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 eight 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 20 of 26 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 26-87, FTC 30-168

Passing: CCHS 20-26-0, 210; FTC 8-25-5, 53

Total Yards: CCHS 297, FTC 218

Fumbles/Lost: CCHS 2-0, FTC 4-3

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

Rushing

CCHS-Logan Nolan 9-12, Joel Bumpus 1-3, Azariah Rich 1-6, Eli Lovell 7-26, Conner Poindexter 9-41.

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)