By CHARLIE HUST
A rain-soaked and muddy Trojan Field proved to be disasterous for the WCHS Trojans Friday night as they committed six turnovers en route to their fourth straight loss, a 19-8 setback to Crittenden County.
Webster (1-4) managed just 145 total yards, 125 of that coming from 4-of-15 passing accuracy from sophomore quarterback Dillon Baty as the sloppy field conditions proved to be as much of an opponent as the Rockets.
Webster had two costly fumbles and one interception in the first half along with two more ‘picks’ and another fumble in the final two quarters. The Rockets also fumbled the ball six times but lost just three of those.
Crittenden County (2-2) was quick to put points on the scoreboard, using a big play on its first drive to take the early lead. On the first play of the possession, Lane Wallace split the WC defense for a 50-yard touchdown scamper with 9:58 remaining in the first quarter. Micah Hollamon added the extra point to give the Rockets a 7-0 lead.
After that scoring play, Webster’s defense stiffened and looked very strong. On three Rocket drives, the Trojans held on fourth down. But back-to-back fumbles from the Trojans killed any kind of offensive momentum.
Webster did thrill the large Homecoming crowd late in the first quarter, taking advantage of a Rocket miscue when a punt attempt was mis-handled and Dylan Rick pounced on the loose ball taking over at their 18-yard line.
On the first play of the series, Baty found a wide-open Zach Bruce in the middle of the field with a screen pass. The senior receiver grabbed the ball and did the rest, out-sprinting the CCHS defense to the end zone for a 82-yard touchdown. Bruce then zig-zagged with way through the Rocket defense on the two-point run to give the Trojans an 8-7 lead with 3:39 left in the period.
But that would be pretty much all the offense Webster could produce the rest of the night.
The Rockets scored the go-ahead touchdown with :19 left in the first half on a two-yard TD run from Wallace. But the back-breaking play for the Trojans in the series was a first down pass from Gilbert to Noah Dickers on a third-and-27 situation near midfield. When it looked like the Trojan defense had gained the momentum, the huge pass play tossed the edge back to the Rockets and opened the door for the touchdown and 13-8 lead.
Crittenden opened the second half with a scoring drive, chewing up the clock and punching it into the end zone on a 5-yard run from Gilbert with 5:51 left in the third quarter to set the final score.
Crittenden grabbed two interceptions in the second half along with another WCHS fumble to limit the Trojans to just first downs in the half.
Bruce led the Trojan receiving corps with three catches for 105 yards. Wright had one catch for 22 yards. WC had a season-low 22 yards rushing in the setback.
Wallace did the bulk of the running for CCHS in the contest, plowing his way to 123 yards on 26 carries. The Rockets finished the night with 273 total yards.
Webster will hit the road Friday night for a long journey to Hart County in search of the elusive second victory. It will be the first time in school history the two teams have met. Hart County (2-3) suffered a 47-3 loss to South Warren last week. They have wins over LaRue County and Caverna.
CLICK HERE to see video from the sidelines.
CLICK HERE to see video from the sidelines.