PRINCETON, Ky. – In a pivotal district game Friday, when Crittenden County needed to be at its best, a series of mistakes derailed the Rockets’ hopes for a win at Caldwell County and crushed their chances for a more favorable postseason seed.
In a game where Crittenden led three times, Caldwell County had the momentum late to secure a 36-27 Class 2A First District victory.
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| Rocket senior Kaiden Travis tries to stop Caldwell County RB Kam Spikes |
Three interceptions, a fumble, and critical penalties spelled doom for the Rockets as the Tigers (3-6) scored 20 fourth-quarter points en route to their only district win of the season. The Rockets (3-6) are winless in league play and will make their second trip of the fall to Owensboro Catholic on Nov. 8 for the opening round of the playoffs. The Aces, ranked as Class 2A’s No. 1 team, beat CCHS 51-0 earlier in the year. Caldwell will open the postseason at Fort Campbell.
For the second week in a row, junior Rocket receiver Caden Howard had an impressive, record-setting performance. His 13 catches for 143 yards tied a single-game school record for receptions. A week earlier, in a loss to district foe Mayfield, he set a new team record for career receptions.
“They ran the ball on us; we had a lot of trouble stopping them,” Rocket coach Gaige Courtney said. “They made plays when they had to, and we didn’t. We just made a ton of errors—turnovers and penalties.”
The Rockets fell behind for good early in the fourth quarter, 22-21, on a touchdown set up by Caldwell’s second of three interceptions. But Crittenden clawed its way back into contention with a touchdown pass from QB Quinn Summers to CamRon Belcher with 6:28 to play. Down by two, Crittenden needed a conversion to tie the game, but a 15-yard unsportsmanlike penalty on the touchdown put the Rockets in a tough spot from the Tigers’ 18-yard line. The infraction occurred when a Crittenden player from the sideline came onto the field to celebrate in the end zone. Crittenden’s ensuing conversion pass fell 5 yards short, and Caldwell went on to score later in the game for the final margin.
The Tigers, led by senior Kam Spikes with 112 rushing yards, found success on the ground in the second half. Caldwell rushed for 219 yards, with 185 of those coming in the last two quarters. Meanwhile, Crittenden’s running game was severely hampered when running back Brayden Mahnke left the field injured in the third quarter. The Rockets rushed for just 52 yards.
Caldwell’s sophomore lefty quarterback completed 13 of his 16 passes, while Summers was 25-for-37 for CCHS, which outgained Caldwell through the air 255 to 205.
The Rockets will close out the regular season next Friday at home against Calloway County. The playoffs begin the following week.
SCORE BY QUARTERS
Crittenden Co. 7 0 14 6
Caldwell Co. 3 7 6 20
SCORING PLAYS
Cald-Sutton Ritchey 22 field goal, 7:18, 1st
Critt-Quinn Summers 7 run (Adri Berry kick) 3:21, 1st
Cald-Luke Maddox12 pass from Daelyn Landers (Ritchey kick) 6:11, 2nd
Critt-Brayden Mahnke 18 run (Berry kick) 11:27, 3rd
Cald-Kam Spikes 1 run (kick blocked) 7:41, 3rd
Critt-CamRon Belcher 3 pass from Summers (Berry kick) 4:54, 3rd
Cald-Cam Wilson 2 pass from Lander (pass failed) 10:40, 4th
Cald-Luke Parker 57 pass from Lander (Ritchey kick) 9:26, 4th
Critt-Belcher 22 pass from Summers (pass failed) 6:28, 4th
Cald-Spikes 5 run (Ritchey kick) 4:52, 4th
TEAM TOTALS
First Downs: Critt 15, Cald 20
Penalties: Critt 6-31, Cald 7-65
Rushing: Critt 17-52, Cald 42-219
Passing: Critt 25-38-3, 255; Cald 13-16-1, 205
Total Yards: Critt 307, Cald 424
Fumbles/Lost: Critt 1-3, Cald 2-2
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
Rushing
Critt: Mahnke 9-32, Tyree McLean 2-11, Belcher 1-1, Summers 5-8. Cald: Spikes 20-112, Maddox 4-19, Wilson 10-86, Lander 8-2.
Passing
Critt: Summers 25-37-3-, 255; Howard 0-1-0. Cald: Lander 13-16-1, 205.
Receiving
Critt: Howard 13-143, Belcher 5-52, McLean 4-35, Dakota Sosh 2-17, Mahnke 1-8. Cald: Parker 4-96, Maddox 3-27, Wilson 3-14, Spikes 1-15, Gus Fox 2-53.
Defense
CamRon Belcher 8 solos, 4 assists, TFL; Landon Curry 4 solos, 5 assists, TFL; Blake French 2 solos, 3 assists; Brayden Mahnke 6 solos, assist; Tyree McLean 7 solos, 2 assists, TFL; Kaiden Travis 2 solos, TFL; Carson Yates 3 solos; Braydin Brandsasse 2 solos, assist; Caden Howard 2 solos, assist, fumble recovery; Keegan Pierson solo, 2 assists, fumble recovery; Brayden Poindexter 7 solos, 7 assists, TFL, fumble recovery; Trae Taylor 4 solos; Noah Byford 5 solos, assist; Gaige Markham 5 solos; Trent Todd assist.
Players of the Game: Offense Caden Howard, Defensive Brayden Poindexter, Lineman Carson Yates, Special Teams Quinn Summers.
Records: Crittenden 3-6 (0-3), Caldwell 3-6 (1-2)
