At a Glance: A look back, and ahead

BY ANDY HUNT

Crittenden County Single Game Records
Broken or Tied Versus Kentucky Country Day

Passing Attempts: 12, Luke Crider, 2019
Rushing Attempts: 18 (twice), Andrew Freeman, 2009 and Xander Tabor, 2019
Tackles: 16, Caden McCalister, 2019
Longest TD Run: 52 Yards, Xander Tabor, 2019

Coach Thompson addresses the team after the Rockets
fell in the state quarterfinal at KCD.

Random Notes from the 2019 Season

Xander Tabor broke the second oldest record still standing in the record books with his 1,616 rushing yards this season.  Jimmy Hopper (1963) held the record with 1,581 yards previously.  With that said, Tabor’s total is also the most ever by a Junior which broke the 1988 total of Ronnie Moss with 1,505 rushing yards.

Xander Tabor recorded 1,779 yards from scrimmage this season and which broke the record set by Devon Nesbitt (2018) with 1,738.

Noah Perkins tied the record for PATs attempted in a single season with 53.  Parker Johnson set the record in 2018.

Noah Perkins broke the record for PATs attempted by a junior with 53.  The prior record holder was J.R. Adams (2008) with 50.

Noah Perkins now holds the record for number of PATs made by a junior with 46.  The previous record holder was Will Perkins (2015) with 39.

Preston Morgeson tied the record for receptions in a season by a freshman with 9.  Chad Perryman (1990) was the previous record holder.

Preston Morgeson tied the record for interceptions in a season by a freshman with three.  T.K. Guess (2002), Caden McCalister (2017), and Tyler Boone (2017) are the other record holders.

Preston Morgeson set the records for “TDs scored by a freshman” (6), “TDs Responsible For by a freshman” (6), and “Points scored in a season by a freshman” (36).  J.D. Gray held all three records prior to Morgeson breaking them all.

Crittenden County junior, Braxton Winders had eight sacks the season.  This total broke Matt Jent’s (1998) record for sacks by a junior.  The record was seven.

Luke Crider had a 57.89% (44/76) completion percentage this season.  This is the second highest completion percentage in a season, minimum 50 attempts.  The record holder is Austin Berry with 60.10% (122/203).

Caden McCalister recovered five fumbles this season which is the most ever by a Rocket junior.  The record was previously held by several Rockets.

The 97-yard touchdown pass from Hunter Jones to Tyler Boone versus Webster County is the second longest in school history.  The pass is long enough to qualify for the KHSAA record book.  The longest pass in school history is a 99-yard touchdown pass from David Cozart to Jerry Jessup versus Reidland in 1988.  There are currently 30 Crittenden County football entries in the KHSAA football record book.  The record just mentioned and two others (one from 1973 and one from 1996) will be sent it as well for the next edition and make 33 entries for Crittenden County players and teams.

This Crittenden County senior class has played in the most games ever (51) by a Rocket graduating class.

The use of a new RPI system, along with a new playoff format, were additions for 2019.  No matter how you feel about the RPI system it did predict correctly (based on each teams regular season schedule only) 22 of the final 24 teams left in the KHSAA playoffs this season.  Paducah Tilghman and South Oldham are the only two schools that have been upset in the 2019 playoffs that were ranked in the top four in RPI in each class.

In talking about the changes made this season, here are some other times the KHSAA has altered the football alignment:
- 2007: Schools were divided into six classes (instead of four), but Crittenden County remained 1A.
- 1991: The top four teams in each district qualified for the postseason.
- 1987: There were four regions and eight districts in each of the four classes with two playoff teams per district.
- 1975: There were four classes (instead of three).
- 1959: KHSAA instituted class football (1A-3A) and the playoffs.  Jefferson County schools were 3A and the rest of the state was divided into 1A and 2A.

Looking at Record Breakers in 2020Xander Tabor will need to up his game (even after having a phenomenal 2019) to become the school’s all-time leading rusher.  He will need 1,686 to take down the school’s all-time leading rusher, David Beverly (1994-1997).  Of the top four players on the career rushing list, only David Beverly didn’t increase his rushing total his senior year over his junior year.  If Tabor surpasses Beverly, Tabor will own the two highest single season rushing totals in school history.

Will Luke Crider be able to keep up his incredible 3.67 TD to interception ratio and a completion percentage of almost 60% during the 2020 season?  Quarterbacks that have put up similar numbers in those two statistical categories (for a full season) typically have passed for easily over 1,000 yards and their teams have won no fewer than nine games in a season.

Tyler Boone’s career high in tackles was from in 2017 when he set the freshman record with 99 tackles.  It will take a new career high of 107 tackles to set the all-time tackles record.  This record would have easily been within reach without injuries to Boone (similar to the career of Gavin Dickerson who ended three tackles short of the all-time record).  Boone is also in striking distance of the career Tackles for Loss record held by Adam Beavers with 47.  Boone currently has 32 TFLs and had 14 this season before being injured in the 9^th game of the year.  

Lathen Easley should easily eclipse the school record for sacks held by Shawn O’Leary with 18 in 2020. Easley has recorded seven sacks in each of the last two seasons. That said, Easley most likely will be the first player to ever have 20 sacks in a career.  With a monster year, Easley could be the first to break the threshold of 30 as well.  Easley is ending his junior season with the highest career total ever by a Rocket junior when it comes to sacks with 16.

Lathen Easley is also within range on the record for most forced fumbles in a career.  Easley currently has 9 and the record is held by Travis McKinney with 10.

Caden McCalister may be looking to own the single season tackle record held by Wompie Stewart (1985) with 154.  McCalister recorded 116 tackles this season while only playing in 11 games.  McCalister’s total for 2019 would have been 137 tackles if he had recorded his average number of tackles in the two games he missed this season.  If McCalister records near the single season record for tackles, he will give Tyler Boone some company when comes to breaking the record for career tackles. McCalister is 137 short (238) of the all-time mark (375) currently.  Caden McCalister will be looking to possess the Fumble Recoveries in a career record held by Travis Fitzgerald with 9.  McCalister has 7.

When it comes to quarterback sacks, Braxton Winders just completed the most productive junior season in school history.  He took down a 21 year old record held by Matt Jent (1998) with seven sacks.  The record for a senior is 11 and is held by Sean O’Leary (2018).  If Winders records 11 sacks in 2020, we will be the second person, most likely, to have 20 sacks in a career with Lathen Easley being the first and accomplishing the feat earlier in the 2020 season.

The Perkins lineage of kickers will look to sit upon the kicking throne occupied by George Congenie for the past 15 seasons.  Noah Perkins has to attempt 44 and make 28 PATs to be the all-time leader in both categories.  In order for Perkins to own those two records and be the most accurate kicker in school history, Perkins will have to be more accurate than his 2019 season.  To hold the kicking accuracy record as well, Perkins will have to successfully kick at least 42 of 44 PATs to be on to top Cody Belt’s career 91.67% success rate.

In 2020 during the week 8 game, the Rockets will play in the Crittenden County High School’s 700^th game.

With all of that said, 2019 was a great season on the field and in the record book.  2020 seems to be shaping up to have plenty of valid hype surrounding it and many more records will most likely fall.  Here is to a great 2020 season!