By CHARLIE HUST
It’s hard to say that one play meant the difference in winning and losing Friday night for the WCHS Trojans against Crittenden County.
But a fake punt that turned into a 30-yard pass play for a first down turned the momentum in favor of the Rockets and they claimed a hard-fought 21-6 win at Rocket Stadium.
Crittenden County improved to 3-1 while the Trojans dipped to 1-4 on the season.
CCHS grabbed the early lead with an eight-play drive midway through the first quarter which ended on a 7-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Nick Castiller to Dylan Hollis with 8:25 left in the first period. Alex Cosby tacked on the two-point conversion run for the quick 8-0 lead.
Webster mounted a strong drive on its first possession, thanks to a 15-yard kickoff return by James Logsdon to the 42. Back-to-back pass completions from Dillon Baty to Jamon Warren and Chance Cook put the Trojans on Crittenden’s 36-yard line.
But CCHS linebacker Noah Dickerson stepped in front of a Baty pass two plays later for a drive-ending interception.
Webster’s defense looked very strong in the first half, led by a quarterback sack from Levi Tapp after the Rockets had pushed the ball to the WCHS 10-yard line.
The Trojans missed a golden scoring opportunity in the opening minutes of the second quarter after Crittenden County mishandled a punt and James Logsdon pounced on the loose ball at the CCHS 20-yard line. Strong runs from Baty and Cook moved the ball to the 6-yard line. But Webster couldn’t punch it into the end zone as the Rocket defense stiffened on third and fourth downs to regain possession with 6:50 remaining in the half.
Webster’s defense allowed a long drive by the Rockets, moving all the way to the WCHS 31 on a quarterback keeper by Castiller. But the Trojans rose to the challenge and held off the charge to end the half.
Webster County returned the field after halftime and looked like a different squad, quickly grabbing the momentum. A 25-yard kickoff return from Jamon Warren, racing to the 45, started the fireworks. A Baty to Warren pass moved the ball to the CCHS 38. Dillon Rich added a 10-run and then Chance Cook powered his way to the 23-yard line. Two plays later, Baty hooked up with Chad Rauch for a 9-yard gainer. Baty then moved the ball to the 4-yard line with a powerful run.
Facing a third-and-three, Baty rolled to his right and fired a bullet to Jamon Warren in the corner of the end zone for the touchdown with 6:35 left in the third quarter. Webster’s two-point conversion attempt kept Crittenden County on top 8-6, but the Trojans’ had the fire and it’s second victory in sight.
That emotion was on display in the defensive intensity on from the Trojans on Crittenden’s next possession. Jordan Gibson hauled down quarterback Nick Castiller to force a fourth-and-14 at midfield. With the Rockets on their heels and the Trojans defense ‘fired-up’, Dickerson dropped back to punt. But he caught Webster totally off-guard by firing a pass over the middle to a wide-open Hollis for a 30-yard reception to the Webster 38. That indeed proved to be the ‘play of the game’ as the Rockets went to score on a 11-yard touchdown run from Castiller to push the score to 15-6 with 1:20 remaining in the third period.
A fumble by Webster on the ensuing kickoff opened the door for a fourth quarter touchdown run from Lane Wallace. The powerful Rocket running back was a hand-full for the Trojans as he rushed for 102 yards on 24 carries. Hollis added 105 receiving on just five catches.
Crittenden finished the game with 270 total yards while Webster managed just 156.
Baty had another solid night passing the ball for Webster, finishing 10-of-18 for 91 yards. He also added 25 yards rushing on 12 carries. Cook led the Trojans on the ground with 28 yards on 9 totes. Dylan Rich added 17 yards on three carries.
Warren ended the night with 67 yards receiving on six catches for one touchdown. Rauch had two catches for 17 yards.
Webster will return to Trojan Stadium Friday night to host a winless Hart County squad (0-5) after dropping a 42-6 decision to South Warren last Friday night. The annual football Homecoming activities will precede the contest beginning at 7 p.m.