7A-CENTRAL : Rockets pull away from Pointers in 2nd half
Posted on Saturday, October 11, 2008
Junior quarterback Taylor Bartlett threw three touchdown passes and ran for another in No. 10 Little Rock Catholic’s 47-21 homecoming victory over Van Buren in a 7 A-Central action Friday night at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock.
The Rockets (4-2, 3-0 7 ACentral ) survived an aerial assault by the Pointers (1-5, 1-2 ) to get their third consecutive victory.
“It was ugly,” Catholic Coach Scooter Register said. “Just ugly, ugly, ugly. Ugly Betty. It was ugly.”
Van Buren senior quarterback David Ostrander completed 26 of 39 passes for 338 yards and 2 touchdowns.
Sophomore wide receiver Drew White had 11 receptions for 196 yards. His older brother, senior wide receiver Brooks White, had 11 receptions for 111 yards and 2 touchdowns.
Catholic took the lead for good with just under eight minutes remaining in the third quarter when senior cornerback Hunter Korte returned an interception 86 yards for a touchdown to put the Rockets ahead 21-14.
The Rockets, No. 6 in Class 7 A, quickly pulled away following Korte’s return.
Bartlett threw a 2-yard touchdown pass to senior wide receiver Paul Drake with 4: 08 remaining in the third quarter and a 20-yard touchdown pass to senior wide receiver John Springer with 4: 38 remaining in the game for a 34-14 lead.
Bartlett completed 12 of 21 passes for 115 yards and rushed 6 times for 22 yards.
Springer caught 4 passes for 59 yards. Drake had six receptions for 44 yards.
The Rockets rushed for 177 yards, led by junior fullback Aaron Chwalinski’s 47 yards on nine carries.
Chwalinski extended Catholic’s lead to 40-21 on a 6-yard touchdown in the closing minutes.
Catholic had few first-half answers for Ostrander, who completed 15 of 18 passes for 186 yards and 1 touchdown.
Brooks White had 8 receptions for 67 yards, including a 7-yard touchdown with 1: 44 remaining in the first half.
The touchdown gave Van Buren a 14-7 lead and came five plays after sophomore wide receiver Drew White turned a short pass near the sideline into a 64-yard gain to the 25.
But the Rockets tied the score at halftime when Bartlett threaded a pass between three defenders, with Drake making the catch in the end zone with 44 seconds remaining in the first half.
On its first possession of the game, Catholic took a 7-0 lead when Bartlett capped a six-play, 44-yard drive on a 1-yard sneak with 8: 47 remaining in the first quarter.
The Pointers covered 89 yards in 17 plays to tie the score.
Ostrander completed four passes for 40 yards on the drive, capped by junior running back Mitchell Newby’s 1-yard run with 7: 16 remaining in the first half.
FEEDBACK:
Something to say about this topic? Submit a Letter to the Editor online
