Pulaski County High School is located at 5414 Cougar Trail Road in Dublin

Dublin, Virginia

Dublin is a town in Pulaski County, Virginia, United States. The population was 2,534 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Blacksburg–Christiansburg–Radford Metropolitan Statistical Area...

, Virginia

Virginia

The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...

 about 45 miles southwest of Roanoke

Roanoke, Virginia

Roanoke is an independent city in the Mid-Atlantic U.S. state of Virginia and is the tenth-largest city in the Commonwealth. It is located in the Roanoke Valley of the Roanoke Region of Virginia. The population within the city limits was 97,032 as of 2010...

, Virginia

Virginia

The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...

. It is the sole public high school in Pulaski County, Virginia

Pulaski County, Virginia

As of the census of 2000, there were 35,127 people, 14,643 households, and 10,147 families residing in the county. The population density was 110 people per square mile . There were 16,325 housing units at an average density of 51 per square mile...

.

History

The school was opened in 1974 with the consolidations of Dublin High School in Dublin and Pulaski High School in Pulaski. The two former high schools now serve as middle school

Middle school

Middle School and Junior High School are levels of schooling between elementary and high schools. Most school systems use one term or the other, not both. The terms are not interchangeable...

s, Pulaski Middle School and Dublin Middle School.

Academics

Pulaski County High School is a comprehensive high school which includes grades 9th through 12th with a current enrollment of 1,600. There is a total of 116 teachers in whole school. Pulaski County High School features an onsite Career and Technical Center, offering students the opportunity to explore careers in the fields of agriculture, auto repair, cosmotology, culinary arts, early childhood education, business, construction, electricity, marketing, nursing, and more. Until the 2006-2007 school year the Southwest Virginia Governor's School was located on the campus. It is now located at the former Northwood Elementary School, in the town of Pulaski.

Athletics and Extracurriculars

Football

Pulaski County High School is a member of the Virginia High School League

Virginia High School League

The Virginia High School League is the arbiter of interscholastic competition among public high schools in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Unlike similar organizations in many other states, private or religious schools are prohibited from joining. Non-public schools belong to other organizations,...

 and competes in the AA River Ridge District

AA River Ridge District

The AA River Ridge District is a district in Region IV of the Virginia High School League which was formed for the 2003-2004 school year out of the AA Blue Ridge District in Region III. In the 2002-2003 school year, the student body of Group AAA Cave Spring High School in Roanoke County was split...

, a district in Region IV

AA Region IV

AA Region IV is one of the four AA regions in the Virginia High School League. It is made up of three districts: the AA Piedmont District, the AA River Ridge District, and the AA Southwest District....

 of Group AA. From 1974 to 1975, Pulaski County High School competed in the AAA Western District, before entering the newly formed AAA Roanoke Valley District. As a member of the Roanoke Valley District and the Northwest Region, Pulaski County defeated Thomas Dale High School

Thomas Dale High School

Thomas Dale High School is a public school located in Chester, an unincorporated community in Chesterfield County, Virginia, United States.It was named for Sir Thomas Dale, a 17th century leader in the Virginia Colony...

 to capture the Group AAA, Division 6 football state championship in 1992 under the direction of former West Virginia University

West Virginia University

West Virginia University is a public research university in Morgantown, West Virginia, USA. Other campuses include: West Virginia University at Parkersburg in Parkersburg; West Virginia University Institute of Technology in Montgomery; Potomac State College of West Virginia University in Keyser;...

 assistant Joel Hicks.

In 1993, Pulaski County was ranked as one of the top 25 high school football teams in the country by USA Today

USA Today

USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...

 for most of the season. The Cougars won their first 13 games, but star player Eric Webb was injured in the state semi-final and was unable to play in the state championship which the Cougars lost to Annandale High School

Annandale High School

Annandale High School is an International Baccalaureate high school in Annandale, Virginia, United States. It is part of the Fairfax County Public Schools system....

. In 2001, Pulaski County dropped down to the Group AA Blue Ridge District

AA Blue Ridge District

The AA Blue Ridge District is a district in the Region III of the Virginia High School League. The district is named for the Blue Ridge Mountains, which are nearby all of the schools. From the late 1980s through the early 2000s, the district steadily grew as four schools dropped in classification...

. That year, the Cougar football team, which had returned most players from a 2000 Group AAA, Division 5 state semi-finalist, advanced to the Group AA, Division 4 state championship before falling to Lafayette High School

Lafayette High School (Williamsburg, Virginia)

Lafayette High School is a public secondary school in James City County, Virginia, just outside the city limits of Williamsburg, Virginia. It is part of Williamsburg-James City County Public Schools and is located at 4460 Longhill Road.-History:...

.

In 2008, Pulaski County High School had a perfect 10-0 regular season, winning the River Ridge District in the process. The Cougars shut out both Blacksburg and Salem to win the Region IV, Division 4 title. Pulaski County was subsequently defeated in the AA, Division 4 state semifinals by Amherst County, by a 13-7 score.

Pulaski County has also produced such well-known athletes and coaches such as: former Washington Redskins

Washington Redskins

The Washington Redskins are a professional American football team and members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team plays at FedExField in Landover, Maryland, while its headquarters and training facility are at Redskin Park in Ashburn,...

 receiver Gary Clark

Gary Clark

Gary C. Clark is a former professional American football wide receiver in the National Football League who played for the Washington Redskins , Phoenix Cardinals and Miami Dolphins .-Early life:...

, New England Patriots

New England Patriots

The New England Patriots, commonly called the "Pats", are a professional football team based in the Greater Boston area, playing their home games in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts at Gillette Stadium. The team is part of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National...

 kicker Shayne Graham

Shayne Graham

Michael Shayne Graham is an American football placekicker. He was signed by the New Orleans Saints as an undrafted free agent in 2000, and most recently played with the New England Patriots...

, Carolina Panthers

Carolina Panthers

The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. They are currently members of the South Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Panthers, along with the Jacksonville Jaguars, joined the NFL as expansion...

 and Virginia Tech standout Jeff King

Jeff King (American football)

Jeffery "Jeff" W. King is an American football tight end in the National Football League with the Arizona Cardinals. He played college football and basketball for Virginia Tech.-Football:...

, current Dallas Cowboys

Dallas Cowboys

The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas...

 defensive line coach Todd Grantham

Todd Grantham

Todd Grantham is the defensive coordinator for the Georgia Bulldogs. He was hired on Jan. 15, 2010.-Virginia Tech :...

, and current Georgia

University of Georgia

The University of Georgia is a public research university located in Athens, Georgia, United States. Founded in 1785, it is the oldest and largest of the state's institutions of higher learning and is one of multiple schools to claim the title of the oldest public university in the United States...

 defensive coordinator Tony Grantham.

• Coaching Records
• 1974-1978- Dave Brown 14-33-3 (.310)
• 1979-2002- Joel Hicks 210-69 (.753); 15 District Titles (once won 7 in a row 1991-1997), 6 Regional Titles; 1 State Title
• 2003-2009- Jack Turner 42-33 (.560); 1 District Title, 1 Regional Title
• 2010-present- Todd Jones 5-10 (.333)

Basketball

Pulaski County High School has had several successful Boys' Basketball teams. During the late 1970s into the early 1980s, Pulaski County High School's Boys Basketball Team under the direction of Coach Allen Wiley, won several Roanoke Valley District Titles and the Northwest Region Titles. In the early 1980s, Pulaski County's Basketball Team was led by Michael Porter, who had won several state awards, and had played in the United States High School All-Star team.

In 2004, the Cougar Basketball team under the direction of Coach Mark Hanks journeyed to the Group AA playoffs for the first time since the early 1990s. In 2005, the Cougars captured the 2005 River Ridge District title and advanced to the 2005 playoffs. In 2006, the Cougars made another Group AA playoff run. Hanks took two years off while serving solely as the athletic director, he is returning to the court in 2011 to coach the men's team.

The PCHS Lady Cougars experienced several accomplishments during the 2007-2008 season. Particularly on January 1, 2008 at 7:30 p.m. the Lady Cougars defeated the River Ridge District number one ranked team the Hidden Valley Titans. Led by coach Brenda King, the Lady Cougars snapped the Hidden Valley Titan's 38 game winning streak.

The school also does a Senior vs Faculty basketball game every year, in which the proceeds go to the chairty of the winning teams choice.

Drama

The school has won 2 state drama championships under the direction of Jeff McCoy and another state title under the previous director, Rhonda Welsh, for a total of three state championships. The most recent state championship piece was an original musical, "The Other Side Of The Story," which is about the villains in famous fairy tales and how they weren't as evil as they seemed. The script was written by Mr. McCoy with assistance from students, with the music and arrangements written collaboratively by Josh O
Dell and Mr. McCoy. Several students have won individual Top 8 Actor awards on the state level; recently Aaron Sifford, Jessi Durham, Devin Altizer, and Brian Snider. The Drama department has also performed in the American High School Theater Festival at Edinburgh, Scotland.

Marching Band

The school also has a band program, which has achieved Virgina Honor Band status 11 times. The band is currently under the direction of Patrick W. Butler.

MACC

The school's Math MACC (under Ming Chan) Super MACC and Little League MACC (Mountain Academic Competition Conference) Team won 1st place at Super MACC, the MACC Championship in 2005. The school also sports award-winning Social Studies, Science, English, and All-Around Teams.

The All-Around team won a Super MACC championship in 2007, and the Science team went on to Super MACC after finishing second in the tournament. Social Studies finished second in the regular season, but did not go on to Super MACC.

Chess

Pulaski County High School also has a strong tradition in chess which culminated in the mid to late 1980s. In 1985, Pulaski County finished in second place in the national championships only 0.5 points behind the first place team.http://www.nystar.com/chesscenter/hsstory.htm In 1987, Pulaski County hosted the national championship. The Cougars also captured the Virginia Scholastic State Chess Championship in 1998.

Cross Country

During the 2006-2007 school year, Pulaski County High School produced a girl's cross country team that successfully came in first place in the following meets: Run fer da Hills, Blue Demon Invitational, Tusculum Invitational. They also came in second during the Bristol Cross Invitational and River Ridge District Meet. The second place finish at the River Ridge District Meet allowed them to continue as a team to the Region III meet. The girl's team advanced to the state meet for the first time in PCHS history.

In 1978, the boy's cross country team under Coach David Wright won the Roanoke Valley District title with a 10-0 record. The District final was held at Pulaski's home course. This was the first district title won by a PCHS sports team.

Track & Field

During the 2005 Outdoor Track season, Leslie Anderson led the girl track team to a River Ridge District title, Region III title, and third place team finish at the AA State Championships. Ms. Anderson won the 400 meters and Long Jump and finished in the runner-up spot in the 100 and 200 meter dashes. Anderson was All-State 10 times in her high school career and won two individual state titles.(400m and Long Jump in 2005).
During the 2009-10 Indoor and Outdoor track season Amber Church, led the Cougar's to never before seen level's of success. The Cougar's captured a 4th place at the Indoor State AA Championships, 2nd in the River Ridge District, won the Region IV Championship and 3rd place at the AA State Championships. She scored 40 points at the Indoor State meet and followed that up with 39 points at the Outdoor State meet. Ms. Church ended her career as the most successful female athlete in Pulaski County High School history, with 19 All-State honors, 6 State Championships (100H(2),55H,300H,High Jump,Long Jump)and 5 State Runner-ups, to go along with 37 All-District honors and 34 All-Region honors and 2 Time Roanoke Time All-Timesland Track Athlete of the Year.

Other All-State Girls include: Brenna Blevins, 7 times All-state in the 300m dash, High Jump, and Long jump from 2000-03. Alfreda Harder, All-state in 2003 in the Shot Put. Liz Hager was the 2002 state champion in the discus and All-State in 2001. Nikki Roseberry, All-State in High Jump in 2005. Sabrina Hall, 6 times All-State in the 1600m and 3200m from 2006-08.
All-State Boys include: Michael Casseri who was the 2002 State runner up in Discuss. Keivon Payne in 2003 in the 300H. Brandon Anderson was 4 times from 2003-04 in the 400m and Long Jump, was state runner-up in long jump in 2004. Thomas Doolittle in 2004 in the 500m. Lance McDaniel in 2004 and 2005 3 times in the 1600m and 3200m. Andrew Hart in 2005 in High Jump. and Josh Crowder in 2006 twice in the 800m and 1000m