The Shadow
WHO: Patrick County Cougars (4-4) at Alleghany Cougars (6-1)
WHERE: Casey Field
WHEN: Friday, October 20, 2023, at 7 p.m.
LAST WEEK: The Alleghany Cougars took down the Glenvar Highlanders 27-10 while the Patrick County Cougars fell to Radford 27-55
LAST SEASON: Patrick County Cougars (2-8), Alleghany Cougars (N/A, Inaugural Year)
Last week, the Alleghany Cougars fought an epic battle against the Glenvar Highlanders, taking them down early and taking them down fast. After an uneventful first quarter, the Cougars came back from the locker room after halftime and, in the opening kickoff, saw Purcel Turner return the ball for a 95-yard touchdown. To date, it was the second time this season Turner ran the ball in for a touchdown on a kickoff. The first time was history-making, as it was the opening kickoff of the first game of the season for the newly formed Alleghany Cougars school and Varsity football team.
Following Turner’s kickoff return touchdown, the Cougars had a new fight in them that fans didn’t quite take notice of in the first half of the game. The Cougars opened the second half of the game with a score of 7-3 and ended it at 27-10, scoring three more touchdowns while only allowing one.
Undoubtedly, the boys in blue have been preparing for this week’s showdown against the Patrick County Cougars and making plans to take their record from 6-1 to 7-1. Given the O-line’s ability to both carry the ball and complete tricky passes, thanks to the handiwork of quarterback Des Jordan and lead carriers: Xzavier “X” Hayslett and Purcel Turner, it’s safe to say they have a good chance against Patrick County. Not to mention, the D-line’s power in the hands of the Chapmans and Caleb Walden, the Cougars give all their opponents a (literal) run for their money in terms of gaining even a little bit of ground against them.
PLAYERS TO WATCH:
Des Jordan
Xzavier Hayslett
Purcel Turner
Gavin Via
Rocklynn Phillips
Caleb Walden
Evin & Nathen Chapman
Hunter and Haiden Knighton
Jay Godfrey
ABOUT THE OPPONENT:
So far this year, the Patrick County Cougars have had kind of a meh season in terms of wins/losses. At 4-4, they haven’t done the best job against their opposition, but they haven’t done the worst either. Still, with last year’s record being a disappointing 2-8, it’s evident the team has shown improvement. Will it be enough to stand against our home team?
Since the school was established in 1970 and their athletic departments created, the Patrick County Cougars never played against the Alleghany Mountaineers or the Covington Cougars, which should already make for interesting football as neither team knows the other. Additionally, while the consolidation of the schools has been new to the community, Patrick County High School experienced newness of their own in the form of joining the Three Rivers District. Last year and for several years, they were in the Piedmont District. Their transition gave them four new teams to play against this year with the Alleghany Cougars being among those four.
This year, the Patrick County Cougars have 15 seniors, with Head Coach David Morrison crediting them for leading the pack. “Senior leadership has been very good, especially with our guys returning up front,” Morrison said. “… The O-line has been strong, D-line has been great, and guys are just learning what we’re trying to teach them.”
Morrison’s optimism will undoubtedly be a tremendous asset for the Patrick County Cougars, but I tend to go where the numbers take me. Alleghany has the better record at 6-1 vs. Patrick County’s 4-4 and has fared better at the scoring/allowing points ratio. So far, Patrick County has scored, on average, just over 19 points per game. Meanwhile, Alleghany’s average is twice as much, with just over 38 points per game. Patrick County has also allowed an average of 28 points a game while Alleghany’s average is just over 11. The numbers don’t lie! I’m going to make an early prediction on our own Alleghany Cougars for the win on Friday night.
PLAYERS TO WATCH (PATRICK COUNTY):
Avone Kidd
Cameron Collins
Tyrese Penn
Jermaine Penn
Patrick Taylor
Jay Howard
Stephen Spencer
