The game was played much closer than the score would indicate as the both teams mounted long, sustained drives against the other. But the Bobcats got a 55-yard touchdown run from Spencer Greer, a 25-yard interception return for a TD from T.R. Christopher and a 56-yard field goal from Monte Merrick.
The Rockets just couldn’t answer as they were stopped twice on fourth down inside the Bell 30 yard line and threw three interceptions in all as Bell snapped a three-game losing streak in the series.
“The thrill of victory feels a whole lot better than the agony of defeat,” Bell coach Dudley Hilton told his players after the game.
He said the Rockets and Bobcats are where they are today because they challenge each other.
“Rockcastle’s been a great football team the last two or three years,” Bell coach Dudley Hilton said after the game. “We went up there last year and played our tails off against them and lost 13-0 (in the playoffs). We had a bunch of sophomores and juniors and I’m very proud that we came close twice to beating them in our off year.
“We’ve worked hard, they’ve made us a good football team. But in return we’ve made them a good football team,” he added. “These people that runs from us, we can’t make them a good football team. We’re both where we are now because we compete with each other and make each other work hard.”
After holding Rockcastle to two first downs on their first possession, the Bobcats took over on their own 31. They set the tone for the game with a masterful seven-play, 69-yard touchdown drive that put a tough Rocket defense on its heels.
Bell relied almost exclusively on the pass in losing a pair of close games to Rockcastle last year. Friday they opened up with three straight runs.
Greer gained five yards on two carries and freshman Dominic Carton sprang free for an eight-yard draw play on 3rd & 5 from a spread formation. Quarterback Kyle Nelson then hit Shawnta Zachery for nine yards on an out pattern along the left sideline.
On 2nd & 1, junior fullback Justin Goodin ran through an arm tackle at the line of scrimmage and burst into the Rockcastle secondary for a 19-yard gain. He was called for a 5-yard facemask as his hand got caught while delivering a stiffarm at the end of the run.
Bell ran play-action on first down and Nelson hit a wide open John Dudley Hilton over the middle with a jump pass for a 23-yard gain to just inside the ten yard line. Nelson found Chase Ely all alone in the back of the end zone on the very next play. Merrick’s extra point put the Bobcats up 7-0 with 4:10 to play in the opening quarter.
Rockcastle did their best to answer back. A pair of long runs from Cody Mize and Casey Hayes and a two fourth down conversions — including a 14-yard pass from Dustin Bishop to Dustin Bullock on 4th & 9 — helped the Rockets drive 69 yards on 14 plays.
On 4th & 6 from the Bell 11 yard line, Bishop dropped back and looked to Bullock again. This time Bobcat sophomore Matt Raines jumped in front of the pass for an interception and returned it out to the 21.
The teams traded punts and Rockcastle was driving late in the half. Mize picked up two yards on 4th down to give the Rockets a 1st & 10 at the Bell 48 with 47 seconds on the clock. Bishop threw one incompletion, then completed another pass for a loss of one to set up 3rd &11.
Looking to go deep, Bishop was sacked by Christian Mason, Robbie Slusher and Billy Lawson. He fumbled, but it was recovered by Rockcastle all the way back at their own 30 yard line.
Bell nearly blocked the punt, and may have gotten a piece of it as the ball went out of bounds at the Rockcastle 48 with 12.5 seconds to go in the half.
Carton ran for one yard and Nelson passed to Greer for 8 more down to the 39 yard line.
Merrick came on to hit his 56-yard field goal — just two yards short of a state record — as time expired and Bell took a 10-0 lead into the half.
Bell recovered an onside kick to start the third quarter and marched down to the Rockcastle two yard line on just six plays. Greer ran for 34 yards on three carries, Goodin added a 7- yard run and Ely had an 8-yard catch.
But Bell was called for a false start to move back 5 yards and Christopher was thrown for a four yard loss. Nelson threw an incomplete pass and then fumbled the snap on 3rd and goal. Rockcastle recovered at the 13-yard line.
Nelson completed 7-of-11 passes in the game for 77 yards despite facing a heavy rush on most of his attempts and getting sacked four times.
“We’ve got things we need to execute better,” Hilton said. “We had guys open in the passing game and we can’t let our quarterback get hit like that.”
The Bobcats forced a 3-and-out and after their own drive stalled, Merrick’s punt pinned Rockcastle back at their own 22 with 1:44 to play in the third quarter.
Abner Kirby caught four passes for 39 yards and Rockcastle again converted on fourth down as they drove into Bell territory.
Bishop’s two-yard run set up a 4th & 2 at the Bobcat 24. Hayes went up the middle, but Shawn Henderson stopped him short of the first down and Bell took over with 7:24 to play in the game.
Christopher broke an eight-yard run and Nelson ran for ten on a naked bootleg on 3rd & 3. Facing a 3rd & 5 from their own 45 yard line, Bell gave the ball to Greer.
He broke two tackles right up the middle of the Rocket defense, broke into the open field and outran the secondary for a 55-yard touchdown. Merrick’s extra point put Bell up 17-0 with just 4:12 to go in the game.
As he has all season long, Merrick’s kickoff went through the end zone so Rockcastle had to start on their own 20.
Rockcastle was forced to pass and Bishop tried to hit Kirby on a 7-yard out pattern. Christopher jumped the route, picked off the pass and took it 25 yards back the other way for a touchdown to put the game away.
Nelson intercepted Bishop’s next pass on the Rockets’ next play and returned it to the 22.
Five straight runs took the ball down inside the ten yard line. On 3rd & goal with time winding down, Nelson tried to pitch the ball to Greer. But it was deflected by a Rockcastle player and recovered by the Rockets all the way out at the 29.
But with just 8 seconds to play, the Rockets let the clock run to end the game.
“It was an excellent football game, closer than the score indicates. It was what all these people came out here to see,” Hilton said. “Coach (Tom) Larkey had his kids ready to play. They kept the football too long against us. They run a power game and they did a good job.”
Bell (4-0, 2-0 district) is off next week and will host Volunteer High from Churchill, Tenn. on Sept. 29. Rockcastle (3-1, 1-1) visits Knox Central next Friday.
“We don’t take weeks off. That’s what’s wrong with alot of teams around here — they take too much time off,” Hilton said. “We’ve got plenty of things we need to work on and try to get better for the rest of the season.”
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