The first half (left) Crittenden was a step late on every play. In the second half (at right), the Rockets swarmed tackled Russellville.

Rocket comeback falls short
Crittenden finishes season 5-5

Russellville, Ky. (Oct. 31, 2003) - It was the best of times. It was the worst of times.

Crittenden County's final game was a mirror image of its entire season. Like Charles Dickens' novel, this was a Tale of Two Halves.

The Rockets, still reeling from a devastating 55-7 loss the week earlier, were flat and feeble against the speedy Panthers. Russellville sprinted out to a 21-0 lead early in the second period thanks to some big plays and Crittenden was on the verge of self destruction.

Enter Austin Berry.

The sophomore quarterback, third string when the season began, went behind center in the second half and orchestrated a valiant comeback attempt. With starting QB Sean Thompson split out, Berry found him to be a favorite target. Thompson caught five passes for 97 yards, rushed for 90 yards and threw for 61 before turning the control over to Berry.

After playing miserably in the first half and trailing 28-7 at the break, the Rockets scored twice in a second half they dominated, but ran out of time as they tried to move down field for a potential game-tying strike.

The Rockets Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde play all season has been a source of frustration for fans and coaches alike. The team won five of 10 games, four were at home. The road has been tough on Crittenden. At Rocket Stadium, Crittenden recorded some quality wins, but with the loss at Russellville, it was the second straight week the Rockets lost games they could have easily won.

In the first half at Russellville, Crittenden could not stop the quick strikes by Russellville's running backs and receivers. The Panthers had 136 of its 207 rushing yards and 70 of its 79 passing yards in the first half. In the last two periods, Crittenden's ball-control offense pummeled Russellville as the Rockets scored 14 unanswered points.

David King, the Rockets junior offensive lineman, was the latest casualty. He broke a leg early in the third quarter, making his the third season-ending injury in two weeks. Four starters were sidelined with injuries at Russellville.

Jordan Roberts (pictured at right) was another Rocket banged up from the
Russellville game. A deep cut under his chin early in the game forced
trainers to rig up a pretty extensive bandage.

SCORING PLAYS
Russ-Patrick Temple 20 pass from Alex Watkins (Watkins kick) 1:39, 1st
Russ-Brandon Gough 85 run (Watkins kick) 11:27, 2nd
Russ-Temple 80 punt return (Watkins kick) 6:56, 2nd
Critt-Blake Gardner 5 run (George Congenie kick) 4:41, 2nd
Russ-MeachWhitford 17 run (Watkins kick) 1:12, 2nd
Critt-Sean Thompson 1 run (Congenie kick) 2:25, 3rd
Critt-Gardner 6 run (Congenie kick) 3:59, 4th