The Craig County football team went 21 days without a game but showed few effects of the layoff with a 44-14 win over Twin Springs High in Nickelsville last Friday. The Rockets remained undefeated at 3-0 with the win.
“It was great to get back onto the football field,” said coach Jimmy Fisher. “We did have a little rust from our long layoff.”
The Rockets wasted no time in shaking off that rust. Craig won the toss, took the ball and on the first play from scrimmage Bradyn Dunbar ran 84 yards for a touchdown. Caleb Cregger kicked the extra point and it was 7-0 Rockets before some fans found their seats.
Craig held Twin Springs on their first possession, and on the ensuing drive they marched downfield where junior tailback Bentley Smith connected with senior tight end Peyton Fields for a 27-yard TD pass. Cregger nailed the extra point again for a 14-0 lead.
The Titans answered after picking up a first down on a punting situation. There was a bad snap and the punter picked it up and ran for a first down. With a new set of downs the Titans were able to run for a 39-yard TD, the first points surrendered by the Rockets all season.
“I felt like we kind of took a play off on that punt,” said Fisher. “No one made sure the ball was kicked. We were misaligned and out of position. To accomplish our goals, we can never take a play off. We had them stopped, the rout was about to be on but we gave them life.”
The Rockets scored again on their next possession for a 21-7 lead. Craig held the Titans to third and long but Twin Springs executed a wide receiver screen for a big gain, then hit a couple of passes to set themselves up at the two yard line. The Titans punched it in with two seconds on the clock and it was 21-14 in the Rockets’ favor at the half.
“We were in position to make plays on the ball on those completions and we didn’t make them,” said Fisher. “We took bad angles on our pass rush and allowed their quarterback too much time. We kind of surrendered the momentum at halftime and gave them life, and hope of pulling off the upset.”
The Craig coaches talked at the half about the importance of doing all the little things right.
“We felt like we should have been up 35 to 0 at the half,” said Fisher. “We had to kick off to start the second half and stressed the importance of shutting that drive down and getting the momentum back. We had to overcome an unsportsmanlike penalty on the kickoff away from the ball. Those are the penalties that make you want to pull your hair out. I don’t have much hair left…maybe that’s why.”
The Rocket defense stepped up and forced a punt. The Titans punter got all of the ball and a good roll and the ball stopped at the Craig County two yard line. Rocket workhorse running back Noah Paxton then ripped off a 98 yard TD run. After a Twin Springs penalty on the extra point Craig elected to go for a two-point conversion and Paxton got the call again and ran it in, increasing the lead to 29-14.
Paxton added another third quarter TD, this time on a 10-yard run, and another two-point conversion for a 37-14 lead. Junior running back Dreydin Smith added a 24-yard TD run in the fourth quarter and, with another Cregger kick, the final was 44-14.
“We were proud of how the kids responded to the adversity at the end of the first half,” said Fisher. “We made some corrections and got back on track. Great win. All that was left for the Rockets was a nice, victorious bus ride back to Craig on a charter bus.”
But it didn’t happen, as the bus got stuck on the way home.
“There was a very sharp turn and steep climb, just a mile or so from Twin Springs High School,” said Fisher. “Unfortunately our driver didn’t swing wide enough. He attempted to pull up and back up a few times and the bus bottomed out on the road.”
A deputy sat with the team on the side of a dark road, with no cell service, and the kids entertained themselves as best they could. Counting the wait time for a tow truck and the time the towing company was on site it added close to three hours onto a three and a half hour trip.
“We got back to the school about 4:20 a.m.,” said Fisher. “The only consolation is the kids that were on the bus will have a memory to share with their own kids and grandkids in the future.”
This week the Rockets are on the road again at Stonewall Jackson High in Quicksburg. The Generals are 1-4.
