Saturday, October 16, 2004
Hidden Valley serves notice to River Ridge
The Titans score the first 31 points to knock off the previously unbeaten Cougars.
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Bet you didn't expect it to be Hidden Valley. Pulaski County probably didn't either, but the Cougars got the news after it was too late. By then, the mighty Titans had scored the game's first 31 points on the way to a 31-6 blowout of the previously undefeated Cougars, on their field, in front of an almost exclusively Pulaski County gallery on hand to celebrate homecoming.
Some party. Turned out it was the Titans who had all the noisemakers.
If not for a late score by dreadlocked fullback Rashad Simmons, Pulaski County would have suffered an extremely rare shutout at home. As it was, the Cougars didn't cross midfield under their own power until there was 1:40 left in the game.
Pulaski County, bigger and stronger across both sides of the line of scrimmage, had 94 yards worth of offense, no completed passes, and five turnovers, including four fumbles.
"Total domination," said Hidden Valley quarterback and linebacker Tyler Coyer, trying not to sound surprised.
Jud Carte, another of the Titans' stellar performers, said he wasn't startled at the turn of events in the least.
"Nobody gives us any credit," he said. "We had all the confidence in the world."
The players might have put up a brave front, but first-year head coach J.R. Edwards wasn't taking anything for granted.
"We knew that we were going to have to throw a lot tonight," he said. "Physically, we were outmanned."
Most of the time, it certainly didn't look that way, the size disparities notwithstanding. The Titans were able to neutralize any size differences, just enough to shove the defense back on its heels by spreading the field and going to the pass, mostly out of the shotgun formation.
Coyer was a wizard triggerman who thought as fast as he ran. Additionally, he scorched the Cougars by running through a number of arm tackles on the way to a 47-yard touchdown that all but sealed it in the third quarter.
Kyle Curbow, who nailed all his extra points, added a 39-yard field goal with 5:25 left in the third.
Coyer threw for two scores, including a 3-yarder to Alex Ray, as Hidden Valley built the 31-0 lead. Matt Greenway added a 20-yard scoring burst in the fourth quarter.
"Out coaches told us what to do defensively and we did it," Coyer said.
Hidden Valley 0 14 10 7 - 31
Pulaski County 0 0 0 6 - 6
HV-Carte 24 pass from Coyer (Curbow kick)
HV-Ray 3 pass from Coyer (Curbow kick)
HV-Coyer 47 run (Curbow kick)
HV-Curbow 39 field goal
HV-Mike Greenway 20 run (Curbow kick)
PC-Simmons 9 run (kick failed)
HV PC
First downs 12 4
Yards rushing 81 94
Passes C-A-I 14-23-0 0-3-1
Yards passing 138 0
Penalties-yards 4-40 4-40
Fumbles-lost 1-1 5-4
Punts-average 4-33.1 5-33.2
Individual statistics
RUSHING-Hidden Valley, Coyer 11-38, M. Greenway 1-20, Ray 2-3, Allen 3-3, King 7-9, Workman 1-8; Pulaski County, Crouse 14-47, Thompson 9-21, Simmons 5-26.
PASSING-Hidden Valley, Coyer 14-23-0-138; Pulaski County, Dean 0-3-1-0.
RECEIVING-Hidden Valley, King 1-3, MacCormack 1-6, Bush 4-49, Carte 4-33, Haynesworth 2-13, Ray 2-5, Greenway 1-11.
