Senior Jacob Courtney

At Webster County ...
Rockets fall 14-6 in mud
Courtney keeps it close

DIXON, Ky. Sept. 22 -- Jacob’s sermon
Speech helps, but Rockets lose

STAFF REPORT
Rocket senior Jacob Courtney delivered an amen sermon to his teammates at halftime then took his enthusiasm to the field where Crittenden County nearly upset Webster County Saturday night in a high school football game.
Courtney intercepted a pass in the fourth period and returned it 47 yards for a touchdown, bringing the Rockets within striking distance with just over seven minutes to play. On the ensuing defensive series, Courtney sacked Webster quarterback Steven Turner for a 15-yard loss on third down to force the hosts to punt.
Despite a valiant last-ditch effort by the Rockets, Webster held Crittenden on downs at midfield to preserve a 14-6 victory.
The loss plummets the Rockets to 1-4 this season, their worst start in 13 years. Webster improved to 3-2.
Coach Al Starnes said that despite the loss, he saw some positive things in the game. He also applauded Courtney’s heroics and the consistent play of lineman Justin Asbridge. Gaige Courtney and Rodney Robertson also had big games defensively for the Rockets.
Courtney, a 6-4, 225-pound defensive end, is a head taller than nearly all of his teammates. Perhaps for that reason as much as anything else, he's emerged into the struggling ball club's inspirational leader. At halftime, with his Rockets trailing by two touchdowns, Courtney gathered his co-workers into a circle. He stood tall among the crowd and with a raised voice, lectured his compatriots to play with more enthusiasm the second half. It was a speech that motivated the troops and Crittenden played an inspired second half.
It was, however, just a bit too late as Webster had done its damage in the second quarter. The most costly mistake for Crittenden was a fumble late in the second period that gave the Trojans a short field. From the Crittenden 28, Webster needed just a handful of plays to get into the end zone and take a 14-0 lead into halftime.
Despite muddy conditions after two days of rainfall that measured more than five inches, there were surprisingly few turnovers. Crittenden's fumble was the only one of the game. It came on an exchange between the quarterback and a running back on a key third down play in their own territory.
“Our kids are trying. They are giving it everything they’ve got,” said Starnes. “So far, it has just been a mistake here or there that kills a drive or allows a touchdown or a big first down.”
Starnes said he’s going to concentrate on “taking baby steps” with his young team that is dominated by freshmen and sophomores.
“It’s all my fault,” Starnes said. “I have been putting so much pressure on myself and our team because we have been successful in the past. These kids are giving it everything they’ve got and we have to start finding some reward in that alone.”
The coach still thinks his team can make some improvements and finish the last half of the season in district play with some positive advances.
“We’ve tried doing some things on offense that are a little unorthodox, but it’s because we’re trying to put our players in position to have some success so they can get excited,” he said, referring to the team’s brief use of the polecat offensive scheme last week at Webster. The gimmick offense sends linemen out wide and only a center and two backs over the ball. It worked for a couple of good gains against Webster.
The game had been postponed Friday because of severe weather. A tornado had touched down just north of the stadium and several trees around the field were ripped apart.
Webster running back DeAdrian Rollins did his share of ripping the Rocket defense. He carried the load for his team, rushing for 124 of the Trojans' 134 ground yards. Rollins has averaged over 150 yards per game this season.
The Rockets generated very little offense. Indeed, its offense has scored just one touchdown in the past 12 quarters. Crittenden never got the ball into the red zone against Webster and only once crossed midfield. Because of field conditions, both teams played very conservatively. Neither was able to establish any type of passing game.
Despite the loss, there was some encouraging improvement in Crittenden's defensive effort. Webster was stopped at the line of scrimmage or thrown for a loss on almost a quarter of its running plays (7 of 34). The Trojans had only five running plays for more than 10 yards.

SCORE BY QUARTERS
Crittenden County....0...0...0...6
Calloway County.....0..14...0...0

SCORING PLAYS
WC-DeAdrian Rollins 4 run (Adam Kennada kick) 11:14, 2nd
WC-Ben Boone 11 pass from Steven Turner (Kennada kick) :50, 2nd
CC-Jacob Courtney 47 interception return (pass failed) 7:30, 4th