Rockets Topple Titans
In ancient Greek Mythology, the Titans rebelled against their father, only to eventually be replaced by Zeus and the Olympians. While the roles are not a perfect match, a team took down the Titans last Friday – the Catholic High Rockets.
In the homecoming game for the Jacksonville Titans, the Rockets showed up and dominated early, not letting the pressure up the entire game. The final score, 42-6, was a sign of victory that meant an 8-0 start to the season for the Rockets, their best start in school history. The Rockets started 7-0 during their 1984 state-championship winning season, when the undefeated Rocket squad lost to Mills High School who had not yet won a game that season. The Rockets had a 7-0 season in 1989, according to Sam Lane of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, the last time such an event occurred until this season.
The game started at 7 p.m. with a large contingent of Catholic High fans. “I am pretty sure we had more fans on our side than they had on theirs,” said senior Jett Holbert, who was in attendance at the game. The Titans received the kickoff, but the ball came to the Rockets, who scored on a Dominic Keeton touchdown with a bit less than nine minutes left in the first quarter. A touchback, punt, punt, and interception later, and the Rockets scored again on another Dominic Keeton rush play near the final minute of the first quarter.
The Titans started the second quarter with the ball but punted quickly. The Rockets made quick use of their time, and scored on a touchdown pass from Sam Sanders to Cody Fogleman with 10:07 left in the second quarter. The next time Jacksonville held the ball, they lost yardage fast, to the point where the announcer described their third down as “third and forever.” (In actuality, the play was third and thirty-one.) The Titans, naturally, punted, and the Rockets took the ball to the end zone again, making the score 28-0 as the minutes ticked down. Jacksonville put together a drive that approached the end zone in the final seconds of the half, but were stopped shortly before the end zone as the clock ran out.
While Jacksonville had a halftime performance from the band, the attention shifted back to the game as the third quarter began. The Rockets received the kickoff, and scored on a pass from quarterback Jackson England to Brooks Ward with 9:38 left in the third quarter. Jacksonville finally scored with an 85-yard run to the end zone. However, the team did not gain any additional points, due to a failed two-point attempt. The onside kick attempt that followed handed the ball to the Rockets near the 50-yard line.
As the third quarter rolled into the fourth, Miles Browning of the Rockets scored early to set the score at 42-6, which ultimately became the final score of the game.
The Rockets, undefeated in conference and season play, will travel south to face El Dorado on Friday, October 28, before returning home for the final regular season game against Marion.
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