Saturday, August 28, 2010
Cougars can't corral Carter
Radford QB Dontae Carter accounts for four touchdowns in Friday's win.
JUSTIN COOK The Roanoke Times
Pulaski's Tyler Cole (4) dives over Radford's Kevin Adkins (19) on Friday. Adkins rushed for 34 yards in the Bobcats' win.
JUSTIN COOK The Roanoke Times
Radford's Grant Mitchell beats Pulaski's Cody Long (20) to the end zone for an early touchdown Friday night in the Bobcats' 32-29 win in Dublin.
varsity.roanoke.com
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DUBLIN -- A standing room only audience watched Radford High beat Pulaski County 32-29 to open the season Friday at Dobson Stadium. Although there was the usual opening night missteps, both sides found a lot to like.
Radford blew most of a 19-point halftime lead but held fast when it had to after the Cougars took possession for the last time with under three minutes left. The Bobcats forced a punt then never gave the football back in running out the clock.
As he did all last year in leading the Bobcats to a runner-up finish in the Group A Division 2 playoffs, quarterback Dontae Carter made winning plays time after time. The unflappable field general threw for three touchdowns as Radford evened the recently rekindled rivalry at a win each.
"Man, that was a physical football game," said Carter, who was limping slightly on a sore knee and nursing a forearm that had been battered. "We came out with more confidence in our football team than we did against Pulaski County last year. We trusted in our line and trusted in what our offense was doing for us."
With a core of veteran skill players, the Bobcats moved the football all night. Carter completed eight-of-14 for 110 yards. Carter's 42-yard punt return set up his own 2-yard TD run late in the third quarter. That score was the capper for the Cougars and it made a huge difference as Pulaski County kept fighting back.
Slotback Grant Mitchell scored from 29 yards out on a sweep on Radford's third play of the game and finished with six carries for 66 yards.
"I think Grant's going to touch the ball for us a lot this year," Radford coach Matthew Saunders said. "I knew that last year ... I wasn't a smart enough coach to figure that out until the eighth game of the season. But he's a playmaker. When he gets it, he's something else. He can fly."
It was the first game for the Cougars under new coach Todd Jones. He and his staff had a challenging preseason teaching a new spread offense on a reduced practice schedule. Pulaski County was hit hard VHSL sanctions early this summer for out of season practices, and reduced scrimmage and practice time was part of the penalty
The Cougars didn't throw it much, but they were able to run out of the spread, especially running back Randall Cobbs, who led all rushers with 106 yards, including scoring runs of 23 and 20 yards. Pulaski County ended with 239 yards rushing.
"I thought we got tired at times, but we hung in there," Saunders said. "You can't take anything from our guys. We got inconsistent in the second half."
Five different offensive players scored for Radford, six counting kicker Tino Benitez.
Pulaski County was a worthy opponent, no doubt.
"I thought they played their butts off," Saunders said. "It was a battle."
Junior Cody Long had a big game on a lot of fronts for Pulaski County. He intercepted a pass, made some big stops on defense, scored a TD, and added a couple of conversion runs.
"I can't believe we played that hard and lost," he said to Jones.
"It'll come," was the reply.
Radford 7 19 6 0--32
Pulaski County 7 16 6 0--29
R -- Mitchell 29 run (Benitez kick)
PC -- Cobbs 23 run (Akers kick)
R--Adkins 8 pass from Carter (kick failed)
R -- Dark 8 pass from Carter (kick failed)
R -- Palmer 5 pass from Carter (Beinitez kick)
PC--Long 6 run (Long run)
PC-- Payne 40 run (Long run)
R -- Carter 2 run (kick failed)
PC --Cobbs 20 run (run failed)
RA PC
First downs 13 9
Yards rushing 164 239
Passes C-A-I 8-14-1 2-4-0
Yards passing 110 12
Penalties-yards 3-25 8-45
Fumbles-lost 5-2 3-2
Punts-average 2-35.5 4-33.2
Individual statistics
RUSHING -- Radford, Mitchell 6-66, Adkins 12-34, Carter 15-15, Dark 2-25, Palmer 3-18; Pulaski County, Cobbs 16-106, Long 8-49, Payne 2-38, Rigney 4-11, .
PASSING -- Radford, Carter 8-14-1 -- 110; Pulaski County, Cook 2-4-0 -- 12.
RECEIVING -- Radford, Smith 2-33, Adkins 2-13, Minter 1-10, Dark 1-8, Palmer 2-33.
