To say Jaxon Covell had a good game might be an understatement. Number 22 inflicted a lot of damage on both sides of the ball in the Rocket season opening 34-16 win on the road against the Franklin Knights.
Offensively Covell had 145 all-purpose yards, but it was a 34-yard scamper after a fumble recovery that broke the back of the Knights who were actually dominating the Rockets in the statistic department.
Offensively Covell had 145 all-purpose yards, but it was a 34-yard scamper after a fumble recovery that broke the back of the Knights who were actually dominating the Rockets in the statistic department.
“That scoop and score by Jaxon was huge,” Rocket coach Mike Reynolds said after the game who also praised the junior tailback's offenseive effort Friday as well. “He’s quite an exceptional guy. He works real well with that offensive line unit —he was very patient tonight. You saw him pick away at some runs and eventually you saw some of them break out.”
Covell also had a late interception to close the lid on the Knight’s hope of a comeback for good.
Covell also had a late interception to close the lid on the Knight’s hope of a comeback for good.
He, of course, wasn’t the only Rocket who had a good game.
Ian McDonald had a very good game under center. Throwing for 108 yards and two touchdowns while adding another 29 yards on the ground and two more touchdowns. He drilled one to a sprinting Covell, hitting him in stride over the middle for a 50-yard touchdown in the second half. His five tackles on defense also helped stop Franklin at key times.
Ian McDonald had a very good game under center. Throwing for 108 yards and two touchdowns while adding another 29 yards on the ground and two more touchdowns. He drilled one to a sprinting Covell, hitting him in stride over the middle for a 50-yard touchdown in the second half. His five tackles on defense also helped stop Franklin at key times.
Kameron Mong broke away on a huge 27 -yard reverse run in the second half that set up the first of McDonald's touch down passes. Mong had 50 all-purpose yards. Mong also converted a two-pointer by going only where the 6’-2” receiver could rein in the McDonald pass. “That was an absolute circus catch, no one can defend that when he’s up that high,” Reynolds said.
Defensively the Rockets struggled a bit as the largely senior Franklin offense seems to be able to run at will on them. But the Rockets managed to make a big play here or there to take advantage of Knight miscues. They bent but seldom broke. They only gave up two touchdowns and a long field goal.
“I’m really proud of our kids for the level of conditioning they showed, they really played a clean football game. We had minimal issues on the field, we protected the ball and our kids just kept (raising their) intensity as the game went on,” Reynolds said. “In the third and fourth quarter I felt they really took control of the game by executing and playing solid offense.”
That intensity they kept up showed the difference in patience and conditioning of the two squads. Both teams started hot, but when the Rocket's stalled, the Knights self-destructed.
"In the second half we just made too many darn mistakes," Franklin head coach Matt Turk said. "We were very impressed with the way we were able to run the football at will, but again, a few of those mistakes, fumbling the football, a couple of penalties and a couple bad mental mistakes hurt us. At the end of the third quarter three of our starters got hurt and Titusville smartly picked on our younger guys, I would’ve done the same thing. We've gotta get hydrated, we gotta eat better, keep those cramps at bey."
| The Rockets started the game by methodically taking the opening drive 63-yards largely on Covell’s legs, setting up the five-yard run by McDonald. Their offense stalled only getting one first down the rest of the half. They kept it close with some key defensive stops and help from Knight penalties and missed opportunities to put points on the board. The Rockets were fortunate to take a one-point lead into halftime. Offensively they were held to under a hundred yards while Franklin amassed over 150 yards on the ground and in the air. |  |
Turk's Knights looked like a different team than the 0-10 squad from last year.
Entering the second half with the ball the Knight's looked to build on their first half momentum, but they
fumbled on the 34 where Covell picked it up and ran to the end zone. The Rocket's surprisingly went for two and were stopped.
fumbled on the 34 where Covell picked it up and ran to the end zone. The Rocket's surprisingly went for two and were stopped.
     | The Knights were still seemingly undaunted and marched right back down field to tie up the game. Finally the Rocket offense took the field with half the third quarter over with and put together a very similar drive to the first possession of the game. McDonald again scamped in on a seven-yard run. A blocked extra-point however kept the game close. The Knights once again moved the ball getting into the red zone before mistakes cost them again. They did manage a Nate Pfennigwerth 45-yard field goal to start the fourth quarter bringing them to within three at 19-16. The Rockets then closed the door. McDonald to Covell’s 50-yarder was followed by a great one handed catch in full stride by Mason Titus putting the game out of reach for the Knights. “That’s just kids having fun on a Friday night right there,” Reynolds said of the final two scores. "Hats off to Franklin, they’ve got some nice power,. They were pounding it down pretty well tonight." Reynolds clock management and patience getting off plays in his no huddle offense was a strategy that worked well for the Rocket’s this week. "I'm very proud of these guys. They work real hard and we pound on them pretty good in practice. We do that to get them to this point, so when they face this test on Friday night, they’re ready “We really want to make sure we can possess the ball, because if we can own the time of possession, it’s real hard for the other team to score touchdowns,” he said. They’ll test that theory again next week when they head to Sharpsville. “It’s Caullin Summers 101,” he said about the Blue Devils star quarterback. “He’s the guy right there, he’s probably the best QB in District 10. We’re going to have to take care of business. Our defense is going to have to improve. We need to put points up on the board and we need to slow them down.” Reynolds said playing in Sharpsville is a very unique experience. “It's a neighborhood stadium with narrow sidelines and it’s a grass field.” Sharpesville defeated Wilmington 49-42. Summers reported had seven touchdown passes including a 63-yarder with only 25 seconds left in the game to win Kick off is next Friday at 7 p.m. |
Please see more photos from Friday's game, the band and cheerleaders here: https://sayerrich.zenfolio.com/p707511010
Edited from the original to correct a name spelling.
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