The left-hand turn at the intersection in New Centerville (pretty sure there's only one in town) began the short drive into Rockwood, a place this writer hasn't visited in at least 20 years ,though some hometown friends used to frequent the Rockwood Hotel.
Upon pulling into Rockwood High School, a long-forgotten visual exploded back into memory. The guess here is Rockwood is the only high school in the state with a scuplture of a rocket in front. It's impossible to miss and it hovers high above the football field.
I covered the Jefferson-Morgan Rockets for years. Never recalled seeing a rocket in front of the school, though I've never been fed better at a football game in my life. (If any J-M people read this, please inform me of prime rib night so I can adjust my schedule accordingly.)
Rockwood's football program has hardly taken off in recent years, but it would be difficult to find anyone willing to call the Rockets underachievers. The stadium is not exactly state-of-art. The numbers are frequenltly low. Yet, Rockwood usually finds itself in playoff contention and competing against teams with bigger numbers and more talent.
This past Saturday, Rockwood of the WestPAC got off to a roaring start as it defeated a rebuilding United of the Heritage Conference, 31-7, in a crossover game.
Before the season, Rockets head coach Jerry Kaizen could not say enough about senior running back/linebacker Luke Brancato.
Following Brancato's performance against, it's easy to understand why. Brancato had more than 100 yards rushing AND receiving. No doubt, he'll be the focal point of Blacklick Valley's defensive efforts during practice this week. Friday's game will be the first under the lights at Blacklick Valley, who used to play Saturday afternoons.
No comments:
Post a Comment