varsity.roanoke.com

Two key football players for Cave Spring on Friday night were named Aiken and Lumpp.

Pulaski County nearly felt the Knights' pain.

However, Pulaski used two second-half touchdowns by sophomore Kevin Crouse as a tonic and the Cougars walked out of Dwight Bogle Stadium with a 21-20 River Ridge District victory over the Knights.

In a topsy-turvy season in the River Ridge, the title will be decided next week where most forecasters believed it would be contested: in Dublin.

Pulaski (8-1,3-1) will meet Salem (8-1, 3-1) in a game where the loser likely will not advance to the Region III Division 4 playoffs.

"Winner take all," Pulaski County coach Jack Turner said. "Winner take all and loser stays home."

Cave Spring (6-3, 1-3) nearly made the short bus ride back to its campus with a huge scalp. The Knights outgained Pulaski 394-253 and drove for a potential game-winning field goal but Chaffin Scott's 32-yard kick sailed wide right as time expired.

It was Cave Spring's third straight excruciating defeat at home, coming on the heels of a 30-27 loss in four overtimes to Christiansburg and last week's 28-21 setback against Salem.

"We came up short again," said senior Brian Thompson, whose two first-half touchdowns gave the Knights a 14-0 lead. "It's sad that it happened like that. It's a big pressure shot for him. I think the good Lord is going to make up for it later on in the playoffs and he'll come through for us."

Both teams made huge plays throughout the game, but none was bigger than the one Pulaski's defense made to end the first half.

Leading 14-7, Cave Spring backup quarterback Danny Aiken hit David Redick for a 34-yard gain to the Cougars' 1-yard line with eight seconds left in the half. The Knights had time for one play, but Pulaski stuffed fullback Alex Lemmer and Cave Spring came up empty.

"That was the game-winner," Turner said. "That won the game for us."

Pulaski's offense did its job too.

Cave Spring nearly shut out the Cougars for two quarters, but Pulaski went 68 yards in three plays for a 37-yard TD pass from Ryan Dean to Crouse.

The Cougars had the ball just twice in the second half and scored on both possessions as Crouse had TD runs of 13 and 17 yards.

Cave Spring had the ball the rest of the time. Aiken, who threw a 52-yard TD pass to Thompson in the first half, caught a 17-yard TD pass on fourth down from Beau Austin to put the Knights up 20-14 with 18 seconds left in the third quarter.

Chauncey Lumpp then recovered an onside kick for Cave Spring and Turner was plenty worried.

"We couldn't get the ball on offense, my goodness," Turner said. "When our offense can't get the football, we're in trouble."

However, Pulaski stopped Cave Spring on fourth down for the only time all night to set the stage for Crouse's third TD and Luis Piscura's go-ahead PAT. The Knights then drove from their 19 - converting two fourth downs along the way - and nearly got a TD when Thompson broke free down the sideline before he was barely collared by Pulaski linebacker Ernie Hodge.

"I just tried to reach out there hard as I could to get him," Hodge said. "Their offense is real confusing. I was out there all messed up."

Cave Spring still has a chance to mess up plenty of opponents' plans this year. The Knights are safely in the Region III Division 3 playoffs and have the look of a team that might go a long way.

"We're still hoping to host a playoff game here," Thompson said. "That would be the first time in Cave Spring history, and more importantly win a playoff game for the first time in Cave Spring history."

Pulaski County 0 7 7 7-21

Cave Spring 0 14 6 0-20

CS-B. Thompson 11 run (Scott kick)

CS-B. Thompson 52 pass from Aiken (Scott kick)

P-Crouse 37 pass from Dean (Piscura kick)

P-Crouse 13 run (Piscura kick)

CS-Aiken 17 pass from Austin (kick blocked)

PC-Crouse 17 run (Piscura kick)

CS PC

First downs 14 20

Yards rushing 193 213

Passes C-A-I 2-3-0 7-15-0

Yards passing 60 181

Penalties-yards 4-29 1-15

Fumbles-lost 0-0 1-0

Punts-average 3-37 1-54

Individual statistics

RUSHING-Pulaski, Crouse 22-133, Dean 6-33, C. Thompson 6-29, Hodge 1- minus-2. Cave Spring, B. Thompson 19-109, Austin 10-53, Lemmer 12-35, Osborne 6-11, Aiken 3-5.

PASSING-Pulaski, Dean 2-3-0-60. Cave Spring, Aiken 4-5-0-129, Austin 3-10-0-52.

RECIEVING-Pulaski, Crouse 1-37, Cobbs 1-23. Cave Spring, Redick 3-83, B. Thompson 1-52, Aiken 1-17, Lemmer 1-17, Austin 1-12.