MURRAY, Ky. – Despite a strong start, Crittenden County was unable to overcome six turnovers and stalled offensive drives, falling 37-27 to Murray High on Friday night in both teams' initial Class 2A First District matchup of the season.
Crittenden had early opportunities to establish control of the game, reaching the red zone twice in the first half without points. Both trips ended in turnovers, setting a troubling tone. In total, the Rockets committed six turnovers—three coming from mishandled kickoffs, which greatly hampered their momentum.
First-Half Bright Spots Dimmed by Mistakes
Quarterback Quinn Summers shone in the first half, completing 15 passes for 146 yards. His biggest play came early when he connected with CamRon Belcher on an 80-yard touchdown pass to give the Rockets a 7-0 lead. Summers also found Tyree McLean twice for touchdowns in the second quarter, the second coming on a 4-yard pass.
However, even with a 20-13 halftime lead, Crittenden’s offense struggled to capitalize on further opportunities. In the third quarter, Summers completed just one of eight pass attempts, netting zero yards as Murray's defense clamped down. Rocket receivers had trouble creating separation, and Crittenden’s offense was unable to find any rhythm.
Summers did finish the game with a career-high 106 rushing yards, adding a late 28-yard touchdown run with about three minutes left to tie the game at 27.
However, the Rockets could not overcome their miscues as the Tigers sealed the win with a 32-yard field goal and a fumble return touchdown in the final 10 seconds.
“I thought the kids fought hard, especially in the fourth quarter,” Rocket coach Gaige Courtney said. “Just too many mistakes.”
He said miscues on special team “opened up the game for (Murray) and gave them a lot momentum.”
Tigers Take Control in the Second Half
Murray High, now 6-1, rallied behind quarterback Wyatt Robbins and a balanced offensive attack. Robbins completed 24 of 36 passes for 280 yards, and added a rushing touchdown in the third quarter to help turn the tide.
Amarion Bomar’s 9-yard touchdown run late in the second quarter helped the Tigers close to within 7 by halftime. In the third quarter, Robbins connected with Nebraska-commit Jeremiah Jones for an 11-yard touchdown pass that gave Murray a 27-20 lead, which they never relinquished.
A field goal from Hank Fronza with just 10 seconds left extended the lead to 30-27. Hoping for a miracle, Crittenden tried to lateral the kickoff reception to keep the play alive with time ticking off the clock, but fumbled. Murray’s Tristen Dennis scooped and scored from the 25 and Murray won by 10.
“The score doesn’t tell the whole story,” the Rocket quarterback said, pointing out that his team was two plays away from being up three touchdowns in the game’s opening minutes.
“The first drive our defense gets a big turnover and I go down running the ball and fumble on the five. I take full blame for that and I had an interception – just missed opportunities,” Summers added. “The third quarter was kind of a mess. If we play four full quarters, we’re the best team in our district.”
For Summers, that interception at the Murray one-yard line to end the half, was his first in 122 passes dating back to the Union County game.
By the Numbers
Despite the loss, Crittenden showed offensive firepower, totaling 398 yards of offense to Murray’s 424. Summers finished with 258 passing yards on 20 completions, including six catches for 116 yards by Belcher. However, the Rockets' five lost fumbles and a lackluster second-half passing attack ultimately proved too much to overcome. Caden Howard caught 6 passes in the matchup, setting a new school record for catching a pass in 27 straight games. He is now No. 2 on the all-time reception list.
Murray, meanwhile, continued its strong season, picking up 21 first downs and narrowly outgaining Crittenden on the turf with 144 rushing yards to the Rockets’ 140. Robbins led the Tigers’ rushing attack with 57 yards, while Simon Rickman and Bomar contributed 48 and 39 yards, respectively.
Looking Ahead
The Rockets will need to regroup and clean up their execution on special teams and in the red zone as they prepare for their next matchup. The loss drops Crittenden to 2-4 overall and 0-1 in district play. The Rockets will be at home against non-district opponent Ohio County next week. Ohio County will come in winless. Meanwhile, Murray improves to 6-1 and 1-0 in district competition. The Tigers will be idle next week then play district foes Caldwell County and Mayfield over the next two Fridays.
SCORE BY QUARTERS
Crittenden 7 13 0 7
Murray High 0 13 14 10
SCORING PLAYS
C-CamRon Belcher 80 pass from Quinn Summers (Adri Berry kick) 5:47, 1st
C-Tyree McLean 17 pass from Summers (Berry kick) 10:15, 2nd
M-Wyatt Robbins 14 run (Elias Houk kick) 7:56, 2nd
C-McLean 4 pass from Summers (Berry kick blocked) 5:02, 2nd
M-Amarion Bomar 9 run (kick fail) 1:16, 2nd
M-Simon Rickman 2 run (Houk kick) 3:27, 3rd
M-Jermiah Jones 11 pass from Robbins (Hank Fronza kick) 2:00, 3rd
C-Summers 28 run (Berry kick) 3:06, 4th
M-Fronza 32 field goal :10, 4th
M-Tristen Dennis 25 fumble return (Fronza kick) :03, 4th
TEAM TOTALS
First Downs: CCHS 18, MHS 21
Penalties: CCHS 10-89, MHS 9-85
Rushing: CCHS 22-140, MHS 35-144
Passing: CCHS 20-40-1, 258; MHS 24-36-1, 280
Total Yards: CCHS 398, MHS 424
Fumbles/Lost: CCHS 5-5, MHS 2-2
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
Rushing
CCHS: Summers 14-106, Jacob Carder 5-19, Brayden Mahnke 3-15. MHS: Robbins 14-57, Rickman 8-48, Bomar 13-39.
Passing
CCHS: Summers 20-40-1, 258. MHS: Robbins 24-36-1, 280.
Receiving
CCHS: Belcher 6-116, Caden Howard 6-56, Dakota Sosh 3-37, McLean 3-33, Carder 2-16. MHS: Jones 10-104, S.Davis 1-14, Martin 6-98, Rickman 1-8, Bomar 3-31, Dennis 3-25.
Defense
CamRon Belcher 4 solos, 6 assists, interception; Landon Curry solo, 4 assists; Brayden 9 solos, 2 assists, 3 TFLs, fumble recovery; Tyree McLean 11 solos, TFL; Kaiden Travis 4 solos, 2 assists, 2 sacks, caused fumble; Braydin Brandsasse 3 solos, TFL; Jacob Carder 3 solos; Caden Howard solo, assist; Keegan Pierson 2 solos, 2 assists, TFL; Brayden Poindexter 8 solos, 4 assists, TFL; Dakota Sosh 2 solos, assist; Trae Taylor 2 solos, 3 assists; Gaige Markham 5 solos, 2 assists, TFL, fumble recovery; Eli Lovell solo, assist.
Players of the Game: Defense Tyree McLean, Offense CamRon Belcher, Special Teams Adri Berry, Lineman Brayden Brandsasse.
Records: CCHS 2-4 (0-1), Murray 6-1 (1-0)
