Rocky Bayou defeats Saint Francis Catholic on Senior Night

SHALIMAR — After Rocky Bayou’s 49-33 win over Saint Francis Catholic Friday night, Knights Head Coach Josh Childers said he was proud of the fight he saw from his team.

“I thought we fought really hard and we fought all the way through,” Childers said. “They continued to find a way to make things happen in all phases.”

The Knights got off to a good start early, ending the first quarter with a 14-0 lead.

The Knights would add to their lead early in the second quarter with a 2-yard touchdown pass from senior quarterback Aaron Grabinger to senior wide receiver Will Ferguson.

St. Francis would not go down without a fight, however. The Wolves offense scored on back-to-back drives to cut the lead to 7.

The Knights took a 28-14 lead to halftime and would score first in the third quarter to take a 35-14 lead. St. Francis would again score on back to back drives, but a blocked point after attempt left the Knights with an eight-point lead.

After much back and forth in the last five minutes of the game, Rocky Bayou put a dagger in it with a Will Murray 22-yard touchdown run.

It was only the Knight’s second win of the season, both of which came at home. Tonight’s win was even sweeter for Childers as it was the last for a senior group that he loves so much.

“They’ve meant a lot,” an emotional Childers said. “We’ve been through a lot. It’s a great group of guys and I’m very proud of them and what they’ve accomplished. There’s not been a better group that’s come through Rocky Bayou. There’s no more class and character than these guys.”

Stat of the night: 475

That would be the amount of yards the Knights offense put up. The majority of the yardage came on the ground, 366 yards to be exact. The other 109 yards came through the air.

OFFENSIVE MVP(s): Will Murray and Will Ferguson, Rocky Bayou

The Knight’s 1-2 combo stepped up big, just like they have all season. Ferguson finished with 53 yards, while Murray ran for 145. The senior duo was responsible for 5 of Rocky Bayou’s 7 touchdowns.

“They’ve started taking their roles even more seriously,” Childers said. “I think as they’ve progressed through the season they began to take on the burden of ‘We need to be the leaders on the team’ in executing, making the big plays, whatever it may be.”

DEFENSIVE MVP: Johnny Linn, Rocky Bayou

The junior finished the night with three solo tackles, including a big sack on a Saint Francis fourth quarter drive.

“Coach Cain told me to go get the quarterback so I went and got the quarterback,” Linn said. “My teammates keep me going every play and I just love being super hyped up.”

Linn also assisted in 8 tackles, but his ability to hype up the defense makes him the real MVP.

“He’s a maniac,” Childers said. “He’s a wild man through and through. We’ve called him our hype man for a long time and I think he embraced the role even more tonight.”

QUOTABLE:

At one point in the season, we had the second toughest schedule in 1A-3A, so that means we had one of the toughest schedules in all of the state of Florida and to see our guys embrace that and wear that as a badge of honor despite the losses I think it’s the character of who they are. It’s like it’s in their DNA. They’re men of character as the Bible talks about with David’s mighty men: men of valor, that’s really who they are. -Coach Childers on his team this season

UP NEXT:

Rocky Bayou ends their season with a 2–7 record.

NOTES:

– Rocky’s Grabinger went 8-19 with 109 yards and 3 touchdowns

– Grabinger and Jonah Needham each had a touchdown for the Knights

– Rocky’s Sam Brewer had 1 solo tackle and 6 assists

– Saint Francis’ Tyler Stone went 12-25 with 305 yards and 3 touchdowns

Will Murray takes it in to extend Rocky's lead 48-27 with 3:24 left in the game pic.twitter.com/JQUxGwQkfk

— Ashleigh Wilde (@cnbAshleigh) November 2, 2019

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Rocky Bayou defeats Saint Francis Catholic on Senior Night