Anytime you’re late getting somewhere, especially an hour, and especially if you’re a football team, it’s never a good thing.
Just ask the Cesar Chavez-Parkside Eagles.
The Eagles were scheduled for a 6 p.m. kickoff at James Buchanan, but traffic issues for Chavez-Parkside prevented the game from starting until 7:30.
The Rockets took full advantage of the Chavez-Parkside’s misfortune and sent them home with a 42-14 loss Friday night at Rocket Stadium.
The Rockets rolled up 21 first-half points and got another monster rushing game from senior Cormac Houpt to overwhelm the visitors from Washington, DC.
JB (3-4) started off fast in the first quarter getting a pair of Houpt touchdowns, including an untouched 43-yard scamper on the Rockets’ first possession of the game. The second TD was of the 2-yard variety, which was set up by Owen Stoner’s interception.
“We got off to a pretty good start, especially scoring on our first play,” JB coach David Miller said. “But I think we may have gotten a little complacent there for a little bit. I think we could’ve scored more points in the first half.”
A nice toss and catch of 35 yards from Sebastian Wise to Caden Stoner widened the Rockets’ lead to 21-0 early in the second quarter.
“That was a nice play-action play there,” Miller said. “The last three weeks the play-action passes have been working pretty well. Teams are biting down trying to stop our runs and Sebastian has been hitting some nice passes and the receivers are making good catches.”
While the defense was doing its job of keeping the Eagles offense at bay, Houpt hit his stride in the second half scoring from 32 yards out and adding big runs of 49 and 18.
Houpt finished the game with 214 yards, his second 200-yard game of the season, and 3 touchdowns. He now has 978 yards and 13 TDs on the season.
“The offensive line did a good job blocking, making holes for Cormac and giving Sebastian time to throw,” JB senior lineman Logan Spoonhour said. “It was a good all-around game for everyone.”
Spoonhour got into the scoring in the fourth quarter as Miller put him in the backfield when the Rockets had first-and-goal at the 1. Spoonhour got stuffed on his first carry, but he busted through the right side of the line on his second attempt for his first career TD.
“Yeah, that first try I got jammed up at the line, but it was wide open on the second,” Spoonhour said.
Rocket senior Jacob Line also scored his first career TD on a 3-yard run in the fourth quarter.
NOTES: Walter Todd, who rushed for 105 yards, scored both TDs for the Eagles … Next Friday the Rockets travel to Pottsville BVM (7-2) for a 7 p.m. game.
James Buchanan 42, Cesar Chavez-Parkside 14
CC-Parkside 0 0 0 14 – 14
James Buchanan 14 7 7 14 – 42
FIRST QUARTER
JB – Cormac Houpt 43 run (Alec Truett kick), 7:29
JB – Houp 2 run (Truett kick), 3:30
SECOND QUARTER
JB – Caden Stoner 35 pass from Sebastian Wise (Truett kick), 11:43
THIRD QUARTER
JB – Houpt 32 run (Truett kick), 10:10
FOURTH QUARTER
CCP – Walter Todd 78 run (run failed), 11:35
JB – Logan Spoonhour 1 run (Truett kick), 8:04
JB – Jacob Line 3 run (Truett kick), 5:38
CCP – Todd 1 run (Todd run), :44
TEAM STATISTICS
First downs – CCP 12; JB 14
Rushes-yds – CCP 30-185; JB 28-215
Passing-yds – CCP 5-14-1-99; JB 4-6-0-119
Total yds. – CCP 284; JB 334
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
Rushing – CCP – Todd 7-105, Delonte Simms 17-100, Mike Smith 4-(-2), Emmanuel Gross 1-(-9), John Lewis 1-(-9); JB – Houpt 24-214, Line 1-3, Spoonhour 2-1, Wise 1-(-3).
Passing – CCP – Smith 1-8-1-7, Todd 4-6-0-92; JB – Wise 4-6-0-119.
Receiving – CCP Anthony McGill 2-70, Lewis 1-16, Todd 1-7, Simms 1-6; JB – Daulton Bray 2-63, C.Stoner 1-35, Brady Bigler 1-21.
Interceptions – JB – O. Stoner.