CALHOUN, Ky. - Crittenden County made it eight straight wins over McLean County with painless 34-12 victory at Calhoun Friday night.
The Rockets jumped ahead 21-0 and never looked back as J.D. Gray rushed for 93 and threw for 89, including two touchdowns. He completed 9-of-11 passes – a third of them to tight end Dylan Clark. Running back Andrew Freeman caught two passes, including a 41-yard fourth-quarter touchdown.
Critenden opened the game in a no-huddle offense, working on wearing down the big front line of McLean. The plan was aborted soon as Crittenden was in obvious command of the game.
The Rockets forced McLean to punt on five of its first six possession and rattled loose a fumble on the other series. Brian Berry recovered the ball. It was after that fumble that Crittenden took a 14-0 lead on Gray's second rushing touchdown late in the first period.
After Clark caught his TD pass with less a minute to go in the first half, the Rockets got a bad kickoff and McLean ended up with excellent field position. Five plays later, the Cougars scored to make it 21-6 at the half.
The Cougars had managed just 37 yards of total offense before a 38-yard pass in the closing seconds of the half put them in scoring position.
Berry scored in the third quarter before Freemen caught his touchdown to give the Rockets a 34-6 edge. Against the second team defense, McLean posted a fourth-quarter touchdown.
Lineman Aaron Berry became the career leader for tackles for loss during the game. He had two early stops behind the line of scrimmage to eclipse the mark previously held by Zac Beverly.
With a comfortable lead, Rocket coach Al Starnes got what he wanted – an opportunity to get a good number of players on the field. Improving the team's depth is something the coaching staff says is important before the district slate begins. Backup cornerback Robert Cudnik had an interception late in the game.
Crittenden will host Webster County next week, another non-district opponent. Caldwell will be the following week before the Rockets open their Class A First District schedule at Ballard Memorial.
Pictured directly above: Dyllan Thornton providing defense on the option pitch.
At top: Dylan Clark catching his touchdown pass in the second period.
SCORE BY QUARTERS
Crittenden County 14 7 13 0
McLean County 0 6 0 6
SCORING PLAYS
CC-J.D. Gray 29 run (J.R. Adams kick) 6:21, 1st
CC-Gray 17 run (Adams kick) :55, 1st
CC-Dylan Clark 21 pass from Gray (Adams kick) :56, 2nd
MC-David Burden 8 run (kick blocked) :00, 2nd
CC-Brian Berry 2 run (kick failed) 8:53, 3rd
CC-Andrew Freeman 41 pass from Gray (Adams kick) 3:52, 3rd
MC-Burden 2 run (run failed) 10:50, 4th
TEAM STATISTICS
First Downs: Crittenden 13, McLean 9
Penalties: Crittenden 4-35, McLean 3-16
Rushing: Crittenden 40-254, McLean 40-127
Passing: Crittenden 9-11-0, 89 yds., McLean 4-10-1, 61 yds.
Total Yards: Crittenden 343, McLean 188
Fumbles/Lost: Crittenden 1-0, McLean 2-1
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
Rushing: Crittenden-Gray 12-93, Berry 11-56, Freeman 7-46, Dustin Hernandez 5-30, Tanner Nix 3-30, Devin Wallace 1-0, Bowe Wallace 1-(-1). McLean-Spencer Phillips 14-59, Troy Woodburn 8-36, Burden 17-27, Derrick Hardin 1-5.
Passing: Crittenden-Gray 9-11-0, 89 yds. McLean-Burden 3-9-1, 23 yds., Phillips 1-1-0, 38 yds.
Receiving: Crittenden-Clark 3-35, Freeman 2-43, Allen Kirk 1-5, Berry 1-5, Nix 2-1. McLean-Dakota West 2-15, Hardin 1-38, Phillips 1-8.
Defense: Bebout assist; A.Berry 4 solos, 2 assists, 4 TFL; B.Berry solo, 3 assists, fumble recovery; Clark 6 solos, 3 assists, TFL; Cudnik 2 solos, assist, interception; Fletcher 3 solos, 2 assists; Freeman 5 solos, 3 assists; Gray 3 solos, assist; Hernandez 2 solos, assist; Kirk solo, TFL; Lee assist; Long 4 solos, 3 assists, TFL; Nix 3 solso; Thornton 5 solos, 3 assists, blocked kick; B.Wallace 2 solos; D.Wallace 3 solos, Werne 5 solos, 2 assists; Willis 2 solos, 3 assists.
Pizza Hut Players of the Game: Offense J.D. Gray. Defense Dylan Clark & Terry Werne. Lineman Aaron Berry.
Records: Crittenden 3-0, McLean 1-3.
