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| Sophomore Gattin Travis got his first start at RB. |
MARION, Ky. – It’s a good day’s work when you only put in half the time and reap all the rewards.
For senior quarterback Luke Crider and the Rocket football team, it took just two quarters to determine the outcome and send a clear message as it rolled passed Webster County 53-6.
The starters all stood on the sideline in the second half as the reserves mopped up the Trojans with a running clock. CCHS led 46-0 at intermission.
Crider threw for 245 yards, completing some beauties downfield, hitting receiver Trace Derrington in stride and Preston Morgeson’s back shoulder for two of three scoring strikes. Crider rolled left and found Kaleb Nesbitt open in the flat for his other TD pass. Nesbitt went 81 yards for that one.
“It was nice to get back on the field. Seeing all of the fans here it was so nice. It felt so good to have Rocket Nation behind us again,” said Crider, who pointed to the huge throng that assembled despite the threat of COVID-19. Last year, crowd sizes were limited, but this time there was no boundary on ticket sales.
Crider’s performance was good for one of the best passing halves in school history and it earned him a college offer. A recruiter from Greenville (Ill.) University was at the game, and met with Crider and two other Rockets – seniors Dylan Yates and Zech McGahan – afterwards, offering them a spot on the school’s football squad.
Sophomore Gattin Travis got his first start at running back, rushing for 92 yards and scoring once. He had a good run on the team’s first series, going 18 yards, but fumbled. From there, he settled in and earned his stripes in his first real Friday night in the limelight.
“It started a little sloppy, but there at the end I got it fixed,” he said. “It feels good to win our first game.”
A bit slipshod, indeed, were the early minutes. Although the Rockets were cruising on offense, they were hobbled a bit by penalties. The team finished with 130 yards in flags, almost all of it in the first half.
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| The Rocket defense kept pressure on Webster. |
“We were able to send a message I hope. That was our goal this week,” said first-year head coach Gaige Courtney. “It was ugly at the start. We have to clean those things up. We know that we have to clean those (penalties) up to be a good football team and we will fix it this week. At the same time, it was the first game after being off a while, so you kind of expect it. But I am not making excuses for it.”
Crittenden had been saddled with some pandemic issues and canceled its scheduled season-opener last week and its second pre-season scrimmage a week before. The team got back to work earlier this week, but still had some players out because of sickness.
“We started slow, but when we got going the momentum kept rolling,” added Courtney, a CCHS football alum and former Rocket defensive coordinator.
The defense was stellar, smothering Webster's Wing-T offense. The Trojans managed just 30 yards on the ground and 50 in the air.
Crittenden will be at Madisonville next week. The Maroons are 0-2 after early losses to Union County and Caldwell County, respectively.
SCORE BY QUARTERS
Webster County 0 0 6 0
Crittenden Co. 25 21 0 7
SCORING PLAYS
C-Rowen Perkins 2 run (Preston Morgeson kick) 4:01, 1st
C-Morgeson 29 pass from Luke Crider (Brysen Baker pass from Micah Newcom) 3:13, 1st
C-Tanner Beverly 10 punt return (Baker pass from Newcom) :35, 1st
C-Trace Derrington 34 pass from Crider (Morgeson kick) 11:35, 2nd
C-Kaleb Nesbitt 81 pass from Crider (Morgeson kick) 7:07, 2nd
C-Gattin Travis 17 run (Morgeson kick) 0:00, 2nd
W-Noah Duncan 1 run (kick failed) 4:03, 3rd
C-Levi Piper 9 pass from Newcom (Morgeson kick) 4:15, 4th
TEAM TOTALS
First Downs: CCHS 10, WCHS 3
Penalties: CCHS 13-130, WCHS 2-10
Rushing: CCHS 25-201, WCHS 21-30
Passing: CCHS 12-19-0, 294, WCHS 2-5-1, 50
Total Yards: CCHS 495, WCH 80
Fumbles/Lost: CCHS 1-1, WCHS 3-1
INDIVIDUAL STATISTIS
Rushing
Crittenden: Travis 7-92, Crider 2-23, Nesbitt 2-13, Rowen Perkins 3-10, Derrington 1-9, Tyler Belt 4-4, Tanner Beverly 1-9, Piper 2-38, Newcom 3-3. Webster: Aden Yount 7-47, Jakson Edens 2-(-8), Brett Love 6-(-5), Duncan 3-3, Gavin Walker 3-(-7).
Passing
Crittenden: Crider 9-14-0, 245; Newcom 3-5-0, 49. Webster: Walker 2-4-0, 50; Young 0-1-1.
Receiving
Crittenden: Hayden Adamson 2-24, Perkins 1-15, Morgeson 2-66, Nesbitt 2-87, Baker 1-19, Derrington 1-34, Casey Cates 2-40, Piper 1-9. Webster: Edens 1-12, Young 1-38.
Defense
Coleman Stone solo; Luke Mundy 2 solos, caused fumble; Dylan Yates 4 solos, assist, 4 TFLs; Tanner Beverly 2 solos, assist, 2 TFLs; Zech McGahan 3 solos, 2 TFLs; Hadyen Adamson fumble recovery; Trace Derrington interception; Sam Impastato solo, 3 assists, TFL; Case Gobin 6 solos, 4 TFLs, sack; Rowen Perkins solo; Kaleb Nesbitt assist; Briley Berry assist; Preston Morgeson solo; Seth Guess 3 assists; Levi Piper solo, assist; Bennett McDaniel solo, TFL; Casey Cates assist; Travis Blazina solo; Tyler Belt solo, fumble recovery; Micah Newcom solos; Blake French solo.
Records
Crittenden 1-0, Webster 0-2
