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Warriors down Pulaski in inaugural Alumni Game
Southwestern 2010 grad Cody Mote scores game-winning TD with no time on clock

By MICHAEL CHILDERS, CJ Correspondent
Commonwealth Journal

Somerset — Have you ever wondered what it would be like to go back in time and play a game and relive your glory days?

Well, former gridiron high school heroes got to do just that on Friday evening at Pulaski County High School Field, as they were allowed a chance to turn back the clock and relive some of their fondest memories in the inaugural Southwestern-Pulaski County Alumni football game.

And just like the high school games between the Maroons and Warriors, it went right down the final play, as Southwestern’s Cody Mote scampered into the end zone from one-yard out as time expired, giving the ‘Blue and Orange’ a hard-fought, 22-20 victory over the homestanding Maroons.

But it was more than just a game, it was a chance for former players to get along side their once teammates and set aside their stressful lives for a couple of hours and just have some fun.

Former Southwestern standout kicker Ryan Pruett, who graduated in 2006, enjoyed reliving some old memories, but welcomed the opportunity to make new ones. The former Warrior kicker is at or near the top in each of the kicking records at Southwestern.

“It was great being able to play football again, I had a lot of fun,” stated Pruett. “It was good to relive some memories that we all left out on the field years ago and make new memories to go along with it.”

Pruett kicked a 33-yard field goal and made an extra point in the two-point victory over Pulaski.

Another former Warrior great, Patrick Gaskin, participated in the game. Gaskin, who went on to play college football at the University of the Cumberlands, enjoyed getting to strap on the pads with some of the recent Warrior players as a defensive lineman on Friday.

“This was an awesome experience,” explained Gaskin, a graduate of 1998. “The whole cross-generation aspect is really what made this alumni game so much fun. I had an opportunity to play with Warriors I had watched the past few seasons, and others from yesteryear. (The game was) such a great experience.”

For Pulaski, Kyle Stone felt like the Alumni game was just another ordinary game day that he experienced while a member of the Maroons football team under head coach Johnny Hines. Stone loved getting the chance to suit up along side former Pulaski greats that he once watched as a little kid.

“It was awesome strapping the pads on again and playing against our rival, Southwestern,” began Stone, who graduated from Pulaski in 2010. “It felt just like high school again watching videos before the game, the warm up, and all the fans it was crazy. To top it all off, bringing out the black jerseys made everything feel even more like high school. Playing on the same team as the guys that I looked up to growing up was like a dream come true. Just being out on the field one more time with my brothers meant everything to me.”

Stone caught a touchdown pass from Alex Abner midway through the fourth quarter to give the Maroons a 20-16 lead with 6:59 left in the game. It was a special moment for Stone, who dedicated the score to his grandparents.

“The touchdown meant a lot to me because I lost both my nanas and my papaw in my life,” Stone said. “As soon as I scored, I pointed to the sky because it was for them.”

Though it was a game, Stone acknowledged that both teams enjoyed another chance of getting to play against one another once more.

“Southwestern came out and played hard and came out with the victory, but at the end we all joked around,” continued the former Maroon wide receiver. “I’m glad I was apart of something like this and had a lot of fun with it. It was a fun game and I definitely want to be apart of this next year. Congrats to Southwestern for winning, and thank you to all the fans for coming out and supporting both teams.”

The Warriors opened the game with 10 consecutive points to grab an early 10-0 advantage over the Maroons. Southwestern began the scoring spree, as Mike Jones tossed a touchdown pass to Taylor Mote. Ryan Pruett would put the ‘Blue and Orange’ ahead by ten points with a 33-yard field goal.

With 7:01 left in the opening half of action, Jonathan Denham hooked up with Stephen McQueen for a touchdown pass. The two-point try missed, making the score, 10-6, in favor of the Warriors.

At the intermission, the score would be 10-6.

Both teams would each score in the final 1:05 of the third stanza. The Maroons took their first lead of the night with a touchdown run from Alex Abner and a two-point run from Denham.

However, Cody Mote and the Warriors would strike just over a minute later, as they retook the lead at 16-14 with just three seconds left in the third quarter.

Abner, who took over the quarterback position for Denham, threw a perfect strike to Kyle Stone for a touchdown pass, which gave the Maroons a four-point lead with just under seven minutes left to play.

The Alumni game was put in place to help raise money for both the Southwestern and Pulaski football programs. Plans are already being put together for another game between these teams next year. If Friday night’s game is an indication of things to come, this Alumni game series is going to be a good one.



SW 7 3 6 6 — 22

PC 0 6 8 6 — 20



SCORING SUMMARY:

FIRST QUARTER:

SW - Mike Jones to Taylor Mote TD Pass (Ryan Pruett Kick), 10:17



SECOND QUARTER:

SW - Pruett Field Goal, 9:15

PC - Jonathan Denham to Stephen McQueen TD Pass (2-pt. Failed), 7:01



THIRD QUARTER:

PC - Alex Abner TD Run (Denham Run), 1:05

SW - Cody Mote TD Run (PAT Missed), 0:03



FOURTH QUARTER:

PC - Abner to Kyle Stone TD Pass (2-pt. Failed), 6:59

SW - Mote TD Run, 0:00

http://somerset-kentucky.com/localsports...lumni-Game