The Purple and Gold defeat the City of Gold
Catholic High took on the El Dorado Wildcats in nasty weather last Friday at War Memorial. Predicted rain poured on players, coaches, and poncho-clad fans throughout the game. But the Rockets showed that the weather wouldn’t be the only force to be reckoned with. Tough red zone defense and dynamic offensive drives pushed Catholic High past El Dorado, 26 – 6.
Linebacker Brock Hatchett recovered a fumble during El Dorado’s first series, and the Rocket offense quickly found themselves in scoring territory. Quarterback Jackson England flicked the ball to Hayden Roaf who then faked a second pass and ran it in for a touchdown. Catholic would add another touchdown in the first quarter off a pair of good runs from Noel Lewis and a QB sneak from England.
Noel Lewis was rewarded for his efforts with a running touchdown in the second quarter, and the Rocket defense backed him up. El Dorado drove down the field, but they were stopped by Jake Black-Ocken, who made a tough fourth-down tackle. England connected with receiver Ben Gassaway for a long completion on the following drive, but the Rockets wouldn’t score. The Rockets headed into the locker room with a 19 – 0 lead.
El Dorado came out hot in the third. They drove to Catholic’s 18-yard line and forced a Catholic High timeout. During the timeout, an animated Coach Cochran urged his defense to settle down and get the stop. The defense listened and forced a missed field goal. When the Rockets couldn’t convert on fourth down, El Dorado then moved the ball back inside the Rocket 20-yard line. Again, the Rockets denied the Wildcats in the red zone. However, the Wildcats would soon get the ball back and punch in a touchdown in the waning seconds of the third quarter.
El Dorado had momentum on their side at the start of the fourth quarter, but the Rockets stuck to their game plan. The Rockets put together another efficient drive down the field, highlighted by the run game of Lewis, and England scored again to make it 26 – 6. The defense kept El Dorado off the scoreboard to the end of the game, and Catholic earned an impressive win.
Noel Lewis, who took advantage of big running lanes created by the offensive line, gives credit to his teammates for his continued excellence. “I play for my teammates and I want them to succeed just as much as I do for the betterment of the team,” said Lewis.
Coach Cochran attributed the multiple red zone stands to the boys’ self discipline. “All we have to do is just restructure them and remind them of what will be needed to prevent a score, and they can handle the rest,” said Coach Cochran.
Catholic High will take their perfect record to West Memphis to take on the Blue Devils on Friday, October 4th, 2024, where they look to bring yet another win back to Little Rock.