FORT CAMPBELL, Ky. – What looked like a complete unraveling turned into destiny for the Rockets Friday night at Fort Campbell’s Fryar Stadium. Down 29-7 late in the second quarter, Crittenden County mounted the largest comeback in program history, roaring back to beat Fort Campbell 42-31 in a wild, emotional and unforgettable Class 2A First District battle.
It was an instant classic and key win for post-season seeding.
Even before kickoff, the night started off out of rhythm. The team bus spent nearly an hour getting through the Army post’s security gate – a delay that chopped warmup time to a fraction of normal. Then it took another hour and a half, or roughly two full quarters, for the Rockets to finally find their mojo.
The Rockets’ rally was equal parts grit, guts and trench work by the defense. Senior quarterback Quinn Summers and record-setting receiver Caden Howard torched the Falcons for four touchdown connections – three of them after halftime – as Crittenden erased a 22-point hole and pitched a second-half shutout to stun the Falcons after the hosts had largely dominated the first 24 minutes by keeping the ball away from Crittenden County.
Fort Campbell came out like a stealth fighter, scoring on the opening kickoff and again two minutes later on a field goal. By the time halftime provided a much-needed pause for CCHS, the Falcons had rolled up 16 first downs and a pile of yards by ground and air, exploiting Crittenden’s shorthanded defense after senior linebacker Brayden Poindexter was sidelined with a chop block injury.
Just when the Rockets seemed buried, they found a spark. Summers hit Howard for a 32-yard strike just before halftime, trimming the margin to 29-15. That connection lit the fuse.
“We had a big play going into the half when Quinn was able to hit Caden on the post and get it to two scores,” Coach Gaige Courtney said. “I thought that was huge going into the half because we were struggling, we were turning the ball over, we were having trouble getting stops and we were banged up. We had some key guys out, but that touchdown sparked us.”
The second half belonged entirely to the Rockets. Summers and Howard hooked up on touchdowns of 21, 29, and 1 yard, part of a 27-2 Crittenden run that flipped the game upside down. The only points Fort Campbell managed after intermission came on a safety when the Rockets were flagged for holding in their own end zone.
Crittenden’s defense stiffened its back nearly every time it was against the wall, forcing four red-zone stops and intercepting one pass. None was bigger than a fourth-down stand near midfield with just over four minutes left, virtually killing Fort Campbell’s chances of any late heroics.
Moments later, senior running back Trae “Juice” Taylor ripped off a 52-yard run to the Falcon 4-yard line, setting up Summers’ sneak that sealed the comeback and sent the Rocket sideline into euphoria.
“I don’t know what to say. The first half was just awful and the second half was just pretty dang good,” Courtney said. “It’s been kind of a crazy day, being stuck at the checkpoint and not even knowing if we were going to get in.”
Taylor finished with 93 rushing yards, while Summers threw for 214 and added another 36 on the ground. Howard’s night – eight catches for 102 yards and four touchdowns – added another chapter to his storied high school career.
The win, Crittenden’s fifth in six games brings its season mark to 5-3 overall and 3-1 in the Class 2A First District, guaranteeing no worse than a No. 3 playoff seed and setting up next week’s home showdown with Caldwell County for the district’s No. 2 spot, and a coveted first-round home playoff game. The critical triumph didn't come without sacrifice as star lineman Braydin Brandsasse suffered an arm injury that appeared to be serious. He didn't play the entire second half.
SCORE BY QUARTERS
Crittenden Co. 7 8 13 14
Fort Campbell 9 20 2 0’
SCORING PLAYS
FtC-J.P. Perryman 73 kickoff return (kick blocked) 11:47, 1st
FtC-Jayden Couch 11 field goal, 11:21, 1st
C-Eli Lovell 71 kickoff return (Mitchell Brown kick) 1:07, 1st
FtC-Perryman 15 pass from Tanner Walters (Couch kick) 11:53, 2nd
FtC-Levi Kruse 16 pass from Walters (Couch kick) 5:59, 2nd
FtC-Keshawn Dixon 3 run (kick blocked) 1:48, 2nd
C-Caden Howard 32 pass from Quinn Summers (Summers run) :54,2nd
C-Howard 21 pass from Summers (Brown kick) 10:15, 3rd
Ftc-Safety
C-Howard 29 pass from Summers (run failed) 1:48, 3rd
C-Howard 1 pass from Summers (Brown kick) 8:15, 4th
C-Summers 1 run (Brown kick) 2:14, 4th
TEAM TOTALS
First Downs: CCHS 13, FCHS 22
Penalties: CCHS 6-29, FCHS 8-70
Rushing: CCHS 16-129, FCHS 51-253
Passing: CCHS 15-26-2, 214; FCHS 13-26-1, 196
Total Yards: CCHS 343, FCHS 449
Fumbles/Lost: CCHS 5-3; FCHS 4-1
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
Rushing
CCHS: Trae Taylor 8-93, Summers 8-36. FCHS: Dixon 33-173, Walters 13-46.
Passing
CCHS: Summers 15-26-2, 214. FCHS: Walters 13-26-1, 196.
Receiving
CCHS: Howard 8-102, Lovell 2-13, Noah Byford 1-7, Davis Perryman 1-18, Brayden Poindexter 1-23, Taylor 1-31, Dokota Sosh 1-20. FCHS: Perryman 6-115, Kruse 3-48.
Defense
Brandsasse 2 solos; M.Counts 2 solos; Hall 5 solos, 5 assists, 2 TFL; Howard 4 solos, 5 assists, interception; Pierson 3 solos, 2 assists, blocked kick; B.Poindexter 8 solos, 5 assists, TFL; D.Sosh 2 solos, 2 assists; Stevenson 6 solos, assist, 2 TFL, blocked kick; Taylor 3 solos, assist; Byford 4 solos, assist; Musser 4 solos; Perryman 2 solos, assist; Lovell 4 solos, 3 assists, 2 TFL; A.Rich 2 solos, 2 assists; Bumpus 7 solos, 6 assists, TFL, caused fumble, fumble recovery; Herrington solo; Hughes solo.
Players of the Game: Offense Caden Howard, Defense Joel Bumpus; Special Teams Eli Lovell; Lineman Michael Counts.
Records: CCHS 5-3 (3-1), FCHS 3-5 (1-2)
DISTRICT STANDINGS
Mayfield 7-1 4-0
Caldwell 6-2 3-1
Rockets 5-2 3-1
Ft Camp 3-5 1-2
Trigg Co 1-6 0-3
Todd Co 1-7 0-4
