Navasota vs. Rockdale: Wrap-Up

STORY BY: TIM SCHNETTLER

NAVASOTA —  Xavier Creeks did a little bit of everything for the Navasota Rattlers on Friday night.

The Rattler senior rushed for 195 yards and two touchdowns on 18 carries and returned an interception 71 yards for a touchdown to help lead Navasota to a 43-0 victory over the Rockdale Tigers at Rattler Stadium.

The victory kept the No. 1-ranked Rattlers perfect on the season, improving their overall mark to 7-0 and the District 18-3A record to 2-0. Rockdale dropped to 4-5 and 1-2.

Creeks, who topped 100 yards rushing for the second consecutive game, ran around, over and through the Rockdale defense, averaging 10.8 yards per carry.

Quarterback Kadarius Baker, while not at his sharpest, was 17-of-24 throwing the ball for 242 yards and a touchdown. He also added a 6-yard scoring run.

While the offense put points on the board, the Rattler defense had its second straight game where it kept the opponent off the scoreboard, as Rockdale never came close to scoring.

The only time Rockdale crossed midfield was in the fourth quarter, down 30-0, reaching the Navasota 26 before turning the ball over on downs. Rockdale totaled just 114 yards (79 rushing, 35 passing), and through two district games Navasota has allowed just 184 yards.

“We’ve got a great offense, but I would be concerned if I had to get my offense ready to face our defense,” said Rattler head coach Lee Fedora. “That is a credit to coach [Bill] Hoppers and his staff. We have a lot of talent over there and a we have a lot of guys flying to the ball.”

The Rattlers got on the board first when Baker called his own number and carried it in from the 6-yard line to cap an 8-play, 41-yard scoring drive. Michael Martinez’s extra point made it 7-0 at the 39 second mark of the first quarter.

Midway through the second quarter the Rattlers struck again, covering 83 yards in 10 plays. Creeks, who had 10 rushes for 106 yards in the first half, capped the drive with a 23-yard run.

Creeks added his second score on the opening drive of the second half, scoring from the 4 to cap a 6-play, 65-yard drive.

Navasota threatened again the next time it got the ball, driving into Rockdale territory. The drive stalled, however, and Martinez connected on a 32-yard field goal to make it 23-0. On the season, Martinez is 5-for-5 on field goals.

Creeks then added his defensive touchdown on the first play following the Martinez field goal.

Rockdale quarterback Ethan Brinkley, with the wind at his back, was trying to go deep to Clayton Gibbs. Instead, Creeks picked the ball at the Navasota 29, and raced down the sideline to paydirt.

In the fourth quarter the Rattlers added two more scores, a 9-yard pass from Baker to Austin Collins and a 15-yard run by backup quarterback Keyshawn Philio to provide the final margin.

The Rattlers will be on the road next week when they travel to Caldwell to take on the Hornets. Kickoff is slated for 7:30 p.m. and the game can be heard live on Navasota News 1550 KWBC.

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