After a first half that saw hosts Hopkins County Central leave points on the table but only trail 14-6 at the break, the Crittenden County offense ignited to outscore the Storm 27-0 in the third quarter and send the Rockets to a 47-13 victory.
Looking to snap a two-game losing run, the Rockets wasted no time getting on the scoreboard on their first possession after a Hopkins Central fumble on the game’s opening drive. Quarterback Quinn Summers found the end zone from seven yards out on 3rd and goal, and Crittenden added the two-point conversion for an 8-0 lead with just two and a half minutes played.
With time ticking down on the first quarter, the Storm came up empty on a red zone trip when they failed to convert on 4th and five from the Crittenden 8-yard line.
The Rockets made them pay on their first drive of the second quarter when Summers hit Camron Belcher for a 59-yard touchdown to make it 14-0 with 8:36 left in the first half.
Hopkins Central avoided a first-half shutout on quarterback Isac Earl’s nine-yard scoring run on 4th and goal with just 21 seconds on the clock. However, the extra-point attempt sailed wide, sending the Storm into the break trailing by eight points.
Crittenden head coach Gaige Courtney’s halftime talk must have been a doozy, as the Rockets dominated proceedings the rest of the way.
Less than a minute into the third quarter, Summers connected with Caden Howard on a screen pass that went for a 17-yard touchdown to stretch the advantage to 20-6.
On the Storm’s ensuing possession, Howard picked off Earl’s pass and took it back for a touchdown that was nullified by an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. But the Rockets still got in the end zone on a one-yard run on 3rd and goal by Summers, and the extra point was good for a 27-6 score with 8:09 left in the third.
Two scores over the final three minutes of the quarter triggered a running clock, beginning with Howard’s diving catch for a 25-yard TD.
After Hopkins Central again failed on 4th down inside the Crittenden 20-yard line, Howard caught a pass over the middle and went 74 yards for his third touchdown.
With 7:01 left, Earl found Isaac Manning for a 44-yard scoring strike down the left sideline, the Storm’s only points of the second half. The extra point was successful, resulting in a 41-13 score.
However, the Rocket defense rounded out the scoring when Trent Todd scooped up a Storm fumble and returned it 34 yards for a TD.
Summers threw for 289 yards on 14/23 attempts with four TDs. Belcher finished with five catches for 130 yards and a score, and Howard racked up 133 yards on six receptions with three touchdowns.
The Rockets totaled 399 yards, 300 through the air, and picked up 17 1st downs. They rushed for 99 yards, including 62 on 13 carries for Brayden Mahnke, and were penalized ten times for 95 yards.
Hopkins Central finished with ten 1st downs and was penalized 12 times for 109 yards. The Storm rushed for 109 yards, led by Earl with 59 and Zayden Parker with 32.
After sitting out the first quarter, Earl was 4/15 for 75 yards and a TD through the air. Manning had two catches for 54 yards and a score, Michael McDaniel made one catch for 19 yards, and Sylas Gunn had one for 12.
The Storm slipped to 1-3 with their second loss in a row ahead of a trip to Union County next week.
Crittenden evened its record at 2-2 and will be off next week before traveling to Owensboro Catholic on September 27.
