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.
Covell also had a late interception to close the lid on the Knight’s hope of a comeback for good.
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.
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. |
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. |