MARION, Ky. – Crittenden County handed the keys to its offense to a sophomore Friday night, and Conner Poindexter made his first varsity start one to remember.
After a sluggish opening half that saw the Rockets net only 11 rushing yards, Crittenden shifted gears. Abandoning the single-wing look it experimented with last week, the Rockets spread the field and let Poindexter use both his legs and arm to guide the attack. The result was a 27-8 victory over Webster County, the first win of the season for the Rockets (1-2).
Trae Taylor (1) scored twice, including a near
record-setting kickoff return.
Poindexter accounted for two touchdowns and some critical first downs on the ground, helping CCHS move the chains after halftime.
“We switched to the single wing in the second quarter and that didn’t really work out so they went back to the 10-personnel stuff,” Poindexter said. “Coach said I need you to get some big runs and I need you to be smart with the football. So that’s what I did.”
The Rockets’ only first-half spark came from senior Trae Taylor, who delivered a near record-setting 97-yard kickoff return late in the second quarter to answer Webster’s lone touchdown, which followed a Crittenden fumble. Taylor’s runback was the second longest in school history and the program’s best in five seasons. It kept CCHS from trailing at halftime against a team it’s traditionally handled with ease. The Rockets have now won 37 of its 51 games all-time against Webster dating back to 1972. Crittenden has never lost to the Trojans when it has scored at least 14 points and true to form the Rockets beat WCHS for the 16th straight time.
Once the spread offense clicked, the Rockets got production from multiple sources. Poindexter’s 23-yard touchdown run and Taylor’s 3-yard plunge in the third quarter sealed the game.
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| Azariah Rich (16) waits for his chance while Joel Bumpus (3) makes a tackle. |
“Defensively, I thought Jay Stevenson had a heck of a night. He just exploded in that second half and made a difference,” coach Gaige Courtney said.
Courtney also pointed to Taylor’s kickoff return as the turning point.
“That really got us going,” he said. “Conner did a good job. The first start is tough as a quarterback. That’s a lot of pressure and I thought he handled it very well.”
Crittenden will host Union City, Tenn., next Friday. The west Tennessee powerhouse will be a new opponent for the Rockets. The team is hoping starting QB Quinn Summers and its record-setting receiver Caden Howard will be back in the lineup after the missing the last two games.
SCORE BY QUARTER
Webster County 0 8 0 0
Crittenden County 7 6 14 0
SCORING PLAYS
C-Noah Byford 5 pass from Conner Poindexter (Mitchell Brown kick) 9:46, 1st
W-Ty Phillips 12 run (Hayden Wright run) :36, 2nd
C-Trae Taylor 97 kickoff return (Adri Berry kick failed) :21, 2nd
C-Poindexter 23 run (Brown kick) 8:56, 3rd
C-Taylor 3 run (Brown kick) 2:05, 3rd
TEAM TOTALS
First Downs: CCHS 11, WCHS 5
Penalties: CCHS 6-50, WCHS 12-75
Rushing: CCHS 31-117, WCHS 40-145
Passing: CCHS 10-15-1, 94; WCHS 0-2-2
Total Yards: CCHS 211, WCHS 145
Fumbles/Lost: CCHS 1-1, WCHS 3-1
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
Rushing
CCHS: Taylor 18-48, Eli Lovell 3-18, Joel Bumpus 3-12, Poindexter 7-39. WCHS: Daniel Perez 2-(-18), Phillips 13-50, Andrew Boucher 1-5, Gator Jones 7-17, Dylan Poe 7-24, Tyler Kautzman 5-49, Wright 5-18.
Passing
CCHS: Poindexter 9-14-1, 86; Taylor 1-1-0, 8. WCHS: Wright 0-2-0.
Receiving
CCHS: Lovell 2-43, Dokota Sosh 2-23, Davis Perryman 1-1, Byford 4-22, Taylor 1-5.
Defense
Check back later
Records: Crittenden 1-2, Webster 0-3
