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Rockets Defeat Harrison County 17-0
      October 17, 2008 - The R.C.H.S. Rockets improved to 6-2 for the season by defeating the Harrison County Thoroughbreds in Mt. Vernon on Friday night. 
    The field was wet and muddy, but the Rockets used strong defense to stay ahead of Harrison County for most of the game.  Harrison struggled to move the ball, gaining less than 100 yards on offense for the entire game.  They also turned the ball over four times with two fumbles and two interceptions by the Rocket defense.
    Casey Hayes had 120 yards rushing for the Rockets and made 8 tackles on defense. Hayes and Cody Mize both scored touchdown, and kicker Andre Schwertle added a long field goal in the second quarter.
     John L. Saylor had 7 tackles and senior lineman Devon Mason added 5 tackles to help the Rockets on defense.
    The Rockets have the week of with an open date on October 24th, but return to action at home against Mercer Co. on Halloween.  That game will be Senior Night at The Rock.  
Football Rockets Go 3-2 to Start Season
Follow Fast Start With Home Losses

By Chris Pendery

This fall at RCHS, the new football season is fully underway, including a new head coach, many new players, and of course new senior captains, all prepared to bring the Rockets to victory in the long run.

 

Starting the Season

Over the off-season, the team worked hard on and off the practice field to prepare for the 2008 football season.

This group, which Coach Scott Parkey called “a group of hardworking young men” includes: 12 freshman, 12 sophomores, 12 juniors, and 13 seniors Among the 49 players on the roster, several new captains were elected by the Rock coaching staff and team members.  The captains for 08-09 are: Devon Mason, Dustin Bullock, Steve Trimble, and Casey Hayes.

Also new this year has been the presence of new head coach Scott Parkey, who took over when former coach Tom Larkey resigned to take the head coaching spot at the new Harlan County High School. 

From the beginning, Parkey has tried to implement some different approaches to certain parts of the program, including trying to get the players in great shape and to energize the outlook of the entire team.  “We had a good camp,” Parkey said of his team’s preparation earlier this year.  “We’re looking for guys to step up and become leaders, but the whole team did a good job over the off-season and during the preseason.”

 

Upset at P.C.

The season got off to a winning start when the Rockets upset highly considered Pulaski County in the Ray Correll Bowl in Somerset with a score of 34-23. “We were able to run the ball consistently,” Parkey of the game.  “We were also able to stop their running game on defense, and that was a big key to winning.”

The win over P.C. was a great way to start off the new season, Parkey said, particularly because the Maroons had been labeled as one of the teams to beat in the area.

 

Rocking over Wayne

The week following the P.C. game, the Rock played Wayne County here at home. The Rockets towered over Wayne County with a score of 30-6.

According to Coach Parkey, some factors that led us to victory in that game was having a good game plan, our forcing of turnovers, and the blocking of several punts.  In fact, the Cardinals had a difficult time moving the ball against the Rock all night.

“The defense was able to get after the quarterback and running back, then forced them to do things they didn’t want to do,” said Coach Parkey.

 

Shaking Southern

On Sept. 12th the Rockets ran over Madison Southern, beating them 22-6, despite less than desirable weather conditions. “The rain changed the whole complexion of what we were trying to do on offense,” Coach Parkey said of the team’s win against the Eagles.

Fortunately, the Rockets were able to run the ball and score. In this game, however, “The defense was the real bright spot,” Parkey said. “It was great; they were able to hold them to negative yards.”

 

Shot Down By Bell

            On Sept. 19th, the Unite Bowl was finally here, and the team and the fans were excited to be playing Bell County in one of the most highly anticipated rivalry games of the year. The Bobcats came into The Rock as a favorite to win, having been picked by several analysts to make a deep run into the playoffs this year. 

Unfortunately, as the game wore on, the excitement wasn’t enough to pull the Rock through. Several key turnovers hurt Rockcastle’s chances, and Bell eventually took control of the game.  In the end, the Rock suffered a severe loss to Bell Co., with the score ending at 38-0.

Parkey conceded that the better team won on that night, but he sees plenty of room for the Rock to improve. “To be honest,” said Coach Parkey, “they’re not 38 points better than us.”

 

Hard Knox on Homecoming

            September 26th saw the Rockets take the field again, this time searching for a homecoming win against upstart Knox County.  The teams have some recent history in that Knox Co. defeated the Rock during regular season play last year before Rockcastle returned the favor in a hard-fought victory at Knox, ending the K.C.H.S. season. 

            The homecoming game on September 26th was the third straight hard-nosed contest between the two squads; however, this time the Rock came out on the losing end with a score of 19-21.  The game was nip-and-tuck, and the outcome wasn’t decided until virtually the final play. 

 

The Road Ahead

            The Rockets head into a boarder rivalry with Lincoln County for the sixth game of the season, and both coaches and players admit that a victory would be big.  However, according to Coach Tony Saylor, nothing will come easy for the Rock the rest of the way.  “Every team gets up to play you when you have the word ‘Rock’ on your helmet,” he said, “so there aren’t any games you can take for granted.”

            Coach Parkey agrees, and says that he is looking for his team to find a way to win every game in the second half of the season. 

            Following the game versus the Patriots in Lincoln County, the Rockets will have games against: McCreary County (home-Thursday), Harrison County (home), Mercer County (home), and Whitley County (away).  

R.C.H.S. Defense Leads to 10-6 Victory Over Mercer Co.
     On Halloween in Mt. Vernon, the Rockets overcame a frightening offensive showing to beat Mercer County by playing like monsters on defense. 
    Mercer County (4-5) also played a good game on defense, as the Rockets had a difficult time moving the ball, especially in the first half.  The Rock ended up with 24 yards rushing for the first half of the game.
    Rockcastle (7-2) scored all of its 10 points in the first half.  A field goal by Andre Shwertle put The Rock on top 3-0.  Shwertle looked solid on the 30+ yard attempt which may have been good from 40 yards out.  The Rock got its only touchdown on a defensive play when R.C.H.S. picked up a Mercer County fumble and ran it in for six points. 
    Mercer County's offense managed to pass the ball at times, but the Rockcastle defense held them almost all night.  Mercer's running backs had a very difficult time against the Rocket defense. 
                               Rockets Finish Regular Season with 7-3 Record
                                                    Prepare for Playoffs

    After falling to the Whitley County Colonels on Friday, November 7th, in Williamsburg, the football Rockets have completed their regular season with a final record of seven wins and three losses. 
    The Rockets put up a good fight against Whitley, who had only been beaten once throughout the regular season when they fell to unbeaten Bell County early in the year.  "They have a good football team," Coach Tony Saylor said of the Colonels, "and their record shows that." 
    The Rockets have improved in many areas, according to Coach Saylor, and they are looking to play well in their first playoff game which will be on the road next Friday.
Rockets Fall to Bell County in Second Round of Playoffs
Finish Season with 8-4 Record
     One week after earning a first round victory with a win at Greenup County, the Rockcastle County Rockets suffered a season-ending 49-7 loss against Bell County. 
     The Rockets, who finished up the 2008 season with a record of 8 wins and 4 losses, struggled offensively most of the game; however, the Rock defense kept the game very close throughout the first half.  With under a minute remaining, the Rock trailed the Bobcats (12-0 on the season) by only a touchdown.  However, Bell County hit on a long pass play to score with only moments remaining in the half, putting the Bobcats ahead 21-7 at the break.
     The Rocket offense moved the ball well throughout the game but struggled to cash in on scoring opportunities.  Also, several penalties came at very unfortunate moments as the Rock was driving deep in Bell territory. "We moved the ball against them as well as any team has," Coach Parkey said, "but we had some trouble converting on good opportunities to score."
     For the season, Rockcastle finishes with eight wins and four losses.