Rockets rebound after falling behind
Little Rock Catholic reeled off 30 consecutive points to cruise to a 30-7 victory over Little Rock Central on Friday night at Quigley-Cox Stadium.
With 2:09 remaining, Rockets quarterback Will Bowman hooked up with wide receiver Hank Hatfield for a 33-yard touchdown pass to wrap up the run and set the final score.
Little Rock Catholic Coach John Fogleman was happy with the complete effort his team put forward.
“Hatfield made some really good catches, and our quarterback had a really good game,” said Fogleman, whose team improved to 4-6 overall and 2-5 in the 7A-Central. “When we made a couple defensive stands and built a lead, it really took them out of what they wanted to do.”
The Tigers (2-4, 1-2) struck first as senior quarterback Lawson Gunn capped a drive with a 5-yard touchdown run with 4:25 to play in the opening quarter.
The Rockets responded as senior running back Brandon Bisceglia found a seam in the middle of the Little Rock Central defense for a 34-yard touchdown run to tie the score at 7-7.
The Rockets defense forced a three-and-out on the Tigers’ ensuing possession to allow the Rockets to take over. After the offense moved within his range, Little Rock Catholic senior kicker Paul Owens hit a 34-yard field goal.
Little Rock Catholic’s defense remained stout, forcing the Tigers’ offense to give up possession again.
Three plays later, Bowman threw one up for Hatfield who came down with it over the top of a Tigers defender for a 30-yard touchdown catch. The extra point was no good and the Rockets held a 16-7 lead at halftime
After a scoreless third quarter, it wouldn’t take Little Rock Catholic long to score early in the fourth. To end a seven-play drive that started at the Little Rock Central 41, Bisceglia scored on a 2-yard run.
Little Rock Central Coach Kent Laster took some of the blame, but also said his team shot itself in the foot.
“Late in the second half, I’m going to put that on me,” Laster said. “I wanted to give us a chance to score, but I should’ve let the clock run out. But having said that, we still had opportunities and we just didn’t capitalize.”