By TROY SARVER
Patriot Publishing
Pulaski County football saved their best for last.
The Cougars built a 35-0 lead just nine and half minutes into the contest as they were dominant in a 68-6 victory over Hidden Valley on Friday night in the 2025 regular season finale.
With the win Pulaski Co. (3-7, 2-4) snapped a four-game losing streak while also picking up their first win on the season at Kenneth J. Dobson Stadium. Additionally, it was Senior Night with a dozen Pulaski County players ending their high school careers as winners.
“It was a good way for the seniors to go out,” Pulaski County head coach Cam Akers said. “When I first got here as a government teacher working for Coach (Mark) Dixon he sent me down to work with the middle school team and a lot of these kids were 8th graders then. I’ve been with them for a long time and I’m going to miss them.”
Pulaski County wasted little time setting the tone for the night. On Hidden Valley’s first play from scrimmage the Titans tried a trick play as wide receiver Nolan Woodard took a handoff and attempted a pass. The throw, however, was intercepted by the Cougars’ Sammy Carrasco at the Hidden Valley 35.
Three plays after the interception, Pulaski County got on the scoreboard when Maddox Thompson scored on a 3-yard touchdown run to make it 7-0 at the 10:59 mark of the first quarter. It was the first of three touchdown runs on the game for Thompson.
This began a first quarter trend where Hidden Valley (0-10, 0-6) had six offensive possessions with each ending with either a short punt or interception allowing Pulaski County to start a drive on the Titans’ side of the field. The Cougars scored touchdowns on five of those six occasions.
Senior quarterback Bryant Nottingham would double the Cougars’ lead with 8:47 left in the opening quarter when he kept the ball on an option play running it in from 20 yards out to make it 14-0.
“We just wanted to have fun with it being our last week and embrace it,” Nottingham said of the Senior Night festivities. “It was great playing here. Every Friday night you felt like the whole community was behind you and it was great playing for Coach Akers. I’ve known him since 8th grade, and you know he loves his players.”
Carrasco got a touchdown on the Cougars’ next possession on a 1-yard TD run. The score was set up on the previous play when Nottingham connected with Carrasco on a 26-yard pass to the Hidden Valley 1.
With 3:31 left in the first quarter Carter Wilson got in on the scoring when he reached the end zone on a 41-yard touchdown pass from Nottingham to make it 28-0.
Less than a minute after Wilson’s touchdown, Pulaski County was right back in the end zone as Thompson scored his second touchdown of the game on a 27-yard run to make it 35-0 at the 2:30 mark of the period.
Thompson then started the second quarter with another touchdown on a 26-yard run to make it 41-0 with 10:25 on the scoreboard.
While the Pulaski offense was humming, the Cougars’ defense was equally impressive holding the Titans to just one first down in the first half while intercepting four Hidden Valley passes. Nottingham, Carrasco, Thompson and Parker Price each picked off a pass with Price returning his interception 30 yards for a score to make it 48-0 with 9:02 left in the second quarter.
Wilson finished the first half scoring with a 23-yard TD run with just over two minutes left before the half to make it 55-0 going into the break.
The Pulaski County momentum continued after halftime as Carrasco scored on the second play of the third quarter on a 40-yard run to make it 62-0.
Carrasco finished the night with a third touchdown in the fourth as he was the Cougars’ leading rusher on the evening with 119 yards on nine carries.
The Cougars finished 3-7 and out of the postseason for a second straight season and Akers said he planned to get to work immediately on finding ways to get the program back to its past winning ways.
“I take full responsibility for our season and record. We’ve got to do better,” Akers said. “I’m going to begin breaking down film in a couple of weeks and spend the offseason evaluating the program to see where we can get better. We owe it to this community.”
Hidden Valley 0 0 6 0 6
Pulaski County 35 20 7 6 68
PC – Thompson 3 run (Nottingham kick)
PC – Nottingham 20 run (Nottingham kick)
PC – Carrasco 1 run (Nottingham kick)
PC – Wilson 41 pass from Nottingham (Nottingham kick)
PC – Thompson 27 run (Nottingham kick)
PC – Thompson 26 run (kick failed)
PC – Price 30 interception return (Nottingham kick)
PC – Wilson 23 run (Carrasco kick)
PC – Carrasco 40 run (Nottingham kick)
HV – Emory 60 pass from Bishop (kick blocked)
PC – Carrasco 16 run (pass failed)
HV PC
First Downs 5 9
Yards Rushing 44 320
Passes C-A-I 5-26-4 2-4-0
Yards Passing 131 67
Penalties – Yards 0-0 3-35
Fumbles – lost 1-0 0-0
Punts – average 4-18.5 0-0
RUSHING – Hidden Valley, Heard 8-32, Abdelfatah 3-4, Woodard 1-1, Walton 1-8, Bishop 1(-1), Pulaski County, Thompson 9-97, Carrasco 9-119, Nottingham 2-28, Wilson 4-29, Hill 5-47
PASSING – Hidden Valley, Bishop 5-24-3-131, Woodard 0-1-1-0, Lichtenstein 0-1-0-0, Pulaski County, Nottingham 2-4-0-67
RECEIVING – Hidden Valley, Emory 2-64, Wright 1-29, Johnson 2-38, Pulaski County, Carrasco 1-26, Wilson 1-41
