Jackets, Haynes wallop Murray Co.
♦ Rockmart stretches win streak to 6 with shutout on the road
CHATSWORTH — Legendary Arkansas Razorbacks football coach Frank Broyles once promulgated “Luck follows speed,” and while Rockmart High School may not have needed much luck Friday, they had more than enough speed to overwhelm Murray County in a 72-0 road victory.
“They have that advantage over a lot of teams, and they’re a great team,” said Chad Brewer, Murray County’s head coach.
Rockmart (6-1, 5-0 Region 6-3A), the defending region champions, won a sixth-straight game since a season-opening loss to Rome, utilizing two touchdowns in the first three plays from scrimmage to catapult itself to a 28-0 lead at the end of the first quarter and a 55-0 halftime advantage over Murray (1-7, 0-6).
“I was proud of how fast we started and that we never let off the gas pedal, “Rockmart head coach Biff Parson said, adding that he expects his team “to play that way every game, no matter the opponent” or score.
Brent Washington galloped 90 yards on Rockmart’s second play of the game, and then Deidric Gibson intercepted Murray quarterback Justice Knotts on a jump ball intended for Taylor Carrell to snuff out a promising Murray County drive. On the first play of the ensuing drive, Jacket WB JD Davis hit Dennis Sims on a quick pass, and Sims did the rest for a 71-yard touchdown.
JoJo Haynes achieved his first of a trifecta of rushing touchdowns Friday by making one quick cut to beat the only defender who had a chance to prevent his 28-yard score, and then his 50-yard touchdown dash pushed the lead to 28-0 with 73 seconds left in the opening quarter.
Washington’s 3-yard touchdown run punctuated a 39yard touchdown drive less than a minute into the second quarter, and Davis hit Jakari
Clark perfectly in stride on a post pattern for a 61-yard touchdown — a missed extra point kept the lead at 41 with 7:41 left in the half.
Murray County’s best scoring chance region contest died when Knotts was intercepted in the end zone by Gibson on a thirdand-goal from the 5, and Davis paid off the ensuing drive with a 6-yard touchdown run.
With 34 seconds left until halftime, Rockmart blocked a punt and a Davis-to-Haynes 11-yard touchdown pass on the drive’s first play provided the half’s final score.
Haynes busted loose for a 55yard touchdown run with 9:29 left in the third quarter, and then a touchdown run from a yard out by Cam Ferguson with 2:34 remaining in the third quarter extended the lead to 69-0. A 41-yard field goal by field goal by Jose Algeria with 9:57 left in the game was the final score, as Jake Bailey and Braylon Jones both ended Murray County drives with interceptions.
Rockmart returns home after back-to-back road games on Friday as it hosts Adairsville, which comes in with only one loss on the season after defeating Sonoraville 21-14 on Friday night.
“I don’t think we’ve hit our stride, yet, and that’s a good thing,” Parson said. “We have two goals: a region championship and win game 15.”