Violette missed PAT) 7-80, 2:33.....7-6

-PULASKI- Seth Parris 2-yard run (Songer PAT) 15-63, 6:35......14-6

-PULASKI- Seth Parris 2 yard run  (Songer PAT) 8-42, 3:21......21-6

 

3^rd Quarter

-BLACKSBURG- David Bales 58-yard run (2pt conversion failed) 1:58, :10.....21-12

-PULASKI- Nubian Peak 25-yard run (Songer missed PAT) 3-27, 1:01.....27-12

-BLACKSBURG- Eric Houff 69-yard catch (2pt. conv. good) 3-60, 0:56.....27-20

-PULASKI- Zane Quesenberry 75-yard catch (Songer PAT) 2-70,  0:38......34-20

 

4^th Quarter 

-PULASKI- Nubian Peak 66 yard run (Songer PAT) 2-64, 0:55.....41-20