Rockets guarantee at least No. 3 playoff seed

MARION, Ky. — Crittenden County’s offense barely had time to get its helmet buckled before the defense had put two touchdowns on the scoreboard Friday at Rocket Stadium.

On a night when Fort Campbell couldn’t keep the football out of Rocket hands, Crittenden turned 7 takeaways into a 49-12 victory and a little breathing room on the playoff road.

The Rockets’ third straight win, all against Class 2A First District opponents, guaranteed them no worse than a No. 3 seed, steering them clear of Owensboro Catholic in the opening round of the playoffs. Next comes a trip to Caldwell County with second place on the line.

Joel Bumpus opened the scoring with a 49-yard interception return on the Falcons’ first possession. A 68-yard scoop-and-score followed later in the quarter, giving Crittenden a 14-6 lead with its offense having run just one play. (And oddly enough that one play had resulted in a lost fumble).

Yet, the Rockets weren’t finished picking pockets. Logan Nolan, Davis Perryman, Azariah Rich and Alex Hewitt also intercepted passes. Rich’s pick snuffed out a Falcon threat in the red zone.

Once the offense joined the festivities, Conner Poindexter made sure it stayed involved. He completed 21 of 25 passes for 210 yards and four touchdowns without an interception.

Eli Lovell, a junior who has played through injuries much of the season, benefited from the bye week last Friday and caught seven passes for 93 yards. He scored on a 3-yard run and an 8-yard reception during a 22-point second quarter.

Hayden Hughes caught six passes for 85 yards and two touchdowns. Perryman added a touchdown reception as Crittenden built a 36-12 halftime lead.

The defense allowed just 50 yards after intermission, all on the ground, while sustained Rocket possessions helped put the game away.

Crittenden improved to 4-4 overall and 3-1 in district play. Fort Campbell fell to 2-7 and 1-3.

Mitchell Brown’s blocked extra point following the final touchdown ended the junior kicker’s streak of 31 consecutive successful PATs dating back to last season.

SCORE BY QUARTERS

Fort Campbell  6 6 0 0

Crittenden Co. 14 22 7 6

SCORING PLAYS

CC-Joel Bumpus 49 interception return (Brown kick), 10:23, 1st

FC-Haden Wise 22 run (run failed), 9:18, 1st

CC-Eli Lovell 68 fumble return (Brown kick), 7:22, 1st

CC-Lovell 3 run (Brown kick), 10:06, 2nd

CC-Lovell 8 pass from Conner Poindexter (Lovell run), 9:07, 2nd

FC-Isaiah Messercruz 3 run (pass failed), 1:40, 2nd

CC-Conner Poindexter 38 pass to Hayden Hughes (Brown kick), :51, 2nd

CC-Davis Perryman 10 pass from Poindexter (Brown kick) 7:55, 3rd

CC-Hayden Hughes 11 pass from Poindexter (Brown kick blocked) 7:16, 4th

TEAM TOTALS

First Downs: CCHS 13, FTC 8

Penalties: CCHS 10-73, FTC 7-60

Rushing: CCHS 27-92, FTC 30-168

Passing: CCHS 21-25-0, 210; FTC 8-25-5, 53

Total Yards: CCHS 302, FTC 218

Fumbles/Lost: CCHS 2-0, FTC 3-2

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

Rushing

CCHS-Logan Nolan 9-30, Joel Bumpus 1-2, Azariah Rich 1-2, Eli Lovell 6-28, Conner Poindexter 10-30.

Passing

CCHS-Poindexter 20-26-0, 210.

Receiving

CCHS-Lovell 7-93, Davis Perryman 3-24, Hayden Hughes 6-85, Noah Byford 5-8

Defense

Check back later

Records: CCHS 4-4 (3-1), Ft. Campbell 2-7 (1-3)

Rockets host district foe Fort Campbell

Rocket Football Coach’s Show is brought to you by local partners and The Crittenden Press. Join Coach Gaige Courtney and guest host Taylor Davis as they discuss the upcoming game and provide insights into the football program. For more, including stats, photos, articles, history and team records see RocketsFootball.com.

WHITETAIL PROPERTIES

Mark Williams Land Team

--------

Curnel Ag

Farmers Bank and Trust Co

First United Bank

USA Mortgage, Darrick Myers

Johnson’s Furniture and Appliance

Full Body Fitness Studio Serena Dickerson trainer 

YTG Insurance, Tanner Tabor agent

Hodge’s Sports and Apparel

C-Plant Federal Credit Union 

Livingston Hospital | Deaconess

H&H Home and Hardware

Par 4 Plastics

Beavers Heating and Air

Gilbert Funeral Home

Barrett Sherer Taxidermy and Barn Reclamation

Dr. Johnny Newcom, chiropractor

Grant Gardner Seal Coating

Megan Roberts Chiropractic

Rocket shutout guarantees playoff berth

 

ELKTON, Ky. – After a sometimes difficult first half that included a couple of lopsided losses and one hard-fought district win, it was about time for the Rockets to get a walk in the park.

Crittenden County (2-4 overall) is now 2-1 in Class A First District action heading into a bye week after dispatching winless Todd County Central 36-0 in something akin to an abbreviated game.

Kaden Harrington rushing

The Rockets whitewashed the Rebels in the first half, imposing the mercy-rule running clock with just under six minutes to go before halftime. Todd’s hapless offense struggled to simply get a snap off in the shotgun formation, fumbled often and failed to cover two CCHS kickoffs. The Rebels had minus-21 yards of offense in the first half and finished with no rushing yards. Of their 73 passing yards, 43 came on one play late in the second half against the Crittenden reserves.

For the second half, the game was shortened from 12- to eight-minute quarters.

Junior starting quarterback Conner Poindexter, who missed last week’s game because of a knee injury, came back and completed all four of his attempts and threw one touchdown. 

Hayden Hughes, who had played superbly last week as backup QB, played every other offensive series in the first half, completing both of his passes, including a touchdown to Davis Perryman. Hughes also covered a kickoff in the first half, and Draven Farmer and Joel Bumpus each recovered Todd Central fumbles.

Noah Byford, who caught the game’s first scoring pass from Poindexter, also had two fumble recoveries, including one that gave the Rockets a short field on its second possession. From there CCHS scored its first of three rushing touchdowns. Eli Lovell rushed for two scores and Logan Nolan another. CCHS scored on all five first-half possessions and kicker Mitchell Brown remained perfect on the season, making all four of his PATs.

Crittenden has secured a spot in the postseason with two district wins and can improve its playoff seeding with a victory in two weeks at Rocket Stadium for homecoming against Fort Campbell.

SCORE BY QUARTERS 

Crittenden County 22 14 0 0

Todd Co. Central 0 0 0 0

SCORING PLAYS

C-Noah Byford 8 pass from Conner Poindexter (Eli Lovell run) 6:04, 1st

C-Lovell, 3 run (Mitchell Brown kick), 4:01, 1st

C-Lovell 11 pass from Poindexter (Brown kick), 2:29, 1st

C-Davis Perryman 11 pass from Hayden Hughes (Brown kick), 9:47, 2nd

C-Logan Nolan, 3 run (Brown kick), 5:09, 2nd

TEAM TOTALS

First Downs: CCHS 11, TCC 3

Penalties: CCHS 10-80, TCC 8-90

Rushing: 27-155, TCC 15-0

Passing: CCHS 8-8-0, 62; TCC 7-12-0, 73

Total Yards: CCHS 206, TCC 73

Fumbles/Lost: CCHS 5-2, TCC 7-4

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS 

Rushing

CCHS: Nolan 9-54, Joel Bumpus 5-39, Troy Daniel 5-22, Lovell 1-3, Hayden Hughes 1-22, Caden Blazina 3-16, Poindexter 3-(-1).

Passing

CCHS: Poindexter 5-5-0, 51; Hughes 2-2-0, 17; Daniel 1-1-0, (-6).

Receiving

CCHS: Hayden Hughes 2-36, Byford 1-8, Lovell 2-6, Perryman 1-11. Kaden Herrington 1-7, Dalton Murray 1-(-6).

Defense: Byford 3 solos, 2 TFL, fumble recovery; Murray 3 solos, assist, caused fumble, TFL; Perryman assist, fumble recovery, roach; J.Rich roach; Hewitt assist; Lovell 2 solos; Nash solo, assist, TFL; A.Rich 3 solos, assist, TFL; Bumpus solo; Counts solo, assist; Croft 3 solos, 2 TFL; Herrington 2 solos, assist, TFL, sack; Hughes solo, assist, fumble recovery; Walters solo, assist, 2 roaches; Farmer fumble recovery, roach.

Records: CCHS 3-4 (2-1), TCC 0-7, 0-3

Rockets on the road to Todd Central

 

Rocket Football Coach’s Show is brought to you by local partners and The Crittenden Press. Join Coach Gaige Courtney and host Chris Evans – plus other special guests – as they discuss the upcoming game and provide insights into the football program. For more, including stats, photos, articles, history and team records see RocketsFootball.com.

WHITETAIL PROPERTIES

Mark Williams Land Team

--------

Curnel Ag

Farmers Bank and Trust Co

First United Bank

USA Mortgage, Darrick Myers

Johnson’s Furniture and Appliance

Full Body Fitness Studio Serena Dickerson trainer 

YTG Insurance, Tanner Tabor agent

Hodge’s Sports and Apparel

C-Plant Federal Credit Union 

Livingston Hospital | Deaconess

H&H Home and Hardware

Par 4 Plastics

Beavers Heating and Air

Gilbert Funeral Home

Barrett Sherer Taxidermy and Barn Reclamation

Dr. Johnny Newcom, chiropractor

Grant Gardner Seal Coating

Megan Roberts Chiropractic

At A Glance: A Trigg County Recap and a Todd County Central Preview

TRIGG COUNTY RECAP

• Crittenden County has had a 100-yard rusher in two games this season including one against Trigg County. That is notable considering that, over the previous 55 games dating back to 2021, the Rockets produced a 100-yard rusher in only three games.
• Against Trigg County, Crittenden County scored three rushing touchdowns without throwing a touchdown pass. It marked the first time in 41 games that the Rockets had scored at least three rushing touchdowns without a passing touchdown, dating back to the 2023 season opener against Webster County.

A GAME OF INCHES... AND 261 PENALTY YARDS

• The 29 combined penalties by Crittenden County and Trigg County were

Rockets capture key district win 21-20 over Trigg

 

MARION, Ky. – In his first varsity start at quarterback, sophomore Hayden Hughes gave Crittenden County the spark it needed Friday night. The Rockets scored twice in the fourth quarter, survived a late Trigg County touchdown and held on for a 21-20 victory in front of a large home crowd.

Hughes started in place of Conner Poindexter, who injured his knee last week and was limited to holding on extra points. Hughes rushed for 107 yards and two touchdowns and passed for 160 yards, accounting for 267 yards of offense.

Trailing 14-7 after three quarters, Crittenden tied the game on Hughes’ 27-yard run just nine seconds into the fourth period. Noah Byford’s 58-yard catch later set up the go-ahead drive. Inside the Trigg 10, Hughes dropped two consecutive snaps but recovered both, kept the offense moving and scored on a 1-yard keeper with 6:13 left.

Hayden Hughes was a key player in his
first start at QB for the Rockets.

“I was a little nervous coming out starting at quarterback,” Hughes said. “We played with heart and were aggressive in the fourth quarter.”

Trigg answered with Caden Scott’s 11-yard touchdown run with 1:37 remaining. However, an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty in the end zone pushed the extra-point attempt back to the 25-yard line, and the kick fell short, leaving the Rockets ahead by one.

The comeback had been kept within reach by two Crittenden defensive stands inside its 10-yard line late in the third quarter. Joel Bumpus stopped a fourth-and-goal play from the 3 on Trigg’s second trip into the red zone.

Penalties repeatedly broke up the game’s rhythm. The teams drew 29 flags, including 17 against Trigg for 165 yards. 

Eli Lovell scored Crittenden’s first touchdown on a 2-yard run and caught five passes for 94 yards.

“There was a special crowd here tonight. It was packed, and we needed every last one of them,” Coach Gaige Courtney said. “We showed a lot of fight through a lot of adversity.”

Crittenden (2-4, 1-1 district) has beaten Trigg six straight times. Now, just one more district win over its remaining three league games would secure a playoff berth. And with this one in hand, CCHS has a legitimate shot earning at least a No. 3 seed for the playoffs.

The Rockets will be at Todd Central next week for another district game then will have a bye week before topping off the district schedule at home against Fort Campbell then on the road at Caldwell County.

SCORE BY QUARTERS

Trigg County 0 14 0 6

Crittenden Co. 0 7 0 14

SCORING PLAYS

CC-Eli Lovell, 2 run (Mitchell Brown kick), 9:21, 2nd

TC-Zamarrion Broussard, 8 run (kick), 9:04, 2nd

TC-Deonatae Edison 4 run (kick) :38, 2nd

CC-Hayden Hughes 27 run (Brown kick) 11:51, 4th

CC-Hughes 1 run (Brown kick) 6:13, 4th

TC-Caden Scott 11 run (kick failed) 1:37, 4th

TEAM TOTALS

First Downs: CCHS 13, TCHS 12

Penalties: CCHS 12-96, TCHS 17-165

Rushing: CCHS 26-152, TCHS 31-139

Passing: CCHS 10-19-0, 160; TCHS 13-23-0, 147

Total Yards: CCHS 312, TCHS 286

Fumbles/Lost: CCHS 2-0, TCHS 4-0

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

Rushing

CCHS: Hughes 10-107, Logan Nolan 6-19, Joel Bumpus 5-17, Lovell 5-9. TCHS: MarQuayvion Green 6-50, Scott 11-45.

Passing

CCHS: Hughes 10-19-0, 160; TCHS: Scott 13-23-0, 147.

Receiving

CCHS: Lovell 5-94, Noah Byford 1-58, Davis Perryman 2-1, Alex Hewitt 1-5, Nolan 1-2. TCHS: Conner Bellows 9-89.

Defense

Byford 3 solos, 2 assists, TFL; Nolan 3 solos, 4 assists, roach; Perryman 6 solos; Rich solo; Curnel 3 solos, assist, TFL, roach; Hewitt 3 solos; Lovell 3 solos, 4 assists; Nash 3 solos, assist, TFL; Phillips solo; 2 roaches; A.Rich 3 solos, 4 assists, TFL; Bumpus 10 solos, 4 assists; Counts 2 solos; Hughes 3 solos, assist; Sherer solo, TFL; Daniel solo; Walters roach. 

Players of the Game: Defense Joel Bumpus, Lineman Jake Rich, Special Teams Mitchell Brown, Offense Hayden Hughes.

Records: CCHS 2-4 (1-1); TCHS 1-5 (0-2)