Current and former players, cheerleaders and staff members pose with coach Starnes and his 100-win banner following the 46-40 victory at Union County. Inset photo below is T.K. Guess (14) rushing for part of his team-high 97 yards.

Rocket 'D' arrives in time
Crittenden beats Union 46-40

MORGANFIELD, Ky. (Sept. 9, 2005) - Crittenden County's defense arrived just in the nick of time to stop Union County in the fourth quarter and hold onto a 46-40 gut-wrenching win, giving Rocket coach Al Starnes his 100th victory Friday night at Morganfield.

When the call went out for better defense in the game's final stanza, senior lineman Dustin Lanham stepped behind the wheel and guided the Rockets on two big defensive stops to seal the game. A handful of others helped co-pilot the safe landing, including a couple of seniors who generally make a name for themselves on offense ­ T.K. Guess and Blake Gardner. With the game tied at 40, Lanham made a key third-down tackle at the line of scrimmage on Union's first series of the fourth quarter and forced the hosts to punt for just the second time in the game.

The Rocket offense ­ itself unstoppable ­ responded by going 70 yards to the goal line as quarterback Austin Berry found receiver Kirk Stone alone in the corner of the end zone for a 16-yard, game-winning touchdown. It was Berry's third TD pass on a night when he was near perfect, throwing for 246 yards on 16-of-19 accuracy. Berry's only incompletions came during a three-pass drought during the middle part of the game. Other than that, he was right on target and completed two other scoring strikes to Guess and Jacob Courtney.

In a game that delivered 13 touchdowns, Crittenden led five different times and the scoreboard showed one tie in the fourth period. Guess set the stage for the slugfest, returning the opening kickoff 86 yards for six points and George Congenie tacked on the extra-point kick. Crittenden would score six more times, including other touchdowns by Guess, Jacob Courtney, Berry and Blake Gardner. The Rockets biggest lead was 14-0 out of the chute.

The game was a virtual reflection of last year's scoring fiasco that Union won 52-49 at Marion. This time, the Rockets prevailed thanks to a defensive gut-check late in the game. Lanham made two stops for no gain on Union County's last two possessions that proved mighty in the outcome. The Braves went three-and-out on their first series of the final period, then turned the ball over on downs with 2:56 left thanks to a big stop by Gardner against the Braves' galloping junior Justin Foster. It was Foster who rushed for 206 yards and hurt the Rockets this time, like he did a year earlier when, as a sophomore, the halfback scored three touchdowns and ran for 193 in Union's free-for-all win.

Ironically, Crittenden silenced Union County's premier player, Antonio Davis, who punts, kicks, runs and catches passes. Davis had been the Braves' catalyst the last couple of weeks, but shadowed by Guess on defense, Davis was held to just two yards rushing and 20 receiving.

There were too many big plays and crucial points to list them all, but one series in particular transcends the others and it came just before halftime. That's when Berry orchestrated a 7-play, 60-yard drive in 55 seconds that sent the Rockets into halftime with a 26-24 edge. The senior quarterback completed two passes to tight end Courtney and one to Guess before Guess lined up at QB and ran a 14-yard draw play to the Union three-yard line. On the next snap, Berry faked a handoff up the middle and slipped the ball into his hip pocket for one of his trademark fakes, then scrambled untouched across the goal line.

The Rockets scored on seven of its 11 possessions and gained 20 first downs. However, no chain movement was bigger than a couple of first downs during the final series when Crittenden was playing keep-away in the last two minutes. On fourth-and-two, Berry picked up four yards on a keeper to the Union 35. Guess carried for another 12-yard gain and a first down to drive the final pin in the coffin with 58 seconds to go.

The post-game celebration was marked by a vengeful sea of Rocket Blue which rolled onto the field in appreciation of the effort, especially after last year's disheartening three-point loss to the Braves. Crittenden draws to 2-3 in the series with Union County since it was rekindled in 2001.

For 15-year Rocket coach Al Starnes, it marked a milestone in his career. Few coaches ever record 100 wins, and even fewer pull it off with the same team. Starnes is now 100-64 at the Crittenden controls and has four district championships to his credit. He is the winningest coach in Rocket football history and a member of the Marion-Crittenden County Football Hall of Fame.