Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, September 2, 1993 TAG: 9308310324
SECTION: NEW RIVER VALLEY PREP FOOTBALL PAGE: PF-4 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: BOB TEITLEBAUM STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: DUBLIN LENGTH: Long
Pulaski County had just been waxed by E.C. Glass, and it appeared as if the season was going nowhere for the Cougars. So Hicks picked Dunnigan, then a junior, and Roger Hollins, a senior, to go both ways instead of playing on just one side of the ball.
"I tried to let as many people play as we could. I saw we couldn't get the job done. The Glass game showed me that. We needed more size," said Hicks.
It's history now, but Pulaski County responded to the moves. Except for a loss to Salem, the Cougars won the rest of their games. They finished 12-2 and won the Group AAA, Division 6, state championship.
That made Pulaski County the first Roanoke Valley District squad to win a state title since the 1973 Patrick Henry team.
Dunnigan returns with most of last fall's team. He's a year older, wiser and just as big. He's also a most-wanted prospect as his 6-foot-3, 275-pound frame puts him in line to play a lot of college football.
In fact, Hicks says Dunnigan might be the most sought-after Division I prospect Pulaski County has had. That doesn't mean he'll be the most successful from a school that has produced the likes of former Washington Redskins' wide receiver Gary Clark.
Dunnigan is unfazed by being Pulaski County's most wanted Division I player. "I'll just see how the season goes," he said.
"I'm really interested in Clemson, North Carolina, Wake Forest, North Carolina State and Georgia," said Dunnigan.
All have contacted him in some form as has Notre Dame, which he visited on his own this summer. "I enjoyed it, and they're on my list," said Dunnigan of college football's most famous school. "I don't know how serious they are [about me]. Clemson's the one I'm [most] interested in."
Is there pressure of being a defending state champion? "Not much," said Dunnigan. "But every time we play, the other team knows it's playing a state champion. So we have to go out and win without worrying about the next game."
Teams also will be playing the country's 19th-ranked high school team. Pulaski County was accorded that honor in USA Today by high school sports guru Dave Krider, who also put the Cougars in the nation's top 25 teams last fall after they beat Thomas Dale for the state title.
Dunnigan says the coming season should be another good one for Pulaski County. "Anything less than 14-0 is unacceptable," he added, admitting the low point of his life came after losses to Glass and Salem last year.
He vows revenge on those two opponents.
While Dunnigan wants a perfect season, Hicks isn't asking as much. That's typical of coaches.
Still, Hicks likes this team that lost only six key players from last year's squad. The Cougars are blessed with several stars including speedy Carl Lewis at running back and as a return specialist along with junior Eric Webb, a solid linebacker and wingback who stepped up big time to key the victory over Thomas Dale.
"It's the best team I've ever had coming in. Last year was the best one I ever had going out," said Hicks, who until last fall had never had a team advance beyond the state semifinals in the playoffs.
Even when Glass blasted Pulaski County 20-0, Hicks vowed his team would "be all right." He was correct, though he was hardly ready to predict a state title.
"At this time, we've just been coaching and practicing. We don't have to live up to expectations. Most of our fans who follow us know we won [a state title] because we got [senior running back] J.J. Housel back [from an injury], didn't have any [other] injuries and had a little luck."
"I certainly hope they [the fans] don't think this is an every-year thing. The way I judge the season is the team came in in good shape and well-conditioned. That tells me they worked hard in the off-season weight lifting. The players haven't let it [the state title] go to their heads."
The Cougars lost only Housel from the backfield, but he took the pressure off Lewis to be the main running back. So Hicks will have to find some help for Lewis running the ball, though he returns fullback Brian Redd, who was good in short yardage situations.
Timmy Kimbrough and Mike Thomas are expected to compete for the other running back spots. Webb, at wing back, is very explosive also as a runner.
In the line, the Cougars lost All-Group AAA Jereme Greer and both guards. Dunnigan, center Wayne Page and Wayne Puckett return to the interior with Jammon Payne, a super blocker, back at tight end. The only other offensive loss was split end Chad Lewis.
If there was a problem for Pulaski County, it was defense. The Cougars gave up a lot of points including more than 400 yards passing to Patrick Henry quarterback Shannon Taylor. That's not likely to happen this year with all the defensive backs returning headed by Andre Eaves, the team's quarterback on offense, and Carl Lewis and Tim Davis.
Payne will see double duty as he'll move in at linebacker, a position he didn't master a year ago due to a season's layoff as a sophomore. Payne, a top athlete, should be a more than adequate replacement for one of the departed linebackers - Roger Hollins and Robbie Hagar. The only other defensive loss was Cameron Lewis.
Dunnigan heads a defensive front that also includes veterans Redd and Larry Newcomb.
More important, Hicks returns his kicking game with Billy Ingles expected to be one of the top punters in Timesland while sophomore Shayne Graham, the hero of the victory over Robinson, is back to handle placekicking.
by CNB