After coming off a huge 46–0 win vs. Male, the Rocks are looking forward to the highly anticipated matchup with St. X on Friday, Sept. 26. The Rocks are currently 4–1, and the Tigers are 3–1. A lot of people are saying this game is looking like a 6A state championship preview.
After a loss last year to the Tigers, the Rocks are looking for revenge. Senior linebacker A.J. Hughes explained they need to “play as a team.” He also said to have a short memory and “forget all the mistakes that they have during the game.” The Tigers are looking to have a short memory from last week as well, as they lost to Elder High School out of Cincinnati.
Junior quarterback Zane Johnson says to watch out for “all the running backs.” The Rocks have had a dominant run game all year behind junior running back Jamarion “JB” Berry. He has racked up over 400
rushing yards and six rushing touchdowns. Senior wide receiver Cross Watson says we should be ready to see many different players step up. Watson named a few guys on the offensive line, Dakari Beckham and Nate Shields, as standouts who can make some big plays. After the loss last year to the Tigers, many people critiqued the offensive line, so they are ready to get their revenge.
Senior defensive back Sonny Bratcher-Gray said in order to win, the Rocks need to “come out, play hard, and come out with a big W.” Bratcher-Gray also says that they need big games out of everyone. Junior defensive back Elijah “EB” Burns-Crump said that the key for the defense is “discipline.” Junior defensive lineman Sebastian Blue perspectives is that they need to take care of standout Louisville
commit Marlon Harbin. Blue said if they “come out, execute the game plan, and play hard, it should get the job done.”
The Tigers also have another Louisville commit, Karsten Busch. When asking senior offensive tackle Nate Shields about him, he says that they are “Gonna come at it like any other game and just play our game.” Busch leads the team with 39 tackles, so slowing him down will be huge for the Rocks.
The Rocks have many score predictions, all of them with the Rocks on top. Senior offensive lineman Dakari Beckham predicted the score to be 35–7. “I feel like our team is better, and the better team wins.” Bratcher-Gray’s score prediction is 42–0, predicting another shutout to make it their fourth of the year.
With the Rocks looking for revenge from last year, and the Tigers looking to bounce back from last week’s loss, both teams will be ready and eager to play.
