Richlands vs. Pulaski County
Richlands (38) vs. Pulaski County (21)
Written: Sep 16, 2011
By MIKE DAVIS
for the Daily Telegraph
RICHLANDS, Va.— The Blue Tornado came into Friday night’s contest against Pulaski with a balanced attack, and after 31 points in the opening half, took the Cougars to task in a non-district fray Friday night at Ernie Hicks Stadium/Ematz Field.
Richlands withstood a second-half surge by Pulaski to take the win, 38-21.
“Give the Pulaski County coaches credit,” Richlands head coach Greg Mance said. “They went in and made adjustments and had us on our heels. But, I couldn’t be happier with the first half. It’s the best we’ve played.”
“I was pleased with our offense and with our defense except in the second half, we just couldn’t get them stopped.”
Richlands rolled up 423 yards on the night with the ground game spearheaded by Devon Johnson, who rushed for 199 yards on 23 carries with two touchdowns on the ground, along with one touchdown reception.
Johnson made his return to full time status when he punched the clock early and went to work on the first series of the game for the Blues. Three plays into the drive Johnson took the football from Reece Strong and followed the blocks before breaking into the Pulaski secondary.
Once Johnson had broken into the open field he took it to the house for a 66-yard touchdown. Reece Strong kicked his first of five extra points on the night to put the Blues ahead, 7-0.
The Tornado continued to play balanced football and scored two more touchdowns in the second quarter beginning with a 1-yard run by Strong. Todd McGlothlin hauled in a 29-yard touchdown pass from Strong to push the Blues ahead, 21-0 at the end of the first quarter.
Strong tossed his second touchdown of the night in the second quarter when he found Johnson swinging out of the backfield for a completion. Johnson broke into the secondary once again and scored on a 54-yard hookup.
The Blues defense kept the Cougars out of their rhythm for most of the second half and the effort paid the Tornado offense the residual of possession. Richlands scored their final points of the opening half when a drive stalled at the Pulaski 12-yard line and Strong kicked a 22-yard field goal giving the Blues a 31-0 lead.
With less than two minutes to go in the second quarter Marcus McClanahan took a double handoff from the Cougars 65-yard line and eluded Richlands tacklers for a long distance run to put the visitors on the scoreboard.
Following halftime adjustments, Pulaski came out in the third quarter and cut into the Blues lead when Cody Long ran in a 20-yard score. A missed extra point held the score at 31-13.
Richlands took the ball deep in their own end and seemed to relax coming to the line. A timeout brought Mance on the field for a mini-sermon and from there, the Blues caught fire and Johnson scored on a 65-yard run through traffic.
The Cougars added a 1-yard run by McClanahan and a two-point conversion run by Long before the end of the third to wrap the finals scoring.
“Coach Mance and his staff has a great program,” Pulaski head coach Todd Jones said. “They’re where we want to get our program. They have a talented team, but our kids didn’t quit and I love our kids and I’m very proud of them.”
Strong finished the night with 124 yards through the air, completing 7-of-11 passed for two touchdown and an interception with one rushing touchdown. Colton Staten rushed the ball 11 times for 63 yards.
Pulaski finished the night with 263 yards on the ground with 10 first downs. McClanahan rushed the ball 12 times for 156 yards to lead the Cougars for two touchdowns.
Richlands plays host to Patrick County next week for their homecoming game and the Cougars take on Magna Vista.
At Ernie Hicks Stadium/Ematz Field
Pulaski...................0 7 14 0 — 21
Richlands................21 10 7 0 — 38
First Quarter
R – Johnson 66 run (Strong kick)
R – Strong 1 run (Strong kick)
R – McGlothlin 29 pass from Strong (Strong kick)
Second Quarter
R – Johnson 54 pass from Strong (Strong kick)
R – Strong 22 FG
P – McClanahan 65 run (Akers kick)
Third Quarter
P – Long 20 run (kick failed)
R – Johnson 65 run (Strong kick)
P – McClanahan 1 run (Long run)
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