MAYFIELD, Ky. – As long as grasses grow and rivers flow, Mayfield football will almost certainly be an Alpha dog in western Kentucky.
As to be expected, every club in the bag was working for the No. 4 Cardinals as they dispatched No. 7 Crittenden County 46-6 in what was actually a pivotal Class 2A First District matchup that fell far short of its marquee potential with a district title on the line.
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| Mayfield defenders bring down Rocket running back Gattin Travis. |
Instead, Crittenden’s aspirations for a league championship in its return to Class 2A were promptly dashed as Mayfield scored early and often behind its multifaceted offense.
The Rockets can yet salvage a second-place finish in the district and capture home-field advantage for round one of the playoffs by beating winless Caldwell County next week at Marion. Meanwhile, the Cardinals will host Murray next Friday where a win for Mayfield would nail down another league title in a long line of championships. However, an upset by Murray could force a three-way tie for first place with Crittenden in the mix if it can get past the nemesis Tigers. Murray beat Caldwell 27-7 this week.
Against the Cardinals, Crittenden played just about as clean as it had all season, but the high-caliber opponent was too sturdy. Other than a blocked punt and touchdown pass nullified by a holding penalty, the Rockets didn’t waller itself in major faux pas.
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| Gabe Keller looks for some running room after a catch at Mayfield. |
Also on the bright side, senior Tyler Belt blocked two extra-point attempts by Mayfield and junior Trace Scott intercepted a pass by the Cardinals’ second-team quarterback during the running-clock period of the second half. There were other nice football plays on Crittenden’s scorecard, but far too few to make a dent in Mayfield’s superiority.
“At times, I think we did some really good things,” Rocket coach Gaige Courtney said, pointing to fewer penalties than normal and no turnovers, among them.
“I saw some really good things, but it just doesn’t look like it when you’re playing a team that’s that good. The small mistakes just turn into huge plays,” the coach said.
SCORE BY QUARTERS
CCHS 0 0 6 0
Mayfield 12 20 7 7
SCORING PLAYS
M-Braden Morris 20 pass from Zane Cartwright (kick blocked) 8:40, 1st
M-Ian Williams 2 run (run failed) 3:03, 1st
M-Jutoriaus Starks 15 run (kick blocked) 10:16, 2nd
M-Mehki Dumas 10 run (Lincoln Suitor kci) 8:12, 2nd
M-Xavier Biggers 41 pass from Cartwright (Suitor kick) 1:18, 2nd
M-Landon Kemp 22 block punt return (Suitor kick) 9:57, 3rd
C-Micah Newcom 7 run (kick failed) 3:04, 2nd
M-Josiah England 24 run (Suitor kick) 11:40, 4th
TEAM TOTALS
First Downs: CCHS 7, MHS 12
Penalties: CCHS 4-45, MHS 6-30
Rushing: CCHS 22-49, MHS 20-223
Passing: CCHS 13-24-0, 96; MHS 11-14-1, 165
Total Yards: CCHS 145, MHS 388
Fumbles/Lost: 0-0, 0-0
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
Rushing
CCHS: Newcom 9-43, Tyler Belt 1-1,Quinn Summers 2-3, Gattin Travis 4-7, Jacob Carder 2-5, Michael Porter 2-(-9), Gaige Markham 2-(-1). MHS: Starks 13-151, England 2-34, Williams 2-2, Dumas 3-19, Cartwright 1-17.
Passing
CCHS: Newcom 11-21-0, 55; Summers 2-3-0, 41. MHS: Cartwright 11-13-0, 165; Gray Robbins 0-1-1.
Receiving
CCHS: Camron Belcher 1-32, Brayden Poindexter 1-9, Caden Howard 4-16, Travis 3-1, Casey Cates 2-1, Gabe Keller 2-37. MHS: Biggers 4-57, Mak Hoover 4-29, Morris 3-79.
Defense
Gabe Keller 5 solos, Levi Piper solo; Bennett McDaniel 3 solos, 2 assits; Lane West 3 solos, assist, TFL; Casey Cates 2 solos; Tyler Belt solo, assist; Grayson James 2 assists; Tyree McLean 6 solos; Kaiden Travis solo, 2 assists; Cameron Belcher solos; Trace Scott solo, interception; Caden Howard 7 solos; Brayden Poindexter fumble recovery; Jacob Carder solo.
Players of the Game Offense Micah Newcom, Defense Tyree McLean, Lineman Lane West, Special Teams Tyler Belt.
Records: Crittenden 4-4 (1-1), Mayfield 6-1 (2-0)
