Rockets hold off Caverna
Crittenden wins 21-19; now 7-1 overall

Cave City, Ky. (Oct. 15, 2004) - Crittenden was a bit groggy from the three-hour bus ride to Caverna Friday night and napped through the first half before waking up with a strong rushing game down the stretch to win the district matchup 21-19.

The victory is the Rockets' seventh in eight games and they are now 3-0 in district play with a big home matchup next week against league favorite Hancock County.

Caverna, one of the most athletic teams the Rockets have faced this year, took advantage of a sluggish Crittenden offense early and staked itself to a 13-0 lead early in the second period. The Colonels got off to a good start by intercepting Rocket quarterback Austin Berry on his first snap and throw of the game. Caverna returned the pickoff 60 yards for a touchdown and Berry was a bit gun shy throw the air the rest of the first half.

Caverna (5-3, overall, 1-2 district) scored its second touchdown two series later on a 91-yard drive capped by a 48-yard touchdown pass from Barclay Weaver to Dakota Stewart. Meanwhile, Crittenden's usual top-gun aerial attack was virtually grounded as Caverna kept pressure on Berry and the secondary was well prepared for the task of covering the Rocket receivers. One of Berry's first-half completions came just before the half as the Rockets cut the margin to 13-7 with a seven-yard TD reception by Blake Gardner.

Crittenden's punishing ground game picked up the slack in the second half as tailback Gardner and fullback Josh Franklin carried the load. Franklin rushed for two touchdowns and Gardner had several big carries as Crittenden went ahead 21-13 with just over six minutes left.

The host Colonels made one last stab and came close, scoring a touchdown with less than three minutes left. However, the potentially game-tying conversion run was stopped cold by Gardner and Brad Hart.