MARION, Ky. – Crittenden County pulled off another second-half comeback Friday to clinch home-field advantage for the opening round of the Class 2A playoffs, edging arch-rival Caldwell County 27-24 in a nail-biter at Rocket Stadium to close out regular-season district play.
The Rockets (6-3, 4-1), who have now beaten the Tigers (6-3, 3-2) three of the last four years, trailed 17-7 at halftime after Caldwell settled for a field goal despite reaching the 1-yard line late in the second quarter. When Tiger playmaker Kam Wilson left the game with an injury just before the half, Crittenden seized momentum, scoring 20 unanswered points to complete one of its biggest wins in recent years.
The victory guarantees Crittenden a home playoff game Nov. 7 and marks just the second time in the school’s last two stints in Class 2A that it has finished somewhere other than the No. 4 seed in the district standings. The Rockets will host McLean County to open postseason play.
Quarterback Quinn Summers and leading receiver Caden Howard connected for two touchdowns, while Summers and running back Trae Taylor each added rushing scores. Summers also connected with Dokota Sosh for a first-half passing touchdown.
Crittenden’s defense turned in another stellar performance following its dominant showing at Fort Campbell the previous week. Against the Falcons 7 days earlier, Crittenden rallied to pull off the largest second-half comeback in school history. Against the Tigers, the Rockets came back from 10 down to capture the most pivotal triumph of the fall. Leading the charge were Sosh, who intercepted two passes, and Davis Perryman, who added another pick to help seal the win.
There will be one more regular-season game next Friday at Hopkins Central. It's a non-district matchup.
SCORING PLAYS
Cald-Mattocks 1 run (kick good) 6:09, 1st
Critt-D.Sosh 15 pass from Quinn Summers (Brown kick) 2:02, 1st
Cald-K.Wilson 28 run (kick good) 7:31, 2nd
Cald-Richey 10 field goal :01, 2nd
Critt-C.Howard 11 pass from Summers (Brown kick) 9:12, 3rd
Critt-Howard 64 pass from Summers (Brown kick) 5:224, 3rd
Critt-Taylor 3 run (Brown kick failed) 10:03, 4th
Cald-D.Willson 1 pass from Lander (kick good) 4:04, 4th
TEAM TOTALS
First Downs: Rockets 12, Tigers 10
Penalties: Rockets 6-40, Tigers 10-107
Rushing: Rockets 27-96, Tigers 33-154
Passing: Rockets 12-22-0, 195; Tigers 11-26-3, 93
Total Yards: Rockets 291, Tigers 247
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
Rushing
Rockets: Summers 15-87, Taylor 12-9.
Passing
Rockets: Summers 12-22-0, 195. Tigers: Lander 11-26-3, 93.
Receiving
Rockets: Howard 7-128, D.Sosh 4-63, Lovell 1-2, Taylor 1-2.
Defense
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Records: Crittenden 6-3 (4-1), Caldwell 6-3 (3-2)
