The Catholic High Rockets earn a tough bounce-back win on Senior night.
The Rockets had everything working against them: battered spirits after a blowout loss, the absence of dynamic playmaker Hayden Roaf for the first three quarters, and facing an excellent Marion team with 4-star LSU commit Carius Curne. This game boiled down to the leadership of fearless Seniors who knew what this team could do.
Marion progressed down the field right out of the gate, resulting in an attempted field goal that fell short. The Rocket’s first possession was shaky, ending in a punt. Marion got on the board first with a touchdown pass to receiver Jeremiah Dent.
Noel Lewis received a failed toss play that the Marion defense was all over, thus forcing the kicking unit on, where Linkoln Perez drilled a long field goal. The Rockets’ special teams highlighted the rest of the half, with a lengthy return by Paul Plafcan and a Jackson England punt that rolled inside the five-yard line. Plafcan also intercepted the ball in the waning seconds of the half, and the Rockets walked off the field down 3-7.
The Rockets opened the third with a touchdown drive filled with gutsy plays, such as an England fake punt for a first down and a Lewis fourth-down rush. England connected with Plafcan to complete the thrilling drive. Then Catholic’s new lead and momentum were snatched in an impressive kickoff touchdown return by Marion.
The Rockets had to take a figurative look in the mirror to realize that the next 20 minutes of game time would define their season. Two drives later, the offense took the lead right back on with another Plafcan touchdown. Pinned behind the twenty-yard line, the Patriots got bogged down to inside the five after a myriad of penalties.
Hayden Roaf saw his first action of the game in the fourth, making the most of his opportunity with a first down catch. To the Rocket’s dismay right after, though, England was intercepted. The stout second-half defense from Catholic earned them the ball right back, and workhorse Noel Lewis rewarded his heroic efforts on the drive with a touchdown. Marion threatened to score right back, but Walter Menefee soared for the game-sealing interception.
Coach Cochran felt that the win could mostly be attributed to the senior class. “They wanted to take over practices this week and ownership of the game tonight. All of the drama and pressure was on them,” said Coach Cochran.
This win was like no other. Catholic proved that they are one of the best teams in the conference by defeating another great team and frankly manhandling them in the second half. The Rockets now control their destiny. If they beat Sylvan Hills on Friday, November 8th, they claim sole possession of the second bye in the playoffs. Big implications make legends, and Catholic High seems up to the test.
