Published: November 15, 2008 12:47 am            

Rockets down Greenup, 34-14

LLOYD — Jared Smith had not played tailback this season for Rockcastle County before Friday.

Some debut.

The senior slashed through Greenup County for 190 yards and three touchdowns to lead the Rockets to a 34-14 win in the Class 4A first round. Rockcastle County meets Bell County in the second round next week.

Last night was not the first time Smith, a converted receiver, has played tailback; he was in the backfield as a sophomore. He said coach Scott Parkey told him Monday he was going to add a new formation.

It worked. In case you didn’t bring a calculator with your corn flakes to breakfast, Smith averaged 8.6 yards per carry, and he gained 186 of his yards in the second half.

“Big formation, power formation,” Smith said of the new lineup. “Casey’s been running good all year.”

That would be senior Casey Hayes, the team’s leading rusher. He had a good night, too —– 16 carries for 146 yards and a touchdown before leaving the game late in the third quarter with a bruised thigh.

“He’s more a power back,” Smith said of Hayes. “I guess I’m more elusive.”

Hayes stands just 5-foot-6 and weighs 180 pounds. He said that doesn’t matter.

“I’ve got a lot of heart,” Hayes said. “I’m stout.”

So why did Parkey wait so long to insert Smith?

“He’s a real good receiver, too,” Parkey said

Greenup County gave up 444 yards and gained 264, but that doesn’t take into account Musketeer senior quarterback Eric Craft, who threw for 165 yards and ran for another 60, which helped his team score 14 points in 77 seconds early in the fourth quarter.

“It’s always frustrating to get beat, but to battle back like we did, it shows how much character this team really has,” Craft said.

After holding the Musketeers to open the game, Rockcastle County scored its first touchdown almost in spite of itself. The Rockets had three illegal procedure penalties, but Hayes carried four times for 30 yards, including the final five.

You could summarize the Musketeer offense in one word – almost – the rest of the opening quarter. Craft completed two passes for 29 yards, but his team managed six yards on the next two plays.

The Rockets (8-3) unveiled a long drive for its second score six seconds into the second quarter. Bishop hit senior Dustin Bullock for five yards to cap a 14-play, 94-yard march.

Greenup County (3-8) coughed up two fumbles in the first half. The worst came on the ensuing kickoff, when Drew Hannah fumbled. The Rockets’ Steve Trimble recovered, and three plays later Smith’s 2-yard run made it 21-0.

Smith scored from 15 yards out with 30 seconds left in the third quarter and from 44 yards with 3:05 left in the game.

In between, Craft hit senior Michael Grubb with a 16-yard scoring pass and ran in from a yard out.

“Our kids battled, hung tough all year, did everything we asked them to do,” Greenup County coach Mike Sammons said. “I’m very proud of our kids’ efforts.”

        

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